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Arthur Kaliyev’s first 10 games with the Rangers have been a mixed bag as the 23-year-old wing tries to find his footing in the middle of a season with a new team.
His line with Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil has been on the ice for four Rangers goals and two against, according to Natural Stat Trick, while owning an 11-6 edge in high-danger chances through 62:46 of ice time together
Coming off a pair of disheartening losses, however, Kaliyev found himself on the outside looking in at line rushes during practice Thursday — an indication he could be scratched Saturday in Boston.
“A guy coming back from injury, getting back into it with a new team, I think there’s been times when he’s been good,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of how he’d assess Kaliyev’s start with the team. “He’s been productive. [Him not taking rushes] was just practice. I think there’s room for growth, and then there’s things he’s done well for us, as well. He can shoot the puck and score some goals.”
Kaliyev opened the season with the Kings on injured reserve with a fractured clavicle, so the past 10 contests have been his first of the 2024-25 campaign.
The Rangers are high on the Uzbekistan-born forward’s shot and would like him to use it more than he has.
“I think getting the pace back up to speed and the battles, sometimes it takes some time if you haven’t been involved in it for a long stretch of time,” Laviolette said. “I think those are areas that we talk to him about, show him, just the speed of the game and the compete and the battles. But there’s been times when it’s been good, as well.
“He’s using it to his advantage to gain opportunities to get his shot off, which we feel is excellent. It’s just getting up to speed.”
Jonny Brodzinski took reps with Kreider and Chytil on Thursday instead.
Amid news that Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen has been ruled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury, Rangers blueliner Urho Vaakanainen could be the next man up for Finland.
Brennan Othmann is riding a four-game goal-scoring streak with the Wolf Pack.
Brett Berard, who played the first 19 games of his NHL career earlier this season before going back down to Hartford, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Rangers are scheduled to practice Friday before they venture to Boston for a Saturday matinee against the Bruins. They’ll face the Golden Knights at home Sunday.
