Juuso Parssinen was one of many first restricted free brokers the Rangers took care of this summer season, with the 24-year-old signing a two-year contract extension simply over two weeks after their 2024-25 season ended.
Coming off a marketing campaign spent with three groups as a result of two trades, Parssinen got here into Rangers coaching camp with a primary alternative to grab the third-line heart position.
The emergence of rookie Noah Laba, nevertheless, relegated Parssinen to avenue garments by means of the primary two video games of the season.
Within the wake of Vincent Trocheck's upper-body damage, which is projected to sideline him on a week-to-week foundation, head coach Mike Sullivan at first inserted Parssinen into the lineup Saturday in Pittsburgh.
On Sunday in opposition to the Capitals, nevertheless, Sullivan opted to go together with Jonny Brodzinski as a substitute.
Brodzinski lined up in his place on the left wing of the third line subsequent to Laba and Taylor Raddysh for his season debut.
“We're attempting to make selections primarily based on what we see, to place combos collectively to see if we are able to have some success,” Sullivan mentioned after the 1-0 loss on the Backyard. “Jonny's had a reasonably stable camp, so we're attempting to maneuver individuals out and in to offer guys a chance to see what we've got and see if we are able to discover a mixture in that backside six that's going to work for us.”
Whereas skating in that spot Saturday, Parssinen earned the secondary help on Raddysh's 6-1 rating within the third interval.
He additionally posted one blocked shot and two hits in 9:24 of ice time.
The one participant on the ice to log much less time was Carson Soucy, who was knocked out within the second interval with an upper-body damage and subsequently positioned on injured reserve Sunday morning.
Parssinen's stint was finally brief lived.
“Yeah, that's how it's typically,” he mentioned of getting scratched. “Simply tried to remain constructive, work on myself, do no matter I can to assist the opposite guys who're taking part in.”
Parssinen, who mixed for six objectives and 10 assists in 48 video games final season, mentioned he can play both wing or heart.
Sullivan nonetheless stayed with Mika Zibanejad at heart Sunday to switch Trocheck as a substitute of using Brodzinski within the center.
After spending the primary two video games on the wing, Zibanejad regarded proper at residence on the heart place Saturday and Sunday evening.
“We tried Pars all through the course of the coaching camp and the exhibition video games within the center,” Sullivan mentioned. “Clearly, if we have been going to play Mika with J.T. [Miller], there was a chance there for that third-line heart position that we thought Pars might probably fill. We tried to offer that chance for him, and he spent a whole lot of time on the heart place all through the exhibition video games. I feel the emergence of Noah Laba has added simply one other participant within the combine that probably we might go to to meet that position, and we all know Pars is snug taking part in the wing additionally.
“Now we have some versatility there with guys that may play heart and play the wing. And we'll proceed to observe and see what we've got, and if we've got to make changes alongside the best way, we are going to.”
