Tyler Pitlick may be coming into this season under different circumstances than last year, but the 31-year-old forward is approaching it the same way.
After starting the 2022-23 campaign on a professional tryout with the Blues, Pitlick was released before the club brought him back four games into the regular season.
He was in and out of the lineup through December, and then largely held onto his spot for the remainder of the season.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury signed Pitlick to a one-year, $787,000 contract right off the bat in the offseason.
That didn’t change anything for Pitlick, who said he has tried to act like he’s still on a PTO fighting for a job.
“I think I got back to myself in St. Louis,” Pitlick told The Post after practice Monday. “I had a bit of a down year the year before, but kind of got back to playing my game and consistently bringing something for the team every night. Just playing hard on the forecheck. I started to make some plays later in the season, but just kind of got back to doing what I do.”
Pitlick was always penciled in to skate on the fourth line for the Rangers this season, but after he made it through the first couple of waves of training camp cuts, the lead is starting to turn to ink.
The expectation is that he’ll play a similar role to the one he had in St. Louis, though Pitlick noted he’s hoping to earn some more penalty-kill time.
The Rangers are getting a more confident Pitlick than teams he was with in years past after he skated in more games (61) and recorded more points (16) last season than he had since 2019-20 with the Flyers.
“I’ve been really impressed with Tyler’s game, just from a work-ethic standpoint,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “He skates well, he’s big, he’s strong, can play physical. I think that his game is going to be really important to add to the mix of the players that we have. Another good pickup and signing by Chris [Drury].”
Pitlick should give the Rangers lineup a different dimension with his physical presence in the bottom-six, which is much-needed since that alignment features so much skill.
Describing himself as a pest, Pitlick said he likes to get in on the forecheck and force teams into turnovers.
He added that he tries to focus on the little details that maybe don’t get noticed as much.
In practice Monday, Pitlick skated on the right wing of Jimmy Vesey and Nick Bonino, but he has also seen time next to Barclay Goodrow this preseason.
“I think it changes a little bit,” Pitlick said of how he likes his line to play depending on who he skates next to. “Bonino is a very smart, veteran player who can make plays, too. Jimmy or Goody, whoever it ends up being with us, I just think it’s going to be a good line that can score goals, too. But also, it’s going to be a pain to play against.
“We’re going to make it really difficult on teams and play really strong defensively. I just think it’s going to be a really solid line. I’m really excited.”