We’ve kind of come back full circle, haven’t we, with Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant mentioning he would like to get Alexis Lafreniere back to left wing because that’s where No. 13 is more comfortable? Or was that just me listening to a recording from the start of the season and mislabeling it, “March 25?”

Nope, it was Thursday after practice, and then it was Friday, both before and after the Rangers’ decisive 5-1 throttling of the Penguins at the Garden, when Gallant explained moving Lafreniere off the right wing of the Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad connection and onto the left side with Filip Chytil and Barclay Goodrow.

“When we talked the other day [about the move], he was fine with it. He was happy, he just wants to go out and play,” Gallant said of Lafreniere, whose backhand off a rush feed from Chytil at 2:07 of first period opened the scoring while igniting a burst in which the Blueshirts struck three times within 2:09 for a 3-0 lead. “Good for Laffy. He was really good. Good line switch.”

The last line was delivered with self-deprecating laughter. The line switch did work. All of the coach’s maneuvers worked on this night after Gallant’s first go at it following the trade deadline resulted in a 7-4 loss Tuesday at the Devils.

The switches meant that Frank Vatrano took the spot riding shotgun with Zibanejad and Kreider, Andrew Copp slid in on the right side with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome, and Jonny Brodzinski centered Tyler Motte and Dryden Hunt on the fourth line. The Rangers came with speed, they were strong on the forecheck and this new alignment improved the club’s faceoff capabilities, as well.

Indeed, Goodrow (48.3 percent) took all the draws for his line rather than Chytil, who entered at 43.6. And Copp, who came in at 54 percent replaced Strome (44.7) for a handful of draws. There was more balance on the attack after the fast start that surely was somewhat of a response to the debacle against the Devils.

Gallant has been looking for a third scoring line all year. This iteration, the 15th this season with Chytil in the middle, might have a chance to fulfill that definition. Chytil is playing his best hockey of the season, moving the puck quickly rather than holding onto it while trying to beat two and three waves of checkers. Goodrow is the perfect defensive complement to his pair of younger linemates whose first instinct is to attack.

“It was good to come back to my natural side,” said Lafreniere, who had played the previous 20 straight games on his off-wing. “We have so many options in our forward group, we’re so deep, so I’ll be ready wherever I’m needed. Whoever I play with, I’ll try to bring my best game.”

Lafreniere’s goal was his 14th of the season. All have been scored at five-on-five, making him the team’s runner-up in that category behind Kreider, who has 17. Lafreniere scored this one by joining the rush after blocking a shot at the other end of the ice.

“I saw we had the two-on-one, so I jumped in,” said Lafreniere, who got 13:34 of ice time. “It was a really nice play by Fil.”

Lafreniere got one. Vatrano, who had played his first four games as a Ranger with Panarin and Strome before this switch, buried Zibanejad’s setup for the 3-0 goal at 4:16 of the first period. Copp scored his first as a Ranger off a nifty feed from Panarin with 2:13 remaining in the contest. Kreider got the other two goals, is now six shy of 50 with 17 games to go, and what else is new?

Post-deadline, there are not nearly enough uniforms to go around. The competition is not only external and will be in evidence every practice. Ryan Reaves and Greg McKegg, staples in the lineup through the guts of the winter, watched in street clothes. There is more of that coming.

“It’s just a mentality that you bring it every night and want to get better at practices, too,” Lafreniere said. “It’s good for us that we have a deep group and the competition we have is good for everyone.”

Lafreniere’s future cannot be as the Rangers’ third-line left wing. There won’t be enough ice time. There won’t be enough scoring opportunities. The first-overall selection of the 2020 draft is going to have to move. The organization is facing a situation of an overload on that side, with top prospects Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle also lining up as left wings. Creativity will be needed in approaching the roster.

But that will be for next year and beyond. Right now, the Rangers might have an embarrassment of riches on the left side. Truth be told, no one in the organization is at all embarrassed about it.