Between their late season shellackings at the hands of the New York Islanders and the Tom Wilson incident against the Washington Capitals, the Rangers entered the 2021 offseason wanting to be tougher to play against. The 2012 fight night against the New Jersey Devils saw the team ice three enforcers in Stu Bickel, Brandon Prust, and Mike Rupp to start that game and send a message. The 2021 fight night against Washington saw the roles of Bickel, Prust, and Rupp played by Colin Blackwell, Phil Di Giuseppe, and Kevin Rooney. Brendan Smith, Anthony Bitetto, and Ryan Strome got in on the fisticuffs shortly thereafter, but nobody would call refer to any of those six players as an enforcer.
2022 Report Card: Ryan Reaves
