Ryan Strome was traded because he needed a kick-start, and now so do the Rangers.
In turn, coach David Quinn was planning to move the 25-year-old to center for Saturday night’s game at the Panthers. It is the first time Strome will be in the middle since coming over in a Nov. 16 deal with the Oilers that sent Ryan Spooner to Edmonton. In addition, Strome also was bumped up to the first power-play unit as the Blueshirts come off a five-day stretch without a game and look to bounce back after a 1-4-1 downturn over their previous six.