NY Rangers Make Massive Line Changes With One Player Switching Positions

The New York Rangers showcased some major line changes in practice following a fourth-straight loss.

Oct 26, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Will Cuylle (50) skates with the puck defended by Los Angeles Kings center Scott Laughton (21) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers lost their fourth straight game on Sunday to the Edmonton Oilers, and the team is in a bit of a free fall of late. Now, it appears there are some major changes potentially looming. 

Following their hot start to the season, the Rangers have fallen on some hard times of late. New York has now lost six of their last seven games, and the team is reeling a bit. 

While the loss of Igor Shesterkin has obviously changed the outlook of the season, there have been struggles in other areas as well that have contributed to the issues. 

With the team needing to shake things up, Mike Sullivan showcased some very different-looking lines. Not only did the coach switch up the lines, he also has moved a player to a new position entirely.

Rangers Make More Line Changes

Some new #NYR lines at practice:

Dorofeyev-Zibanejad-Lafrenière
Kartye-Miller-Perreault
Tolvanen-Cuylle-Bjorkstrand
Raddysh-Laba-Rempe
Glendening

Rotating D, but looks like the same as last night's game.

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) November 2, 2026

With the team in the middle of a really bad stretch, according to Mollie Walker, they have made some notable changes to their lines. While the first line that featured Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Alexis Lafreniere remained the same, the other three were tweaked.

On the second line, the team is now featuring J.T. Miller, Tye Kartye, and Gabe Perreault. Even though it was Perreault starting the game on the third line for the Rangers on Sunday, he eventually slid into the second line in this grouping. 

On the third line is where the major shakeup has occurred. Will Cuylle will be switching positions and playing center as opposed to being on the wing. This is a massive shift, and he skated alongside Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand. 

With Cuylle moving to center on the third line, Noah Laba has been moved to the fourth. The young center has not performed well for most of the year, and moving him to the fourth line will hopefully provide him with a bit of a reset and a chance to be in a better position to succeed. 

If these new pairings are going to work, it will come down to how well Cuylle can play up the middle. This will be a new role for him, but he does have some veterans alongside him to help with the transition. 

Cuylle being moved to center on the third line does highlight a glaring hole that the organization has up the middle. While there might be some bumps in the road, it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the new position.