In this early stretch of the 2025-26 NHL season, one of the better storylines on the New York Rangers has been the emergence of rookie defenseman Matthew Robertson , who scored his first NHL goal last night in the team’s much-needed comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Robertson took on injured defenseman Carson Soucy ’s role as the Rangers’ number-five defenseman, and while he hasn’t been perfect, he has generally impressed. This has led to questions as to what will happen when Soucy is ready to return to the lineup, and The Athletic’s Peter Baugh wrote yesterday that it “definitely feels like” Robertson will retain a spot in head coach Mike Sullivan’s regular lineup once Soucy returns.

Should Robertson end up retaining his regular lineup spot, that would likely mean

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