Why Filip Chytil is leaning toward playing Game 1 for Rangers vs. Panthers

At this point, you know that New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette will not be revealing any roster information during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And as we approach Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, it doesn't look like Laviolette will be answering specific questions about specific players.

So it's a bit like reading tea leaves trying to understand what the full Rangers lineup will look like on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

However, judging by their lineup in practice on Monday, Filip Chytil is leaning toward starting the best-of-7 series on the left wing of the third line. The 24-year-old skated in that spot alongside Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko during training, and Will Cuylle moved up to the fourth row alongside Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.

“I thought Fil looked good. He had a good practice. So that’s positive for us,” Laviolette said.

That's exactly how the Rangers lined up in Game 3 of their second-round series against the bottom-six Carolina Hurricanes, when Chytil played his first game in six months after suffering what is believed to be an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 concussion.

Of course, this continued throughout the game. Chytil missed Game 4 due to illness and did not play the final two games of the series. But after expressing his desire to return to the lineup while speaking to the media on Sunday, he was on the third line on Monday, two days before the series opener against the Panthers.

“I want to play,” Chytil told Gannett’s Vince Mercogliano. “I'm not just here to watch the boys from the stands and take a vacation to New York and Florida. I want to play. I will give my best every time I get in the lineup.”

Related: The Rangers are learning firsthand from the Knicks how important depth is in the playoffs

Filip Chytil could expand the Rangers' lineup even further

Chytil had six assists in ten games this season and was initially the center between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. Of course, Vincent Trocheck replaced the injured Chytil in that role and had an All-Star season and is tied for the Rangers' playoff lead with 14 points and second with six goals.

Chytil does not replace Trocheck. But as a left winger on the third line, Chytil has the skills needed to make that line more productive. The third line has scored two goals in 10 playoff games, one each from Cuylle and Kakko.

“For whoever comes into the lineup, we have to do our job,” Laviolette explained, dodging a direct question about Chytil. “If you're a defensive, physical player, you have to bring that. If you're someone who creates something, then you have to come in and create something. … So everyone has to grab the rope and make sure we’re all pulling in the right direction.”

Cuylle adds a little more skill to the fourth line, extending the lineup even more. The rookie scored 13 goals in the regular season. He's also a big, aggressive forward who led the Rangers and all NHL rookies with 249 goals this season. He scored 29 goals in the postseason, third on the Rangers.

Matt Rempe, Jonny Brodzinski and Blake Wheeler were the additional forwards in training. Wheeler is healthy and is being considered as a roster option after missing three months with a lower-body injury.