The New York Rangers' leadership core has been streamlined to three players this season, a shift from the previous five or six-member groups, and head coach Mike Sullivan attributes the team's strong start to their influence. This smaller leadership council, composed of captain J.T. Miller and alternates Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox, is setting a proactive tone for the team.
Sullivan highlighted the leadership group's role in the Rangers' ability to start and finish games effectively. "I give a lot of credit to our leadership group," Sullivan stated. "I think they have a lot to do with it. Just leading by example for starters, first and foremost. I think leadership is a big part of that. I give the guys credit. I think they understand the importance of playing on your toes, playing the game the right way, we want to be a team that doesn’t sit back and sit on our heels and try to defend a lead. We want to be proactive and continue to play on our toes and try to dictate the terms out there. Just do it in a responsible way."
He specifically praised Miller for his leadership in rallying the team and ensuring the right mindset before games. "But I think it boils down to our leadership. I give our veteran guys — J.T., Foxy, Mika — I think those guys are leading the charge there."
This focus on leadership appears to be translating to on-ice performance. Entering Tuesday's game against the Lightning, the Rangers had allowed only one first-period goal through seven games, a league-leading mark. Their 10 third-period goals over the same span ranked second in the NHL, a significant improvement from last season's tendencies for slow starts and weak finishes.
Sullivan noted that while Miller is expressive, Zibanejad leads more by example. "Mika’s not an overly vocal guy," Sullivan said. "He’s not a rah-rah guy. I think he leads by example. His professionalism, the way he carries himself, the way he goes about his business every day to prepare himself to be at his very best. Mika’s just a great pro and he’s a good teammate. I think that speaks volumes. People lead in different ways. What I like about this group is we’ve got a pretty good mix. We have some rah-rah guys in there that wear their emotions right on their sleeve, our captain’s one of them."
He added that leadership extends beyond the players wearing letters on their sweaters, mentioning defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and emerging forward Will Cuylle as other contributors to the team's leadership dynamic. "Mika brings a little bit of a different approach. Foxy is very similar. But it doesn’t just stop there with the guys with the letters on their sweaters. There’s other guys that step up. Vladdy Gavrikov is a good leader for us. I think Will Cuylle’s an emerging young guy that’s starting to take on more of a leadership role for us. That, for me, is a sign of a good team. It’s been fun to be around this group in this early part of the season, but we can feel it, how they’re coming together."
The last time the Rangers had only three players wearing letters was during the 2013-14 season, when they reached the Stanley Cup Final. That group consisted of captain Ryan Callahan and alternates Brad Richards and Marc Staal, later joined by Dan Girardi after Callahan was traded.