For weeks, as the return of No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad drew closer and closer, folks have been speculating how, exactly, Rangers coach David Quinn would reconfigure his lineup to fit Zibanejad into it.
The top three lines, after all, had meshed so well together in Zibanejad’s absence, driving the Rangers to an 8-4-1 record during the 13 games he’d missed. It seemed a shame to break the lines up. Many speculated that the easiest thing to do would be to shift Ryan Strome to the wing, so he could stay on the same line with Artemi Panarin, and the other centers would be able to maintain their spots.
Mika Zibanejad returns and David Quinn moves Ryan Strome to wing on second line
