Defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who played under coach Mike Sullivan with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2018 to 2025, sees clear signs of Sullivan’s influence on the New York Rangers this season. Pettersson, now in his first year with the Rangers, said the team has begun to adopt a defensive identity similar to the one Sullivan fostered during his Stanley Cup-winning tenure in Pittsburgh.
“The word ‘identity’ is always on people’s minds,” Pettersson said ahead of New York’s 1-0 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. “Some teams find it early, some are searching for that identity. I think everyone here has really bought into the system so far. We’re a strong checking team, and that kind of play makes us tough to beat every night.”
Pettersson, 30, is expected to play a key role for New York over the next several seasons, having signed a contract that runs for five more years. This season, he has paired effectively with Sean Durzi on the Rangers’ reconfigured second defensive pairing. While acknowledging differences in personnel between the current Rangers roster and his previous Penguins teams, Pettersson highlighted similarities in their general style of play, particularly in defensive responsibilities and puck movement.
“It’s not about constantly making flashy plays every shift,” he explained. “It’s about effective puck movement that gets the puck to our game-breakers up front.”
New York’s defensive discipline has been evident in its penalty kill, which ranks among the NHL’s elite through the first 10 games. The Rangers entered Sunday with a penalty kill success rate of 93.5 percent, tied with the Carolina Hurricanes and trailing only the Toronto Maple Leafs at 96.4 percent. Crucially, the penalty kill has been effective on the road and has mostly protected 24-year-old goaltender Dylan Garand, who has taken over starting duties while Igor Shesterkin is sidelined for the season.
In Saturday’s game against Columbus, the Rangers successfully killed all three penalties, including one by Will Cuylle late in regulation that forced the team to operate at a 4-on-3 disadvantage during the first 1:27 of overtime.
Coach Sullivan praised the unit’s collective effort and intensity. “They’ve been aggressive. There’s a lot of cooperative pressure,” he said. “They’re doing a lot of the little things—the thankless jobs—winning faceoffs, clearing pucks, blocking shots, and making smart reads.”
With a 6-3-1 record to start the season, the Rangers appear to be embracing the style and demands Sullivan brought to Pittsburgh, emphasizing defensive structure and team accountability as foundations for success.