I think we all knew that filling the top-six openings on right wing was going to be a challenge following the free-agent departures of Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp.
Maybe Alexis Lafreniere could make the shift to the right side and make it stick. Maybe Kaapo Kakko could take a step forward. Maybe the prodigal Vitali Kravtsov would be able to nail down a spot in the wake of his summer workout commitment.
Thirty games into what has been an uneven season, head coach Gerard Gallant is still mixing and matching. Still looking for the proper personnel. Still looking for the correct combinations. Line combinations may as well be written in sand.
But following the latest — and necessary — machinations during Monday’s stirring 4-3 OT victory over the Devils, in which the Blueshirts rallied from 3-1 down midway through the second period, it seems clear the coach feels most comfortable with Barclay Goodrow filling a top-six RW spot.
