Why Rangers face conundrum in getting Scott Morrow into lineup

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Why Rangers face conundrum in getting Scott Morrow into lineup

Why Rangers face conundrum in getting Scott Morrow into lineup — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tom Castro · Forever Blueshirts

Tue, Oct 27, 2026 ·

8 min read

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The New York Rangers could certainly use Scott Morrow's speed and puck-moving skills as an added dimension to their lineup. Unfortunately, it appears that they feel as if they can't afford to put him in it.

So it goes for Morrow, the soon-to-be 24-year-old who was a second-round draft pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021. The Rangers deemed Morrow, who's no longer waivers exempt, too valuable to risk losing to another team that way before the start of this season. They subsequently kept him on the NHL roster rather than attempting to sneak him through and assign him to Hartford of the American Hockey League.

Morrow, however, is blocked from game action at the NHL level by more experienced players, along with the team's notion that he isn't reliable enough defensively to be counted on. He's essentially being stashed on the roster as protection against being lost for nothing — even though the Rangers can't figure out what to do with him at the moment.

Rangers need Scott Morrow's skills, but lack confidence in his defense

NHL: Preseason-New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers — Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That makes the professional life of the 6-foot-2, 211-pound defenseman a paradox. If the Rangers don't feel that Morrow can be counted on in the defensive zone, they aren't going to put him in the lineup. Yet if he doesn't play, how can he grow his defensive game — or show the coaching staff and front office that he'll reward their faith in keeping him around?

There, as they say, is the rub.

Morrow isn't able to continue honing his craft in the AHL with the Wolf Pack because he would need to clear waivers to do so. The 2025 AHL All-Star exists in limbo as the Rangers' seventh defenseman, not knowing when or if he'll get to make his season debut, left to ponder the Catch-22 that colors his situation with the organization.

Acquired as a key part of the K'Andre Miller trade on July 1, 2025, which also netted the Rangers first- and second-round draft picks in 2026, Morrow brought a blend of size and skating ability, along with a dangerous right-hand shot, to go with the promise of being able to run a power play. He got the biggest opportunity of his young career last season, when a pair of injuries sustained by top defenseman and power-play quarterback Adam Fox resulted in him playing 29 games and getting an average of 15:40 TOI.

The results were mixed. The Rangers were outscored 16-12 with Morrow on the ice at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick , but he also posting a 50.4 expected goal share. Eventually given a chance to man the point on the power play in Fox's absence, following coach Mike Sullivan's largely disastrous five-forward alignment with the man advantage, Morrow hardly impressed in limited work and was removed from the role in short order. He finished his first season in New York with six assists.

There's no way to know now if Morrow would have nailed down a regular role for the 2026-27 season out of training camp, but the July 1 addition of veteran Sean Durzi — like Morrow, a right-handed shot — in the Vincent Trocheck trade made it a moot point. That acquisition filled out the right side of the D-corps, with Fox, Durzi and Braden Schneider holding the spots.

So Morrow sits, a healthy scratch for all 14 games so far this season.

"We don't like having any of our players on the sidelines for any length of time," Sullivan said Monday . "It's not in anybody's best interest, especially a young player like Scotty. There are circumstances around it. He's been great. He's a great pro. He understands it. We've communicated it with him. He works extremely hard to try to keep his game at a level where, when he does get the tap to go in, that he has an opportunity to have success."

Morrow certainly isn't the typical extra defenseman on an NHL roster, as he's not a veteran who understands his lesser role as a depth player. Perhaps the matter would be less complicated if the struggling Rangers weren't yearning for exactly what Morrow can bring.

Scott Morrow gets the go ahead goal. 3-2 #NYR pic.twitter.com/7jl9Foi86h

— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) September 25, 2026

Cracks in their encouraging early-season start showed up during the past six games, a 1-4-1 stretch that dropped them to 7-6-1 heading into a five-day break. They're on a three-game losing streak and allowed 25 goals in their past four regulation losses. While the problems are many, one of them is a lack of speed and an inability to push the puck up ice with pace.

Most playoff contenders boast at least some burst from the blue line — a player or players who can skate the puck out of their own zone, beat neutral-zone defenders and make efficient offensive-zone entries thanks to their quickness and elusiveness. The Rangers don't have anyone like that currently in the lineup.

The question with Morrow, as mentioned, is whether his defensive abilities are developed enough to not be a liability in his own zone. It's worth pointing out, however, that neither Durzi nor Schneider is locking down opponents defensively. While the Rangers are out-chancing teams 111-106 with Durzi on at 5-on-5, it's 51-38 against when it comes to high-danger chances. Durzi sports a subpar 45.3 expected goal share.

Schneider's expected goal share is 46.8, and the Rangers are being out-chanced 100-88 and 49-44 in high-danger chances with him on at even strength through 14 games. That's despite a strong performance in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings , when he and Durzi flipped spots, with Schneider pairing with Marcus Pettersson , and Durzi slotting on the third pair alongside 18-year-old rookie Alberts Smits .

Durzi and Schneider are known commodities; each has more than 300 games of NHL experience, compared with Morrow's 45. There's also the issue of redundancy. If Morrow were to draw into the lineup, he'd in theory replace Schneider on the third pair if everyone is healthy. But that creates a situation where all three right-side defensemen are offense-minded. Schneider's size, physical play and prime penalty-killing role would all be sacrificed.

Mike Sullivan knows Scott Morrow's situation is less than ideal

NHL: New York Islanders at New York Rangers — Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Keeping steady and balanced defense pairings conflicts with the club's ability to deploy a player whose skill set would add a different look to an improved but still-flawed roster. Yet the Rangers apparently need something that could give them a different look and a shot in the collective arm.

Morrow might not be the answer. But the argument that he shouldn't get into games because he's not good defensively starts to fall flat when the team doesn't play good enough defense as it is.

Sullivan, a two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach and the man who coached the United States to an Olympic gold medal in February, doesn't have an easy answer for this conundrum. To his credit, he's at least aware of it.

" I don't think there's any doubt that it's not in any player's best interest to be on the sidelines for that length of time," Sullivan said. "That's a discussion that we've had internally, and we'll try to manage it accordingly."

Remember that it was Sullivan who stated after last season that the Rangers needed to add puck-moving ability from the blue line as a priority of the offseason.

It may take an injury, like Fox going down last season, for Morrow to get another chance. However, Sullivan admitted Monday night that Durzi's been battling a health issue. The 28-year-old missed several practices, including one on Tuesday, but has dressed for every game. Perhaps there was a chance to give Durzi a chance to heal, and Morrow an opportunity to actually play.

The Rangers could end up using Morrow as a trade chip later in the season, or they might attempt to sneak him through waivers at some point. However, young, big, right-shot defensemen who can drive offense with speed don't grow on trees. The Rangers' decision not to gamble on losing him on waivers indicates that they know it — and that they do value what he might bring.

That's despite the fact that Morrow, as much as the club could use his abilities, might not be a great fit for the roster as constructed. It's yet another Catch-22 for a player caught in the middle. All Morrow can do is to keep doing what he's already doing — wait.

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