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Rangers vs. Senators: Lineups, storylines trying to end 4-game skid

The game Wednesday between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden is one where each team sees an opportunity to take advantage of a struggling opponent.

The Rangers (20-21-6) are on a four-game skid (0-3-1) and sit dead last in the Eastern Conference with the fewest points (46) and worst points percentage (.489) of all 16 teams. However, the Senators (21-19-5) are 3-6-1 in their past 10 games, and lost four in a row before a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks at home Tuesday. Ottawa is one point ahead of New York, with two games in hand.

So, this is not only an important game within the conference for the Rangers and Senators, but one each team likely believes they should win.

The Rangers come off a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at MSG on Monday. They stormed out of the gates, scoring twice in the opening six minutes, before finishing with a whimper offensively. They were out-shot 20-11 and out-scored 4-0 in the final 40 minutes. In the third period, New York had a sickly 13.85 percent expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick.

“So, I think we did a lot of good things last game, but at the end of the day it’s about getting the wins. At some point here, things have got to turn around for us and we’ve got to start bagging some points,” veteran center Sam Carrick said Tuesday after practice.

It’d behoove the Rangers to do so against the Senators, who are one of the many teams currently standing between them and a wild-card spot in the conference. Already in this current skid, the Rangers blew opportunities to take two points from teams slightly ahead of them in the East, losing to the Buffalo Sabres and getting destroyed 10-2 by the Boston Bruins last weekend.

Perhaps, it’ll be a different story against the Senators. The Rangers have points in six straight games against them (5-0-1), including a 4-2 road win on Dec. 4.

“I think Ottawa’s been one of the better teams in the League as far as playing stingy defense. They’re well structured, they’re well coached,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said following the morning skate. “So, we’re going to have to work for every opportunity we get out there. We’re going to have to make sure we make them work for the same.”

3 storylines when Rangers host Senators

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

1. Latest Jonathan Quick milestone


Jonathan Quick makes his season-high fourth straight start Wednesday, each since Igor Shesterkin landed on IR with a lower-body injury last week. It’ll also be his 800th start in the NHL, just the latest milestone for the future Hall-of-Famer.

What Quick wants more than anything is to get a win against the Senators, and not just because a loss would be the 300th of his NHL career. Not only hasn’t Quick led the Rangers to a victory since Shesterkin’s injury, he’s winless since Nov. 7, a stretch of 10 appearances and nine starts (0-8-2). The last time Quick allowed fewer than three goals was Dec. 21, and his save percentage just dropped below .900 (.898) for the first time this season.

“That’s where my focus is: How can I make another save or two a game to help this team get over the hump? That’s what I’ll be thinking about,” Quick answered when asked about his mindset ahead of the game Wednesday.

2. Weakness vs. weakness


Despite Sullivan’s rave reviews about Ottawa’s defensive play, the Senators are a mess in their last line of defense. They allow 3.31 goals against per game, sixth worst in the NHL. That’s because their goaltending simply hasn’t been good enough and remains the biggest reason why the Senators aren’t in a playoff spot.

Ottawa’s No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark currently is away from the team for personal reasons. However, even when the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner played this season, he wasn’t very good, with a 2.95 goals-against average and .881 save percentage. Leevi Merilainen started nine games in a row, and stopped 19 of 20 shots Tuesday night. But recently-signed veteran James Reimer might make his Senators debut and start against the Rangers on Wednesday.

Either way, this looks like a good chance for the Rangers to score some goals. New York is 30th in the League, scoring 2.55 goals per game.

Someone’s weakness here should be exposed and likely help decide the outcome.

3. Mika and Bread

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Sullivan discussed line juggling and trying to find the best fits with New York’s forward group game-in, game-out. In answering how he goes about making those decisions, Sullivan pointed out that he’s kept Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin — two “cerebral players” in his words — on the same line for quite awhile now, and mixed and matched on their right wing.

He added that there’s no reason to break those two up right now. And he’s spot on there. Zibanejad carries a six-game point streak (six goals, six assists) and team-leading 18 goals into this game. Panarin has assists in seven straight games (two goals, 10 assists), and leads the Rangers with 50 points in 46 games.

Zibanejad has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 20 games all-time against his former team, including a goal back on Dec. 4. Panarin has 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 26 games against the Senators, including a goal and an assist in the first meeting this season.

New York Rangers projected lineup


Artemi Panarin — Mika Zibanejad — Will Cuylle

J.T. Miller — Vincent Trocheck — Gabe Perreault

Brennan Othmann — Noah Laba — Alexis Lafreniere

Jonny Brodzinski — Sam Carrick –Taylor Raddysh

Vladislav Gavrikov — Braden Schneider

Carson Soucy – Scott Morrow

Matthew Robertson – Will Borgen

Jonathan Quick

Spencer Martin

Rangers vs. Senators: When, where, what time, how to watch


Who: New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators

When: Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to watch: MSG

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...ors-preview-storylines-try-end-four-game-skid
 
Jonathan Quick pulled again in Rangers’ 8-4 loss to Senators: takeaways

The good news for the home team Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden was that Gabe Perreault recorded the first two-goal game of his NHL career. The bad news is that the New York Rangers already were losing 6-0 by time their prized rookie found the back of the net, and ended up on the wrong side of a 8-4 final against the Ottawa Senators.

The loss extended their current skid to five games (0-4-1) and dropped the Rangers (20-22-6) to two games under the NHL version of .500. They’re last in the Eastern Conference and remain stuck on five wins at MSG this season (5-13-4).

For the second time in three games, Jonathan Quick didn’t finish what he started. The future Hall-of-Famer got the hook in the second period, after allowing six goals on 17 shots. He also was pulled in the second period Saturday in Boston after surrendering six goals in a 10-2 loss to the Bruins.

The Sens score their 6th goal on 17 shots and Jonathan Quick gets yanked in his 800th NHL start 😬 pic.twitter.com/iJLwJbkSCE

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 15, 2026

Mika Zibanejad assisted on each of Perreault’s goals, and extended his point streak to seven games (six goals, eight assists). Alexis Lafreniere had a goal and an assist, and Noah Laba added a power-play goal in the third period, when the Rangers scored three times.

Brady Tkachuk recorded four points for the Senators, who had eight different goal scorers in this one. Dylan Cozens (one goal, two assists) and Ridly Greig (three assists) each finished with three points. Goaltender Leevi Merilainen stopped 18 of 22 shots, one night after leading Ottawa to a 2-1 win at home over the Vancouver Canucks.

The first period was an absolute horror show for the Rangers, who were booed off the ice trailing 4-0 after 20 minutes of play. They spent nearly the entire period defending — poorly — in their own end, and had only one scoring chance against the Senators, who held a whopping 84.29 percent expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick.

The boo birds are LOUD at MSG for the Rangers 😳 pic.twitter.com/OrqQ1aCtlf

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 15, 2026

The dye was cast 1:33 into the game, when Vincent Trocheck took a senseless holding penalty in the offensive zone. It wasn’t much of a surprise the way things are going for the Rangers that the Senators quickly cashed in with a power-play goal at 2:18. Quick made the initial save on Cozens’ shot, but the puck leaked through his pads, and the unchecked Drake Batherson slammed it into the back of the net.

Bad play by the Rangers was followed by bad luck at 4:53, when Nick Jensen’s right-point shot hit Braden Schneider’s skate blade in front and caromed into the cage to make it 2-0 Ottawa.

For the record, the first loud, extended boos from the Blueshirts Faithful rained down on the home team a bit under six minutes into the game, when the Rangers lost a series of puck battles and simply couldn’t exit their defensive zone.

There were more to come, though. Ottawa upped its lead to 3-0 at 15:01, when Tkachuk scored his 200th NHL goal off an odd-man rush and right-wing snipe that beat Quick to the far side. Schneider got caught deep in the offensive zone, allowing the Senators to break out 2-on-1 after Vladislav Gavrikov’s shot was blocked.

That the Rangers allowed one more goal with 5.7 seconds remaining following another poor sequence defensively was a fitting capper to a simply atrocious first period. This time, Cozens was left all alone between the circles and beat Quick stick side to put the Rangers in a 4-0 hole.

THE CAPTAIN AND COZENS JOIN IN ON THE FUN 🚨

It's 4-0 for the @Senators here after the opening 20!

📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/KLHskJnqmU

— NHL (@NHL) January 15, 2026

For those counting at home, that was four goals on 14 shots for the Senators. They added another two on their first three shots of the second period to knock Quick out of the game. Jake Sanderson hammered a rising shot over Quick’s glove at 5:57, before Thomas Chabot snuck a long shot past Quick’s blocker at 12:23 to make it 6-0.

Spencer Martin replaced Quick at that point and received loud applause when he stopped the first shot he faced. There were more cheers for the journeyman goalie after his quick outlet pass to Zibanejad started a rush up ice that led to Perreault’s first goal of the night at 18:55.

The rookie forward scored again at 5:26 of the third period to make it 6-2. He finished off a 2-on-1 with Zibanejad with a pretty forehand-backhand finish when driving to the net.

After David Perron banked a bad-angle shot off Martin and over the goal line, Laba’s power-play deflection made it 7-3 at 10:44. Five minutes later Lafreniere scored his 10th goal of the season, but with Martin pulled for the extra attacker, Ottawa closed this one out with Tim Stutzle’s empty-net goal at 19:11.

Gabe Perreault scores his second NHL goal to make it 6-1 pic.twitter.com/mUNO4aUHRz

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 15, 2026

Key takeaways after Rangers lose 8-4 to Senators

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

No Igor, big problem


Including the game he got hurt, the Rangers are 0-4-1 since Igor Shesterkin was helped off the ice due to a lower-body injury in the first period against the Utah Mammoth nine days ago. They’ve been out-scored 30-12 in those five games, three times allowing at least five goals. Their defensive structure, a strength and source of pride earlier in the season, has cratered and simply stinks right now.

So, not all the blame falls on Quick. But he hasn’t been nearly good enough either. It was just a couple of weeks ago that Quick was among the League leaders in save percentage and goals-against average for goalies who started at least 10 games. But since stepping in for the injured No. 1, Quick looks every bit like the 40-year-old he’ll be next week.

In the bigger picture, the Rangers only won three games not started by Shesterkin this season, the most recent on Nov. 7. Though Quick could’ve sued for lack of support there for a while, he’s winless in his past 11 decisions (0-9-2) since early November.

Might Dylan Garand get the call-up from Hartford of the American Hockey League to make his first NHL start Saturday in Philly against the Flyers? Just putting that out there.

Change of plans

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mere hours after coach Mike Sullivan explained after the morning skate that there was no reason to break up Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin on the same line, he did just that after the Rangers fell behind 2-0 less than five minutes into the game Wednesday.

Sullivan reunited Peter Laviolette’s favorite line combination — Panarin with Trocheck and Lafreniere — and moved Zibanejad alongside Perreault and J.T. Miller. The idea clearly was to spread the wealth offensively, since Nos. 93 and 10 are just about the only Rangers consistently on the score sheet. Will Cuylle moved to the third line with Laba and Brennan Othmann.

Positive results weren’t immediate, but they did come later on after the Senators took their foot off the gas. Let’s see if Sullivan keeps Perreault and Zibanejad on the same line after the rookie broke out against the Senators.

Gabe’s breakout


Speaking of Perreault, good on him to draw something positive out of this game. He had one goal in 14 games this season — and one in 19 NHL games dating back to last spring — and limited scoring chances recently with the Rangers. But he scored a pair of beauties Wednesday, showing off those high-end offensive skills we’ve all been waiting for.

Gabe Perreault scores his second NHL goal to make it 6-1 pic.twitter.com/mUNO4aUHRz

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 15, 2026

The silky mitts were on display on his first goal; and there was even more of his skill set showed off on his second of the game. Now let’s see if he can carry that forward with some renewed confidence.

Gabe Perreault's second goal of the night pic.twitter.com/dBQ26T3Vso

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 15, 2026

Lipstick on a pig


As much as you love to see Perreault finally break through and Laba also find the back of the net, it’s difficult to get behind Miller’s postgame commentary: “Bad first period. We responded. Played pretty well after that.”

The captain understood how that first period buried them, but doubled down on his first take.

“No shit. We’d like to not be down 4-0 after the first but after that we responded well. Played with some pride.”

He even contended that the Rangers “out-played them” after the first period. Of course, we know Miller’s just searching for positives on another crappy night. But … yeesh.

Scoring four goals and losing 8-4 is better than what we saw in that embarrassment up in Boston. But it also brings to mind that old phrase about putting lipstick on a pig.

‘Nuf said.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...cap-loss-senators-jonathan-quick-pulled-again
 
‘They are being tested’: Rangers must regroup after latest blowout loss

The New York Rangers struggled during the first half of the season because they couldn’t score. They’re struggling now because they can’t stop their opponents from filling the net.

The Blueshirts’ post-Winter Classic losing streak reached five games when they were embarrassed 8-4 by the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. The game wasn’t nearly as close as the final score might indicate; Ottawa led 4-0 after one period and 6-0 late in the second before Gabe Perreault scored the first of his two goals.

They got within 7-4 late in the third with three garbage-time goals against the team with the League’s lowest save percentage before Tim Stutzle hit the empty net with 49 seconds left.

Ottawa, which ended a four-game losing streak by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 on Tuesday, toyed with the Rangers for most of the night.

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

“As a team, where do you go from here?” Henrik Lundqvist asked rhetorically on the MSG postgame studio show after the Rangers’ fourth straight regulation loss, when they’ve been outscored 27-10. “They are being tested right now.”

It’s also tough to pass any tests when you’re not ready to play and the other team is.

Vincent Trocheck took a needless holding penalty in the offensive zone at 1:33 and Drake Batherson scored a power-play goal 45 seconds later. Nick Jensen’s shot went into the net off Braden Schneider’s skate at 4:53. Brady Tkachuk beat Jonathan Quick on a 2-on-1 at 15:01 after Schneider wandered into the offensive zone and got caught, and Dylan Cozens made it 4-0 with six seconds left.

BRADY TKACHUK SNIPES HOME GOAL NO. 200 OF HIS CAREER 🔥 pic.twitter.com/35ab7FatNA

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 15, 2026

“We just dig ourselves a hole,” center Mika Zibanejad said. “It’s tough enough to win as it is in this League. You spot the other team four goals, you’re not making it much easier.”

The Rangers spent the period failing to execute, losing puck battles and playing like a group that didn’t give a crap.

“Early on this season, we lost games, but I thought the effort was there,” Zibanejad said. “I’m not saying the effort (isn’t there now), but our game isn’t. I thought we played better (and) we deserved better early on, but right now, we don’t. And that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Rangers earn boos from Garden fans during 8-4 loss to Senators​


The crowd of 17,776 wasted little time showing the Rangers what they thought of their efforts. The boos began in the first period and continued on and off for the rest of the night. As did the “Fire Drury!” chants aimed at embattled general manager Chris Drury.

Two second-period goals made it 6-0 and ended Quick’s night. The loss was his 11th in a row (0-9-2) and the second time in three games that he was lifted after allowing six goals in less than two periods. Spencer Martin finished up, just as he did in the 10-2 road loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Another game, another loss – though captain J.T. Miller seemed to minimize allowing eight goals to another struggling team in his postgame comments.

“Bad first period,” he said. “”They were more ready to play. We’d like to not be down 4-0 after the first but after that we responded well. Played with some pride.

“We responded. Played pretty well after that.”

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Sorry J.T — by then, it didn’t matter. The outcome had long since been decided.

Coach Mike Sullivan recognizes that the group effort his team showed for most of the first half of the season is missing.

“I think for the first part of the season, a fair number of games, I think we were a pretty stingy team with that collective effort, especially on the defensive side of the puck. I think we’ve lost a little bit of that just attention to detail and just collective play, cooperative play as a group. It’s a whole lot more difficult to beat collective effort than it is to beat isolated effort.

“I think we’re not quite connected like we were, and that’s what we’ve got to get back to.”

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

So does he want to see more anger from his players? More spirit? More teamwork? Yes, yes and yes.

“We’ve gone through a rash of emotions,” he said postgame. “There’s been tons of anger. We’ve run through the gamut of emotions here trying to right this thing and get it going in the right direction. We’ll continue to try to solve it. There’s no easy answers.

“We’ve got to work hard. We’ve got to work together. We’ve got to stick together. We’ve got to stay together and we’ve got to compete together. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Sullivan has some big decisions to make in goal. Quick’s excellent start to the season is a distant memory. Martin is a journeyman who got the callup when Igor Shesterkin went down with a lower-body injury on Jan. 5, with the Rangers opting to keep 23-year-old Dylan Garand at AHL Hartford rather than serving as Quick’s backup.

But Quick, who turns 40 next Wednesday, doesn’t look like a goalie who can carry a starter’s load – and Shesterkin’s return is nowhere in sight. Perhaps Garand gets the call for his NHL debut sometime soon.

The Rangers have less than 40 hours from the final buzzer of their loss to the Sens before the opening face-off of their game against the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon. Then it’s off to the airport for a three-game trip to California that begins with a back-to-back against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday and the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

No matter who’s in goal, the outcome will be the same unless the rest of the team shows a lot more energy and passion than they have in the past five games.

“We have to turn the desperation, we have to turn that into energy,” Zibanejad said. “We have to turn whatever we’re feeling into some sort of energy.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/must-regroup-again-latest-blowout-loss
 
OH MAN this is absolutely BEAUTIFUL to watch as a Sabres fan, I'm not gonna lie!! 😂

Look, I feel for you Rangers fans, I really do - we've been living in the basement for over a decade so I KNOW what pain looks like. But watching the Rags implode like this at MSG? That's just *chef's kiss* for a division rival.

That said, let me be real here - this is genuinely one of the more spectacular collapses I've seen from a team that was supposed to be a contender. 8-4 to the SENATORS?? The same Senators team that couldn't stop a beach ball all season?? And Miller's postgame comments about "responding well" after going down 6-0... brother, WHAT are you talking about?? That's some serious delusion right there.

The goaltending situation is an absolute DISASTER. Quick is cooked - love the guy's career and all but he's turning 40 and just got pulled TWICE in three games after giving up six goals. You can't run a 40-year-old into the ground like this and expect anything different. Honestly, call up Garand already - what do you have to lose at this point?? You're LAST in the East!

And those "Fire Drury" chants at MSG?? That's gotta sting. When your own building is turning on management like that, you know the vibes are absolutely RANCID.

The Panarin trade deadline speculation is gonna be WILD. No way he finishes the year there if this keeps up.

At least Perreault showed something! Kid's got hands.
 
How Rangers rookies show they can be silver lining in humiliating season

The way things are trending for the New York Rangers, there won’t be many positives to take away from their 2025-26 season.

Four days removed from a 10-2 rout by the Bruins in Boston, the Rangers (20-22-6) suffered another lopsided defeat, falling 8-4 to the Ottawa Senators on Madison Square Garden ice Wednesday. New York’s fifth-straight loss (0-4-1) continued its descent down the NHL standings; the Rangers are now last in the Eastern Conference (46 points) and fifth-worst in the League with a .479 points percentage.

The Rangers have just two regulation wins in their past 19 games. They’ve commemorated their centennial season with a grand total of five home wins in 22 games at MSG. It’s the second consecutive season when they hit the skids due to an amalgam of poor confidence, poor energy, and poor execution. And with seven major contracts already on the books until 2028-29, they’re not in the best position to blow everything up and embrace a full rebuild.

Simply put, there’s little reason to believe better days await in the near future.

But if there is any hope to cling onto, you’d be advised to look in the direction of two rookie forwards — Gabe Perreault and Noah Laba.

Perreault recorded the first multi-goal game of his young NHL career against the Senators, showcasing his offensive prowess with a pair of slick finishes.

The 2023 first-rounder (No. 23 overall) notched his first goal in 11 games, cashing in on a give-and-go from J.T. Miller with a silky backhander that beat Senators goalie Leevi Merilainen five-hole late in the second period. He scored again in the third period, this time utilizing a forehand-backhand deke to convert on the rush.

If there's any silver lining, Gabe Perreault looks like he's on FIRE 🔥

2 goals tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/RbB2J7dg0C

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 15, 2026

Laba joined him on the score sheet not long after, deflecting Alexis Lafreniere’s power-play shot into the net for his sixth goal this season.

The rookies accounted for three of New York’s four tallies Wednesday, although that’s little consolation in another humiliating defeat.

“Obviously, it’s nice to get one, but at the end of the day, we lost, so it doesn’t really matter,” Perreault stated postgame.

When isolating the game itself, Perreault’s perspective rings true. By the time he ended Ottawa’s shutout bid at 18:55 of the second period, the Rangers were already trailing 6-0. And though a three-goal third period perhaps provided a better finish, it fell well short of altering the final result — another lopsided Blueshirts loss.

Gabe Perreault showed Rangers glimpse of the offensive star he can be in NHL

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Through the longer lens of a failed Rangers season, though, a successful day from Perreault and Laba is fairly meaningful. In fact, it’s one of the few silver linings the organization can get excited about.

New York is tied with the Detroit Red Wings for the most games played in the NHL at 48. As long as Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox remain sidelined, it’s hard to picture a turnaround of any significance, especially considering the hole they’ve already dug themselves.

That sobering reality reframes this season’s objective. Instead of pushing to contend by the March 6 trade deadline, New York is best served prioritizing next year and beyond. That should include expanded playing opportunities for rookies and developing young players — particularly Perreault.

On Wednesday, early in-game line shuffling by coach Mike Sullivan resulted in Perreault joining Miller and Mika Zibanejad. It ended up being New York’s best line. Miller and Zibanejad assisted on both of Perreault’s tallies, and the trio posted a team-high 67.09 expected-goals-for percentage at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.

“I think we had some good chances overall,” Perreault noted. “Obviously, it sucked we were down that much, but I think we definitely showed some signs at the end there.”

“Obviously, I liked it,” Sullivan affirmed when asked about the line. “We stuck with it. He scores a couple of goals. But I thought the line played well from the time we made the switch.”

Perhaps Perreault gets more consistent playing time in the top six. It’s not an easy role for a rookie, particularly under Sullivan, who prioritizes capable defensive play. Still, Perreault hasn’t looked overmatched since his latest recall from Hartford of the American Hockey League, and it’s encouraging to see him flash his offensive talents after some spotty production.

The Rangers’ current standing in the playoff picture should be even more incentive to use the talented kid in a larger role. As long as Perreault proves he can hold his own and play responsible hockey, he’ll only benefit from more time in the top six and increased reps against more challenging defensive matchups.

What to expect from Rangers rookies as season progresses​

NHL: New York Rangers at St. Louis Blues

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

An expanded role for Perreault shouldn’t necessarily come with expanded expectations — at least in terms of point production.

His two-goal outburst was an encouraging sign from a young player who had scored just once in his first 19 NHL games. And perhaps it’s just the confidence boost he needs moving forward.

Gabe Perreault's second goal of the night pic.twitter.com/dBQ26T3Vso

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 15, 2026

Then again, it’s fair to expect some inconsistency from a rookie less than a year removed from playing at Boston College.

“I think it definitely will be good for my confidence,” Perreault acknowledged. “But like I said, I gotta find a way to help the team win in any way, and hopefully I can do that here.”

It’s nice if he shows up on the score sheet, but Perreault’s 2025-26 season in the NHL shouldn’t be evaluated solely by his final points tally. There’s a lot of good that can come simply from taking on increased responsibilities, even if the results aren’t there immediately — though it is nice that he produced earlier this season in the minors and was named to the AHL All-Star Classic.

Hey Gabe, you're an All-Star ⭐ pic.twitter.com/OL0qvDZTGQ

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) January 15, 2026

There’s a world where general manager Chris Drury opts to part with some of his more movable pieces ahead of the trade deadline — say Artemi Panarin or Vincent Trocheck, for instance. That could open up more playing time for Perreault, and maybe even a spot on the top power-play unit.

Expectations should be tempered even more-so for Laba, who still realistically projects as a third-line center at this point. Laba injects much-needed youth and speed into this aging Rangers lineup, but it’s far from a catastrophe if the 22-year-old doesn’t exceed bottom-six minutes this season.

Laba averages 13:19 TOI and has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 45 games. He’s also won an impressive 51.7 percent of his face-offs and been a responsible 200-foot player. He’s mature beyond his years.

Noah Laba – New York Rangers (6)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/FHtIpqDCTX

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) January 15, 2026

Rookie defenseman Scott Morrow assisted on Laba’s goal, and should see even more power-play time moving forward, to let him play to his strengths in the NHL — at least until Fox returns from LTIR. The 23-year-old has four assists in 20 games with the Rangers, and appears to only now be playing with more confidence.

He could head back to Hartford when Fox returns, as long as the other right-shot d-men — Braden Schneider and Will Borgen remain healthy. His path to regular playing time is murkier than Perreault and Laba.

But even if this season swirls down the drain for the Rangers, the silver lining remains the kids, who appear ready to take on more responsibility now and in the future.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/rookies-silver-lining-perreault-laba-morrow
 
As Rangers trade rumors swirl, Artemi Panarin ‘OK with whatever happens’

It’s not exactly breaking news that the New York Rangers face a major decision about what to do with star forward Artemi Panarin, who’s a pending unrestricted free agent at season’s end. The clock is ticking on the Rangers to either sign Panarin to a contract extension, trade him ahead of the March 6 deadline, or keep him with hopes of getting a deal done this coming off-season.

That final option appears least likely considering the massive risk of him walking away for nothing. And to what end? So, that the last-place Rangers (20-22-6) could somehow remain withing spitting distance of a playoff berth this season?

So, let’s assume an extension or trade is much more of a likely outcome.

Panarin doesn’t say much publicly about his future, but apparently he’s at peace no matter the next step.

“He told me he’s OK with whatever happens,” Rangers beat reporter Colin Stepehenson told Forever Blueshirts on the latest RINK RAP podcast.

That wasn’t always the case. Panarin’s shown little outward desire to leave the Rangers. But earlier in the season, Panarin reportedly rejected a team-friendly extension offer, and word was that he didn’t plan on handing out any hometown discount to the Rangers.

“He got off to a slow start and admitted that a couple factors played into that. Number one: he was injured in training camp and did not play in a preseason game. But he also was worried thinking too much about other things, meaning the contract negotiations,” Stephenson explained. “But then he said he got over it. He’s past that.

“So, I looked in his eye and feel like he’s fine with leaving. But obviously he has a full no-move [clause], so he has control over it. So, if you’re sending him somewhere he wants to go, I think he’s OK with it.”

Easier said than done, of course. Trading Panarin means having him waive his no-move clause, limiting the amount of potential suitors. Plus, there aren’t many (if any) true Stanley Cup contenders with the available salary cap space to add Panarin’s massive $11.643 million annual charge. So, salary retention is a must for the Rangers, and a third team to further knock down the cap hit is likely required to get a trade done.

That’s a tough needle to thread for Rangers general manager Chris Drury, though not impossible. Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand, and Claude Giroux are recent examples of star players with high salaries moved ahead of the trade deadline.

Of course, we shouldn’t overlook the possibility that the Rangers prefer to find a way to work out an extension and keep their leading scorer in the Blueshirt. That’s not out of the question, though they’d have to ante up to sign Panarin, who’s getting closer by the day to an open market where, arguably, he’s the most attractive player.

Darren Dreger reported on TSN’s Insider Trading segment that the Rangers hope to have clarity on which direction they’re going with Panarin by the Feb. 6 NHL roster freeze for the Winter Olympics.

‘What’s your plan for next year’ if Rangers don’t bring back Artemi Panarin?

NHL: Winter Classic-New York Rangers at Florida Panthers

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There are so many things in play here. Panarin’s age is one; he’ll be 35 at the start of next season. Another is that the Rangers don’t look the part of a playoff team, much less Stanley Cup contender. Plus, they’re an older team with very little in the prospects pipeline.

Parting ways with Panarin comes with risk, though. Since signing with the Rangers ahead of the 2019-20 season, only four NHL players have more points than Panarin’s 601: Connor McDavid (792), Leon Draisaitl (711), Nathan MacKinnon (694), and David Pastrnak (606). Panarin reached 600 points faster (476 games) than any player in Rangers history; and his 120 points in 2023-24 are second most in franchise history.

Simply, there’s much to appreciate about Panarin, who led the Rangers in scoring every season since signing with them. His 51 points in 47 games are again a team-high this season.

“My question, though, and my moment of pause would be what’s your plan for next year? Because right now this guy drives offense for you. He’s always your leading scorer. What do you look like if he’s not on your team? Like, who picks up that mantle?,” Stephenson put out there on the podcast.

“Presumably if you’re not going to re-sign him, who are you going to sign that’s going to get you a point a game, or 90 points in a season, or score 25 goals an set up all those other goals that Panarin does? Connor McDavid re-signed with his team. Jack Eichel re-signed with his team. Kirill Kaprizov re-signed with his team. I don’t know that there’s someone out there on the free-agent market that you could sign that will replace what Panarin gives you.”

The Rangers have plenty of salary-cap space this coming off-season, but, as Stephenson pointed out, no real superstar in free agency to pony up for. Outside of Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch, Panarin is the most attractive UFA.

That leaves the trade market as a way to find scoring help. But the Rangers really don’t have a host of attractive assets — other than their pair of first-round draft picks in the 2026 draft. That leaves a lot of pressure on the remaining core, especially talented 20-year-old Gabe Perreault.

Remember, even with Panarin, the Rangers are 30th in the NHL this season, scoring 2.58 goals per game.

“That’s why all these people who are like Trade Panarin, Trade Panarin, it’s not quite that easy because if you have visions of a retool as opposed to a full-strength rebuild then you need to replace him somehow and I just don’t know how you do that.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...ade-rumors-artemi-panarin-ok-whatever-happens
 
Rangers vs. Flyers: Lineups, storylines for 1st game after The Letter 2.0

Roughly 24 hours after the New York Rangers publicly announced a retool, including plans for a roster makeover, they begin a four-game road trip with a Saturday matinee against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

It appeared to be a strategically-timed announcement, since the Rangers are getting away and won’t play again at Madison Square Garden — where they own an abysmal 5-13-4 record — until Jan. 26. That gives the players — and fans — time to adjust to the letter from general manager Chris Drury which outlined the organization’s plan to change course and focus on the future rather than the present, basically raising a white flag on this massively disappointing season.

The Rangers (20-22-6) are on a five-game skid (0-4-1) and reside in the Eastern Conference cellar — which rhymes with seller, exactly what the Blueshirts intend to be ahead of the March 6 NHL trade deadline. They’ve allowed 30 goals in their past five games, coinciding with the dual injuries sustained by No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin and top defenseman Adam Fox.

Their defensive structure, a bright spot early in the season, cratered the past two weeks, after showing concerning signs the prior month or so. The latest example of poor defensive play and subpar goaltending took place Wednesday during an 8-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators at MSG.

“We’ve gotten away from that [sound structure defensively] a little bit, we’ve lost our swagger a little bit,” noted coach Mike Sullivan, who spoke before the Rangers posted Drury’s letter on social media Friday.

Maybe they can recapture a better vibe getting out of New York. Especially down in Philly, playing against a division rival that’s also limping along right now. The Flyers (22-16-8) are also 0-4-1 in their past five games; and they allowed 23 goals the past four games. Sound familiar?

To make it even more of a coincidence, Philadelphia’s also without its No. 1 netminder. Dan Vladar is out with an unspecified injury sustained in a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. They followed that up with a 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Sam Ersson started, allowed three goals on 14 shots, and was pulled in favor of Aleksei Kolosov.

So, it’s not a battle of the titans Saturday. But definitely one between teams desperate for two points.

“It’s going to be a fun environment, always love going to play there, afternoon game too,” Rangers captain J.T. Miller said Friday after practice. “Some time on the road with the guys right now is good for us.”

3 storylines when Rangers visit Flyers

NHL: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

How will Rangers react?


Drury met with the entire team Friday before the public announcement. We won’t know exactly how the players will react to this news, or how unsettling it might be for those likely on the trade block. One thing is for sure, the Rangers can’t play much worse than they did recently.

And who knows, maybe this decision by management lifts pressure off the Rangers and allows them to play more freely. It could be a liberating thing. But then again, it could be an absolute disaster as the season progresses and the roster is torn apart. Time will tell.

Keep an eye on Artemi Panarin. The Rangers informed Panarin that they won’t extend a contract extension offer to him, and will work closely with the pending unrestricted free agent on a trade, since he has a complete no-move clause and must waive it to be sent anywhere.

Panarin leads the Rangers with 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 47 games, and carries an eight-game point streak into Saturday. He’s led them in scoring six straight seasons, has 601 points since signing with the Rangers ahead of the 2019-20 season. So, it’ll be easy to spot if he’s not engaged or appears distracted by his situation.

‘All about our starts’


Let’s see if a fire is lit under the Rangers, either from their horrendous start against the Senators, when they fell behind 6-0, or from The Letter 2.0. A fast start certainly would be nice. For the Rangers, it usually means good things. The Rangers are 16-4-2 when scoring first this season and 12-1-0 when leading after the first period.

Why’s that Jonny Brodzinski?

“Sometimes when you get down early, it’s harder to play that type game because you’re pressing a little bit more. So, I think it’s all about our starts now, getting ahead of teams so that we can play that simpler game. Letting teams come to us, we play our game, instead of us get out of our style of play,” the veteran forward explained.

But here’s a word of caution: the Flyers are used to falling behind early and finding a way to come back. They’re 14-13-5 when the opposition scores first, as opposed to the Rangers, who are a brutal 4-18-4 in such games.

No Soucy for you

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Carson Soucy didn’t make the trip to Philadelphia due to personal reasons. Even though the pending UFA defenseman is likely to be among those traded ahead of this year’s deadline, this isn’t about roster management. The 31-year-old is expected to rejoin the team out west, when they play three games in California next week.

Urho Vaakanainen likely draws into the lineup against the Flyers to take Soucy’s spot on the third defense pair with rookie Scott Morrow. The Rangers recalled rugged veteran Connor Mackey from Hartford of the American Hockey League so that they have seven defensemen available, not only for the game Saturday, but for the trip since they fly out to Los Angeles right out after the matinee in Philly.

New York Rangers projected lineup


J.T. Miller — Mika Zibanejad — Gabe Perreault

Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafreniere

Will Cuylle — Noah Laba — Brennan Othmann

Jonny Brodzinski — Sam Carrick –Taylor Raddysh

Vladislav Gavrikov — Braden Schneider

Matthew Robertson – Will Borgen

Urho Vaakanainen – Scott Morrow

Jonathan Quick

Spencer Martin

Rangers vs. Flyers: When, where, what time, how to watch


Who: New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

When: Saturday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. ET

Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena

How to watch: MSG

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...s-preview-storylines-first-game-retool-letter
 
Rangers coach ‘all in’ despite retool plan, likely roster churn

You may not think Mike Sullivan signed up for this when he became New York Rangers coach last spring. But the two-time Stanley Cup winner contends that he remains “all in” after the Rangers announced plans to retool their roster amid a horribly disappointing season.

“I understand the process. What I’ll tell you is that I am all in on trying to help this organization move forward,” Sullivan said Saturday before the Rangers played the Flyers in Philadelphia.

“[General manager Chris Drury] and I have talked throughout this whole process. We have a very transparent relationship, and I’m going to do everything in my power to try to help this team move forward. I’m going to control what I can and try to be the very best coach that I can be for this organization.”

Likely no one within the organization, least of all Sullivan, foresaw the plummet to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings by the Rangers, who are headed to their second consecutive season out of the playoffs. That followed them reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024, and winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the best regular season team in 2023-24.

But the core of this team began splintering last season, and despite quite a bit of roster turnover in the past 13 months, not even Sullivan could stop the freefall this season. The Rangers look slow and lack the overall depth and high-end skill level to compete with serious playoff contenders in today’s NHL. A string of injuries to key players hasn’t helped. Entering play Saturday, the Rangers lost four in a row by a 27-10 goal differential without injured No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin and top defenseman Adam Fox.

But a certain lack of mental touchness hangs over this team. “Fragile” is a word both Mika Zibanejad and Braden Schneider used recently.

Two simply embarrassing defeats — a 10-2 blowout in Boston against the Bruins last weekend, and an 8-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, when they allowed the first six goals — point to the “fragile” state of the Rangers.

But, it remains somewhat surprising that another such letter and declaration was made, after management’s first stab at a public admission and retool just eight years ago.

A Message from Chris Drury to Our Fans pic.twitter.com/JVimBJ59B7

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 16, 2026

“It’s probably a fairly common sensical statement to suggest that when you don’t meet expectations, or you don’t have success, the change is inevitable in pro sports. Is that a fair statement?,” Sullivan said. “So, I think our team is well aware of that, and that’s, to a certain extent, what we all sign up for.”

Rangers ‘going to try to win every game’ despite expected roster turnover

NHL: Winter Classic-New York Rangers at Florida Panthers

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Rangers advised Artemi Panarin that they won’t offer him a contract extension. But they will work with the pending unrestricted free agent who holds a no-move clause on a trade to a team he prefers, since he must sign-off on any deal.

Official odds favor the Vegas Golden Knights in the expected Panarin sweepstakes. But the question is fair to ask whether the Rangers plan to hold Panarin or other players out of the lineup to protect them from injury as they’re being shopped.

“We’re going to try to win every game. These guys are competitive guys. We’re going to try to win every game in front of us. That’s just the way it’s going to be,” was how Sullivan answered the question.

Sullivan, by the way, sits on 499 career wins and is winless since Jan. 2, when the Rangers rocked the Florida Panthers 5-1 outdoors at the 2026 Winter Classic. Sullivan seeks to become the 31st coach in NHL history to reach the 500-victories milestone.

But there may not be many more wins coming this season, depending on the roster shakeup and/or how the current group reacts to the expected sell-off.

“We’re all human beings. We all understand the business, and we all understand the game,” Sullivan explained. “And so we’re going to do our very best to control what we can. We’re going to bring a good attitude. We’re going to try to bring exceptional effort every night. We’re going to try to play a collective effort game, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...sullivan-all-in-despite-retool-roster-changes
 
Opting to cut ties with Artemi Panarin carries big risk in Rangers’ retool

The New York Rangers’ open letter to fans this week proclaiming the intent to retool their roster, rather than undertake a full rebuild, apparently included at least one very important fact that wasn’t stated publicly.

According to multiple media reports, general manger Chris Drury informed star forward Artemi Panarin, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, that the team won’t offer him a contract extension. The Rangers reportedly will look to deal him before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6 — though Panarin has a no-movement clause, meaning he can say where he would agree to go, or not go at all.

“It’s hard to say how I feel,” he said after scoring two goals and assisting on another in the Rangers’ 6-3 road win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. “I’m still confused, but the GM decided to go in a different direction. I’m OK with that. I’m a Ranger player right now, so I’ll play every game 100 percent.”

While Panarin could bring back a significant return as the Rangers looks to get younger, the decision seems curious at best, and perhaps disastrous at worst.

“This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects,” Drury wrote. What the GM didn’t do in the letter is specify who those “core players” are. It would be difficult to find many people who wouldn’t consider the team’s leading scorer in each of his seven seasons with the Rangers to be a member of that group, even at age 34.

Artemi Panarin still going strong this season for Rangers​

NHL: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Panarin turns 35 on Oct. 30 and is undoubtedly looking for one more big payday after making his seven-year, $81.5 million contract ($11.642 million average annual value) with the Rangers look like a bargain. If he’s slowing down at all, it’s minimal, as evidenced by games like his two-goal, one-assist performance in the win at Philadelphia.

Panarin has a team-leading 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 48 games this season — and 604 points in 478 contests since signing with the Rangers on July 1, 2019.

“I obviously think the world of him,” coach Mike Sullivan said after Saturday’s game. “He’s an elite player. He’s one of the best Rangers of his generation.”

CORNER = PICKED pic.twitter.com/FHb7za8qLm

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 17, 2026

In deciding that Panarin’s time in New York is nearly up, it’s fair to question whether the team is taking his team-record 1.26 points per game during those six-plus seasons for granted.

Panarin’s game is predicated on his elite vision, offensive instincts and shifty elusiveness — not speed or strength. There’s plenty of reason to believe that his game will age well as Panarin moves into his late 30s. It would hardly be surprising for him to go elsewhere and continue to produce at a level similar to the one he reached with the Rangers, for whom he’s turned in four seasons of at least 90 points.

The Rangers, expected to be armed with around $30 million in salary-cap space this summer, watched as what looked like a dream unrestricted free-agent class dwindled to essentially nothing, with Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, Martin Necas and Kyle Connor, among others, all re-upping with their current teams.

If Panarin reaches free agency, he’ll be the biggest name on the market, and he’s sure to be offered a lucrative contract by someone, especially with the NHL salary cap set to rise again. That the Blueshirts have money to spend and don’t want to engage with arguably the best free agent available seems at least somewhat difficult to understand.

Panarin jumped at the chance to come to New York seven years ago; he was willing to sign with a team that had formally declared its intention in a letter a year and a half earlier to turn over its roster. But then-GM Jeff Gorton didn’t hesitate to bring in an established, high-priced veteran, envisioning Panarin as a player who could help bridge the gap from rebuild to championship contention. The Russian star would, in theory, provide offense as the Rangers’ young players developed into bigger roles, and then be a critical piece on a team that would make runs at the Stanley Cup.

NHL: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Panarin did just that. He piled up 95 points in 69 games in 2019-20, his first season with the Rangers, and almost certainly would have reached 100 for the first time had the season not been cut short due to Covid-19. By 2021-22, the Blueshirts were indeed ready to make a deep run toward the Stanley Cup Final, coming within two wins of defeating the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.

Panarin put up 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24, helping the Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s regular-season champion. They again reached the conference final but came up two wins short against the eventual champion Florida Panthers. But it proved to be the ceiling for that group, as the Rangers endured an ugly non-playoff season in 2024-25 and appear headed in that direction again.

If there is a complaint about Panarin among the fan base, it’s that he failed to carry his dominant ways into the postseason — turning in a few big moments in 46 playoff contests with the Rangers but often failing to be a consistent difference-maker.

Panarin never stopped scoring in the regular season for the Rangers — yet Drury apparently views his value to the team to be greater as a trade chip than a member of the roster going forward. That he doesn’t feel Panarin could provide the same kind of presence Gorton saw — someone who could help pave the way back to contention — speaks to their differing philosophies on how to achieve that goal, as well as the fact that he’s in his mid-30s rather than his late 20s.

There is the matter of Panarin’s alleged off-ice transgressions that could be factoring into Drury’s — and perhaps upper management’s — thinking. Panarin took a three-week leave of absence during the 2020-21 season after being accused of getting into a physical altercation with a young woman in 2011. He and the Rangers claimed Panarin was being targeted for publicly opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Another report emerged last April saying that Panarin and Madison Square Garden Sports had paid financial settlements to a former team employee who made sexual assault accusations against the player; that incident allegedly occurred in 2023.

Whether that’s significant in Drury’s decision, the Rangers seem fine with the idea of saying goodbye to a prolific scorer whose creativity has added a dynamic dimension to their offense. If the GM has incorrectly assessed his ability to replace Panarin’s production, via trade and/or development of younger players, the Rangers’ stated intention to undertake a retool rather than a rebuild could end up necessitating the latter instead.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...tting-ties-with-artemi-panarin-is-retool-risk
 
Man, what a rough stretch to watch unfold. The Panarin situation really encapsulates the whole mess this organization finds itself in right now.

I get the logic behind moving on from Bread - he's turning 35, wants a big payday, and the team clearly isn't competing anytime soon. But like Stephenson pointed out on that podcast, who exactly replaces his production? The guy has led the team in scoring every single season since he got here. That's not nothing.

The silver lining stuff with Perreault and Laba is encouraging though. Perreault's two-goal game showed flashes of what he could become, and that line with Miller and Zibanejad looked like it had some chemistry. Kid's got soft hands. If there's any positive to take from this dumpster fire of a season, it's that these young guys are getting real NHL reps against top competition.

Still feels weird seeing Sullivan in this situation. Two-time Cup winner sitting on 499 career wins, coaching a team that's about to get stripped for parts. Credit to him for staying positive about it publicly, but you have to wonder what he's really thinking.

The Philly win was nice - 6-3 with Panarin putting up 3 points shows he's still locked in despite everything. But let's be real, both teams are limping right now. Not exactly a measuring stick game.

Curious to see how this plays out before the deadline. Vegas as the Panarin favorite makes sense given their cap situation and win-now mode. Just hope Drury can actually get a decent return and doesn't end up watching Bread pot 90+ points somewhere else next year while we're icing a roster of AHL callups.
 
Key reason Rangers strategy not ‘falling into place like it was meant to’

They are a myriad of reasons why the New York Rangers decided to raise the white flag and enter into a retool phase. But one of the team’s veteran beat writers believes there’s something that stands out above all else.

Newsday’s Colin Stephenson told Forever Blueshirts that, in his opinion, J.T. Miller’s disappointing season is at the heart of the Rangers struggles.

“Whatever the reason, he’s not been what he was expected to be. And with him not being that, everything else is not falling into place like it was meant to,” Stephenson explained on the RINK RAP podcast.

The Rangers acquired Miller nearly a year ago, on Jan. 31 last season, in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. They did so seeking to shake up their core by adding a player who brings equal parts skill, smarts, toughness, grit, and fire. When the Rangers named Miller the 29th captain in franchise history, general manager Chris Drury and coach Mike Sullivan emphasized his ability to “drag others into the fight.”

Though his intentions remain commendable, Miller’s on-ice struggles drag the Rangers down, Stephenson believes. Miller, who recorded 103 points with the Canucks two seasons ago, and had 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 32 games with the Rangers after the trade last season, is currently tied for fourth on the team with 28 points in 40 games.

“What’s happened, whether it’s because of injuries or because of some other reason, J.T. hasn’t been the player you were hoping and expecting he would be,” Stephenson stated. “He’s not a point-per-game player. You brought him in because he scored a 100 points one year … and everything else is not falling into place.”

The Rangers (21-22-6) are 27th in the NHL, averaging 2.65 goals-for per game. Their scoring woes at Madison Square Garden stand out even more so, since their five home wins are fewest in the Eastern Conference. Miller’s been increasingly frustrated as the season progresses. The Rangers backslid after a hopeful start, and recently Mika Zibanejad and Braden Schneider each characterized the team’s mental state as “fragile.”

A Message from Chris Drury to Our Fans pic.twitter.com/JVimBJ59B7

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 16, 2026

That’s not exactly what Drury and Sullivan expected when they discussed their new captain “dragging others into the fight.” But Stephenson’s not wrong pointing out Miller’s health issues being a major factor for his struggles this season. Miller missed nine games already due to injury.

“He suffered a lower-body injury in the last week of training camp. He obviously wasn’t healthy at the start of the season, so he got off to a poor start,” Stephenson said. “He’s battled with, I think we can say, shoulder injuries. They say upper body, but you see where the ice pack is when you go into the locker room. So, he’s got a shoulder injury that he’s been bothered by. He missed two games with an injury and then came back and missed seven games with the same injury.

“So, yes, he is banged up in a physical way, and that may be part of the reason why he has not produced the numbers you were hoping for. And maybe he shouldn’t be playing, quite frankly, but he’s the captain, so he’s going to go out there and play at 85 percent and then if he can’t produce at 100 percent capacity, we’re blaming him.”

Rangers captain ‘was supposed to be the centerpiece of this team’

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Miller’s had his moments, of course, including a pair of overtime winners and a shootout-deciding goal, as well, in the season’s first half. But his impact’s been muted, and it clearly wears on him, especially with the Rangers sitting last in the conference.

He and his Rangers teammates sure appeared rejuvenated Saturday, skating to a 6-3 road win in Philadelphia against the Flyers, just 24 hours after the organization released The Letter 2.0, signaling the change in plans moving forward. Perhaps some of the pressure’s been lifted now. And maybe Miller returns to his expected form.

Perhaps that’s too little, too late to save the Rangers season and avoid a second straight spring missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

What could’ve been.

“This whole team is set up, from the moment they got him, he was supposed to be the centerpiece of this team and everything is supposed to revolve around him,” Stephenson explained. “Yes, you have Igor Shesterkin in goal and you know you’re going to get good goaltending. And yes, you have Adam Fox to run your power play. But I think J.T. Miller was the upgrade you wanted. He was supposed to be a legit top-line center — certainly not Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid or [Nathan] MacKinnon, but a guy that could hang with the [Aleksansder] Barkovs of the world.

“And if you got that J.T. Miller, everything would fall into place. Mika Zibanejad was going to play on his right wing and so you were going to upgrade at first-line center with J.T. in the middle, you would upgrade at first-line right wing with Mika shifting. And everything else would fall into place.”

That’s not what happened, of course. And now the Rangers are looking to trade Artemi Panarin, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, as part of roster re-set. Vincent Trocheck and others could also be on the way out.

What could’ve been, indeed.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/jt-miller-role-disappointing-season-retool
 
‘You can just play’: Rangers react to latest retool, likely roster shakeup

No player in any sport wants to read that his team plans to enter a “retool built around our core players and prospects” – the message that New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury sent to the hockey world on Friday.

Drury didn’t say who the “core players” are, but he did concede that the decision “may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.”

Needless to say, “The Letter 2.0” – similar to one then-president Glen Sather and GM Jeff Gorton sent eight years ago – was emotional for those who wear the Blueshirt. To their credit, they shook off any emotions they might have been feeling and ended a five-game losing streak with a 6-3 road victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.

A Message from Chris Drury to Our Fans pic.twitter.com/JVimBJ59B7

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 16, 2026

Afterward, captain J.T. Miller talked about his team’s ability to put the letter and its aftermath aside and leave Philadelphia with a win, their first in six games (1-4-1).

“All the B.S. is out in front of us now. You can just play. You can just kind of go out and try to enjoy the game again,” he said. “It’s been rough and we’ve been challenged here lately.

“It’s a really hard game. We use the word ‘humbling’ all the time. It’s really hard to do all the right things when nothing is either going your way or you’re not playing as well as you’re supposed to. It’s difficult. Today, we were just trying to get two points and win a hockey game. We had some guys step up big, so it was nice.”

NHL: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Mika Zibanejad had his 10th career hat trick and team scoring leader Artemi Panarin scored twice and had an assist to help the Rangers win indoors for the first time in 2026. Their only previous victory in the new year came outdoors, when they defeated the Florida Panthers 5-1 at the NHL Winter Classic in Miami – Zibanejad had a hat trick (and two assists) in that game as well.

Miller, who had two assists, three hits and won six of nine face-offs Saturday, said the Rangers must ignore the outside noise and focus on winning.

“The emotions have been going on for longer than the last two days,” he said. “It’s unfortunately part of the game. It’s disappointing, for sure. I don’t think four or five months ago this is where we thought we’d be, but we’ve got a job to do, and we need to start moving forward towards the next chapter.

“I was just really proud of the way we played today. There’s obviously a lot of distraction out there right now, and we were able to put that aside and enjoy the game and come out with the right intentions and earn the win.”

Rangers put aside talk of retool, respond by defeating Flyers​


Zibanejad was also proud of the way the Rangers played after such an emotional jolt.

“You have all kinds of feelings toward something like that coming out,” he said. “It’s a lot of emotions and obviously we have the early game today, so not a whole lot of time, I think 24 hours from it being posted to us playing. Huge credit to the guys. … It’s not an easy situation.

“The way we responded today and the way we played today was great.”

Mike Sullivan, who became the 30th coach in NHL history to win 500 games, was also impressed with what he saw from his club.

“I just think it speaks volumes for the character of the people in the room,” he said. “The last couple of days have been pretty emotional for the whole group. To respond with an effort like they did tonight, for me, I think, is evidence that these guys are quality people and they care a lot about each other and about the Rangers.”

NHL: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The victory in Philadelphia made for a much more pleasant flight to Southern California, where the Rangers (21-22-6) begin a three-game trip Monday with a game against the Anaheim Ducks and former teammates Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, Frank Vatrano and Ryan Strome. But it didn’t lift the Rangers out of last place in the Eastern Conference. They are nine points behind the Buffalo Sabres, who hold the second wild card in the East, with 33 games remaining.

Sullivan said before the game that he doesn’t intend to hold players out to avoid injury despite Drury’s indication that he’s likely to look to trade veterans.

“We’re going to try to win every game,” he said. “These guys are competitive guys. We’re going to try to win every game in front of us. That’s just the way it’s going to be.”

NHL: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Panarin, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, appears to be at the head of the list among players who could be moved. Multiple media reports said Drury told the team’s leading scorer in each of the past six seasons that the Rangers won’t offer him another contract and they will work with him and his agent to find a new home. That’s a must because Panarin has a no-movement clause, meaning that he can’t be traded to any of the other 31 teams without his approval and can opt not to be traded at all.

For now, Panarin said he’s OK with what’s happening.

“It’s hard to say how I feel, still confused,” he said postgame. “Team decide to go in a different direction. I’m OK with that. I’m a Ranger play right now, so I gotta play every game 100 percent.”

When asked about his conversation with Drury, Panarin responded that “I actually said everything I want to say about this situation. Let’s talk about hockey.”

Sullivan went through the retool vs. rebuild process during the final three of his 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He joined the Rangers on May 2 after parting ways with the Pens, so he’s familiar with everything associated with trying to get a team back on the winning track. He’s all in.

“I understand the process. I understand the process,” he said prior to the game. “What I’ll tell you is that I’m all in on trying to help this organization move forward. Chris [Drury] and I have talked throughout this whole process. We have a very transparent relationship, and I’m going to do everything in my power to try to help this team move forward.

“I’m going to control what I can and try to be the very best coach that I can be for this organization.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/players-coach-react-retool-trades-plan
 
Why Rangers may prefer ‘to fix’ Alexis Lafreniere than trade him

It’s safe to say that the New York Rangers are going to pretty much dominate the rumor mill ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, now that they publicly declared their intention to be sellers amid a roster retool. So, expect to hear plenty of rumors about Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, and other Rangers in the coming weeks.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman spent quite a bit of time on his most recent 32 Thoughts podcast Monday weighing in on the Rangers and the trade deadline. When the conversation got around to Lafreniere, Friedman’s take was that the Rangers most likely will hold on to the polarizing 24-year-old forward.

“I think the challenge with trading a guy like Lafreniere is that if you’re the Rangers you’re still saying this guy was a No. 1 overall pick just a few years ago and you’re trading him like that,” Friedman said. “I have no question other teams are going to try and steal him, they’re going to say he’s not that guy. The Rangers can say fine, but we’d rather try and fix him and try to make it work here than sell him for 50 cents on the dollar.”

It’s official. Alexis LaFreniere is headed to Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/ujsKu9oplk

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) October 6, 2020

That said, Friedman believes that the Rangers must listen to any and all offers, especially since Lafreniere doesn’t have a no-move clause in his contract, and his modified no-trade clause doesn’t kick in until the 2027-28 season. That makes him much easier to trade than, say Panarin, who’s complete no-move clause limits where they can deal the pending unrestricted free agent, since he must sign-off on any trade.

Lafreniere is tied for fourth on the Rangers with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists), playing all 49 games. Four of those points (one goal, three assists) came in the past two games, and he did have a career-high three assists in the rousing Winter Classic victory over the Florida Panthers on Jan. 2.

It’s those flashes of production, along with solid underlying numbers and analytics, along with his pedigree as the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, that likely still seduce the Rangers and intrigue other teams.

But the day-to-day inconsistency and fall-off after his breakthrough 2023-24 season, when Lafreniere established career highs with 28 goals and 57 points, make him a legit trade candidate.

His current contract makes him appealing to teams around the League, too. Of course, that also is a pretty good reason to hold on to him if you’re the Rangers. And there’s still time to move on from Lafreniere due to the length of his contract and the fact that there are no limitations on where he can be traded for another year or so.

“He’s signed to $7.45 (million annually) and he’s not a free agent for another six years. … So, to me it’s we’ll listen and we’ll see where it takes us,” Friedman stated.

More takeaways from Elliotte Friedman on what Rangers may do before NHL Trade Deadline

NHL: New York Rangers at New York Islanders

Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Like Lafreniere, Trocheck is a bit easier to move because he doesn’t own a complete no-move clause, though he does have a 12-team no-trade clause. Still, you can expect a lot of teams calling the Rangers about the 32-year-old center, who plays a premium position, is known for his big-game play, and is under team control for three more seasons after this at an affordable $5.625 million annual salary.

Here’s Friedman’s take on Trocheck: “I think the Rangers love Trocheck. I think their preference is to keep Trocheck. But I think they told him as they told some other guys, the way it’s going right now, we have to listen. We can’t make you any guarantees, we can’t make you any promises, we have nothing bad to say about you, but we have to listen and we have to see what’s out there.”

NHL: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

As for Panarin, the Rangers already informed their leading scorer that a contract extension is not forthcoming and that they will try to trade him, working in conjunction with his representatives.

By all accounts, and per his postgame comments after New York’s 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Panarin wanted to remain with the Rangers and is a bit bewildered right now. No one knows what team or teams he’s willing to accept a trade to. Panarin could make this awfully difficult on the Rangers if he zeroes in on, say, only or two teams.

Here’s what Friedman thinks: “If you ask teams around the League … obviously, they don’t believe there a lot of places he wants to go. And secondly, what they do think is that his preference will be an extension … the early indication is that teams think he’d rather move once than twice, and his preference is an extension over two moves.”

Needless to say, that complicates things even more if Panarin only accepts a trade if he lands a huge extension with his new team.

That got Friedman thinking about the San Jose Sharks. How that could be a good fit for a trade, and a pretty cool situation for Panarin to play alongside budding superstar Macklin Celebrini.

“Panarin right shot, Celebrini left shot. Imagine those guys playing together,” Friedman said. “I have no idea if Panarin would even consider that. But you just talk about fun matchups, fun combinations, something we’d all like to see, Celebini-Panarin could be an incredible duo. … This is going to be Panarin’s call, though.”

Rangers general manager Chris Drury laid his cards on the table last week, but he clearly doesn’t own all the cards in the deck.

Stay tuned.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/lafreniere-trocheck-panarin-trade-rumors
 
Rangers fall 5-3 to Ducks for sixth loss in seven games: Takeaways

The New York Rangers didn’t lack for effort against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. What they did lack was the goal they needed to tie the game in the final minutes of regulation. Instead, Cutter Gauthier’s second of the night into an empty net sealed a 5-3 victory – their fourth straight win and the Rangers’ sixth loss in seven games.

New York trailed 4-2 before Vladislav Gavrikov scored a power-play goal at 7:11 of the third period to make it a one-goal game. The Rangers pushed for the tying goal and has two overlapping power-play opportunities in the final six minutes, including 22 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage. They had Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal flopping around his crease like a seal at times but couldn’t get the tying goal.

The Rangers pulled goaltender Spencer Martin with 1:20 left and nearly tied it on a tip-in try by J.T Miller, but Dostal stopped that and Gauthier sealed it with 36 seconds remaining.

NHL: New York Rangers at Anaheim Ducks

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It was a disappointing way to start their three-game California trip. The Rangers dropped to 1-5-1 in their past seven games; they ended a five-game slide on Saturday with a 6-3 road win against the Philadelphia Flyers. They’re now 1-1-0 since general manager Chris Drury’s letter to fans on Friday basically writing off this season and saying some veterans could soon find themselves playing elsewhere.

Three of those veterans accounted for most of the offense. Team scoring lead Artemi Panarin scored a power-play goal and had an assist. While Miller and fellow center Vincent Trocheck each contributed two assists. Martin, making his second straight start, finished with 21 saves. Expect Jonathan Quick to be in goal against his old team when the Rangers play the second of back-to-back games against the Kings in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

What a RIP 🚀 pic.twitter.com/ffuxpN34Ng

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 20, 2026

The Rangers came out strong, pressuring the Ducks in their own zone and grabbing the lead four minutes into the game as the result of an excellent forecheck.

Miller and Mika Zibanejad worked to get the puck back to the left point for rookie defenseman Matthew Robertson, whose long slap shot slipped between Dostal’s body and his arm to put the Rangers up 1-0. It was Robertson’s third goal and second against the Ducks.

But Robertson was accidentally involved in the Ducks’ tying goal at 11:31. Pavel Mintyukov was falling to his knees when he swiped the puck across the slot. It deflected off Robertson and caromed right to Mason McTavish, who zipped it into the net before Martin could move.

The 1-1 tie lasted through the end of a low-event opening period, one that saw the Rangers outshoot Anaheim 6-5 and get the only three high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.

NHL: New York Rangers at Anaheim Ducks

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Blueshirts got the game’s first power play when rookie Bennett Sennecke was called for high-sticking at 2:31 and grabbed the lead again at 4:03 when Panarin rocketed a one-timer past Dostal from the right circle at 4:03. But the 2-1 advantage last only until 8:29, when Jeffrey Viel, a forward acquired by the Ducks from the Boston Bruins on Friday, tied the game.

Martin stopped a shot by Ryan Poehling after the Rangers failed on multiple clearing attempts. But he was out of position when the rebound came to Viel, who was all alone and quickly snapped it into the net for his first point in 12 games this season — and his first NHL goal since March 22, 2022.

🚨 Viel 🚨

Jeff Viel gets his first goal as a Duck!! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/a90Qi9YA2F

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 20, 2026

Anaheim took its first lead at 18:02 by scoring on its second power play. With Will Cuylle off for high-sticking, Braden Schneider didn’t get much on his attempted clear from behind the net, and the puck slid came to former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba at the right point. Martin stopped Trouba’s slap shot, but the puck leaked through his pads and into the crease, where Alex Killorn shoveled it into the wide-open net to put the Ducks up 3-2.

The Ducks made it 4-2 at 1:01 of the third period when the Rangers again failed to clear their zone and Drew Helleson found Gauthier alone in the slot for a quick shot past Martin.

Gavrikov’s goal got the visitors close, but Dostal held them off until Gauthier celebrated his 22nd birthday with his second goal of the game and 22nd of the season.

Key takeaways after Rangers lose 5-3 to Ducks

Bread goes top shelf on the power play 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/RRKAKuU1D4

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 20, 2026

Panarin, Zibanejad still streaking


Panarin’s goal extended his points streak to 10 games. He also had the primary helper on Gavrikov’s goal, giving him a 10-game assist streak.

The Rangers have already told the 34-year-old impending UFA that they won’t offer him another contract and are willing to work with him on a trade. He continues to put up points while not letting any uncertainty about where he might wind up bother his on-ice play.

The Breadman isn’t the only Ranger with a lengthy point streak. Zibanejad’s first-period assist extended his points streak to nine games.

Each has 18 points during his streak: Panarin has five goals and 13 assists, while Zibanejad has nine of each.

Blueshirts get out-goaltended

Spencer Martin leads the #NYR onto the ice for warmups here in Anaheim. pic.twitter.com/fQ8uuNEItC

— Colin Stephenson (@ColinSNewsday) January 20, 2026

With Igor Shesterkin still out with a lower-body injury and a struggling Quick set to play against his former team, Martin got the call again – and showed why he’s career journeyman.

Anaheim’s second and third goals came after Martin stopped shots but could not control the puck. Viel, who was a spare part in Boston better known as a fighter, was more than happy to cash in Poehling’s rebound to tie the game, and Killorn had a wide-open net after Trouba’s unscreened slapper got through his pads.

It’s not like Quick has been very good; he’s 3-10-2 and hasn’t won since Nov. 7. And Martin did make a few good stops among his 21 saves. But the sooner the Rangers get Shesterkin back in the net and can return Martin to Hartford, the better.

Rangers pay for careless play


Getting the puck out of your own zone is Hockey 101. Good teams get over their blue line and onto the attack.

But the Rangers, playing in front of the organization’s No. 4 goaltender, handled the puck like a hot potato for much of the night, committing turnover after turnover and giving Anaheim the hockey equivalent of a “short field” in football.

Most notable on this night was Schneider, who was “credited” with four turnovers – including the one that resulted in Killorn’s goal. But he was far from the only culprit.

“It’s tough when you turn the puck over the way we turned it over,” an unhappy coach Mike Sullivan said. “And when you’re careless with the puck, and you give them those kinds of opportunities, they’re going to end up in your net.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...ss-to-ducks-is-sixth-in-seven-games-takeaways
 
Rangers vs. Kings: Lineups, storylines as Quick, Gavrikov face former team

Two of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL meet up Tuesday night, when the New York Rangers visit the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

The Rangers (21-23-6) are 27th in the League, averaging 2.66 goals-for per game; the Kings (19-16-13) are 31st, next to last, scoring just 2.54 goals per game. What separates these teams, though, is that L.A. sits fourth in the NHL, with a team goals-against average of 2.71. New York is tied for 19th (3.10 GAA), exacerbated by allowing 35 goals in the past six games, with No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin sidelined by a lower-body injury.

Neither team’s done much winning of late. The Rangers lost for the 10th time in 13 games (3-8-2) Monday night, when they opened this three-game trip to California with a 5-3 defeat at the Anaheim Ducks. The Kings are on a four-game skid (0-1-3), and lost three straight in overtime, including one in the shootout and one in the five-minute OT period when swept in back-to-back games against the Ducks this past weekend.

The Rangers enter play with 16 road wins this season, second most in the NHL. And their best players are on a roll. Artemi Panarin scored a power-play goal and had an assist Monday to extend his point streak to 10 games. Mike Zibanejad brings a nine-game point streak into action Tuesday, and J.T. Miller has six assists in his past three games.

The Kings are without captain Anze Kopitar, who remains on IR with a lower-body injury; and star forward Adrian Kempe has one goal in his past seven games. Even with that and a subpar 7-10-7 home record, the Kings are two points out of the second wild card in the Western Conference.

However, the Rangers haven’t had much success at Crytpo.com Arena the past decade. Since Jan. 8, 2015, the Rangers lost seven of 10 (3-7-0) in L.A. And, of course, they lost an additional three overtime games to the Kings in this building during the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, making it 10 losses in their past 13 visits.

3 storylines when Rangers visit Kings

NHL: New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Hello old friend


You likely remember that Jonathan Quick was the Kings goalie for each of those victories against the Rangers in the 2014 Cup Final, including the Game 5 double-OT thriller that ended New York’s season and championship dreams.

Now, one day before his 40th birthday, Quick starts for the Rangers against his former team, in what very well could be his final NHL game in LA. So, does that factor into coach Mike Sullivan’ starting ‘s decision to start the three-time Stanley Cup champion on Tuesday?

“It does,” Sullivan told the New York Post. “Without a doubt, it for sure does. I think ‘Quickie’ deserves that.”

Quick hasn’t won a decision since Nov. 7, and sat the previous two games in favor of Spencer Martin after he allowed 22 goals on 103 shots (.786 save percentage) over five starts following Shesterkin’s injury. The winningest United States-born goal in NHL history (407) is 1-1-0 in three games (two starts) against his longtime team, with a miniscule 1.18 goals-against average.

Welcome back

NHL: New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes

James Guillory-Imagn Images

This marks Vladislav Gavrikov’s first time back in LA since he signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Rangers on July 1. The 30-year-old defenseman played 179 games over parts of three seasons with the Kings, including 2024-25 when he helped them be one of the best defensive teams in the NHL.

Gavrikov’s been terrific for the Rangers, a steady top-pair force — even without injured partner Adam Fox — and a surprising contributor offensively from the blue line. He scored his career-high eighth goal Monday, and his 16 points are second most among Rangers defensemen, behind Fox (28 points in 30 games). Gavrikov also scored his first two power-play goals in the NHL, and averages 23:54 of ice time, the highest TOI of his career.

Gabe Perreault earning praise

NHL: New York Rangers at Anaheim Ducks

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Rangers rookie forward Gabe Perreault didn’t score a goal nor record a point, and didn’t even have a shot on goal Monday against the Ducks. Yet a pair of his veteran teammates praised the 20-year-old postgame for his all-around game and play away from the puck, as much as his high-level skill.

“He had a helluva game today,” Miller said Monday night. “He was in such good spots all over the rink today. You can tell he’s learning a lot as he goes.”

Perreault did have a glorious scoring chance driving to the net, and impressed with his willingness to get to the dirty areas against the Ducks.

“I think Gabe has been fantastic, he improves even more every night, and he’s shown flashes of elite skill. And he plays the right way, too,” Vincent Trocheck added.

With the Rangers pivoting to a retool, Perreault’s development in the top-six forward group is crucial the rest of this season, since the 2023 first-round pick is viewed as a key member of the core for years to come on Broadway. He enters play with seven points (three goals, four assists) in 22 games with the Rangers, and was recently named an AHL All-Star for his strong start this season with Hartford.

New York Rangers projected lineup


Gabe Perreault — J.T. Miller — Mika Zibanejad

Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafreniere

Brennan Othmann — Noah Laba — Will Cuylle

Jonny Brodzinski — Sam Carrick –Taylor Raddysh

Vladislav Gavrikov — Braden Schneider

Matthew Robertson — Will Borgen

Carson Soucy – Scott Morrow

Jonathan Quick

Spencer Martin

Rangers vs. Kings: When, where, what time, how to watch


Who: New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings

When: Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Crypto.com Arena

How to watch: MSG

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...ew-storylines-quick-gavrikov-face-former-team
 
No happy birthday for Jonathan Quick as Kings top Rangers 4-3: Takeaways

On the eve of his 40th birthday, Jonathan Quick started in goal for the New York Rangers against his former team, the Los Angeles Kings. However, the Rangers couldn’t quite deliver the present Quick wanted most, a victory, in a 4-3 loss to the Kings at Crytpo.com Arena on Tuesday.

Quick, who backstopped the Kings to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014 (against the Rangers), stopped 23 of 27 shots Tuesday, but his winless streak extended to 12 games (0-10-2). He hasn’t picked up a win since Nov. 7.

The Rangers (21-24-6) never held a lead in this one, but they came awfully close to erasing a late two-goal deficit. J.T. Miller’s second goal of the game at 19:33 of the third period drew the Rangers to 4-3; and his offensive-zone face-off win in the closing seconds nearly set up a tying-goal, but the Rangers pushed a loose puck wide of the Kings net as the final buzzer sounded.

Will Cuylle scored the other goal for the Rangers, who lost consecutive nights in SoCal, after a 5-3 defeat in Anaheim against the Ducks on Monday.

Anton Forsberg replaced injured starter Darcy Kuemper late in the first period, and made 28 saves on 29 shots for the Kings, who had four different skaters score goals: Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Taylor Ward, and Andrei Kuzmenko.

Darcy Kuemper has left tonight’s game after a cross-crease save and contact with Jonny Brodzinski 🤕 pic.twitter.com/ndXPxRDw1v

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 21, 2026

It didn’t long for the Kings to jump out to an early lead. Backing the Rangers off with a speedy entry over the blue line, Kempe buried a give-and-go with defenseman Brandt Clarke past a sprawling Quick just 18 seconds into the game to put the visitors in a 1-0 hole.

The Kings nearly doubled their lead at 7:35, but Quinton Byfield shoveled a backhand shot wide of the net after blowing past Alexis Lafreniere and Carson Soucy for a breakaway opportunity. That missed chance proved costly when the Cuylle scored his 11th goal to tie the game less than a minute later.

The goal at 8:18 originally was credited to Scott Morrow, whose shot hit Kuemper’s pad and then the skate of a Kings defenseman before bouncing over the goal line. Apparently the original shot barely glanced off Cuylle, when he jumped up in the air to avoid being hit by the puck as he set up a screen in front. It would’ve been Morrow’s first goal with the Rangers since the rookie defenseman was acquired by New York last summer in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Morrow from the slot 🫡 pic.twitter.com/EepeLieJgV

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 21, 2026

The tie score didn’t last long, though. A simply atrocious turnover by Vladislav Gavrikov in front of his own net after a Rangers defensive-zone face-off win led directly to Fiala’s team-leading 18th goal at 9:00 to put the Kings back up 2-1.

The gaffe was a stunning mistake by the steady veteran, and must’ve been even more painful for Gavrikov considering this was his first game back in L.A. playing against his former team since he signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Rangers on July 1.

To their credit, the Rangers answered back again, tying the game at 16:36 on Miller’s first goal of the night. The Rangers captain skated down the middle and buried a pretty pass from Mika Zibanejad, who extended his point streak to 10 games with the assist.

The feed. The finish. What a sequence 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/51I8xrmXF1

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 21, 2026

Kuemper left the game with 38.8 seconds remaining in the first period, after Jonny Brodzinski’s leg accidentally hit the goalie on the side of his head when the Rangers forward crashed the crease. As it turned out, it wasn’t to the Rangers benefit that Forsberg stepped in for the injured No. 1 goalie.

Forsberg made 16 saves in the second period, and the the Kings scored twice to extend their lead to 4-2. Ward popped a loose puck into the net at 4:23 after a strong O-zone shift by the Kings, and a fortuitous bounce off Braden Schneider’s skate that left the puck on the doorstep for the rugged L.A. forward to put away for his first goal of the season.

Kuzmenko made it 4-2 at 12:37, backhanding his 10th goal past Quick after the Rangers failed to clear the zone, and the goalie left a juicy rebound after a long shot by Fiala. In between scoring a pair of goals, the Kings also killed off consecutive penalties, including a 5-on-3 Rangers power play that lasted 1:36.

Midway through the third period, the Rangers successfully challenged Alex Laferriere’s goal which would’ve given the Kings a 5-2 lead. Video review confirmed that Corey Perry made contact with Quick’s pad before the shot sailed past the Rangers goalie.

But the Rangers couldn’t do anything with that break until the frantic final minute, when Miller scored his 13th goal on a desperation shot from the right-wing boards. But it was too little, too late, and the Rangers lost for the seventh time in their past eight games (0-6-1).

Key takeaways after Rangers’ 4-3 loss to Kings

NHL: New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Final farewell?


Not only did Quick want this one before turning the big 4-0 on Wednesday, and likely needed it for his sanity now that he’s two months and counting without a victory. But this very well could’ve been his final game in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena. Given his age and declining play, especially of late, and the Rangers in a retool, there’s a good chance Quick retires at the end of the season.

The all-time winningest United States-born goalie in NHL history is heading to the Hall-of-Fame one day, largely due to his 16 terrific seasons with the Kings. Quick holds the Kings record with 370 wins, nearly 200 more than Rogie Vachon, who’s second on that list with 171. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs in 2012 and, of course, led the Kings to the only two Stanley Cup championships in franchise history.

He doesn’t share his emotions publicly, but this one had to be special for Quick, despite the result, which dropped him to 1-2-0 against his former team, including a pair of losses as the visiting goaltender in this arena.

Royal backup plan

NHL: New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The star of this game was a player who started the night on the bench, and didn’t get onto the ice until under a minute remained in the first period. Forsberg turned in an excellent performance with 16 saves in the second period and 12 more in the third, putting forth a near spotless relief performance after Kuemper exited with an injury.

Perhaps it benefitted Forsberg that he entered the game late in the opening period, didn’t face a shot, and then had the intermission to better prepare himself for the rest of the contest. But give credit where credit is due, the 33-year-old was terrific, especially in light of Kuemper’s uneven play before he got hurt.

Forsberg was L.A.’s best penalty killer when they held the Rangers off the scoreboard during that second-period 5-on-3. And in the third period, he made point-blank saves in separate sequences against Lafreniere, Morrow, and Lafreniere again.

Missed opportunity

NHL: New York Rangers at Los Angeles Kings

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Rangers power play began the night ninth in the NHL, after producing a pair of goals Monday in Anaheim. But when given a massive opportunity to make a difference for the Rangers on Tuesday, their power play came up empty. That’s not to say the power play wasn’t good, it was. The Rangers recorded seven shots on goal during back-to-back power opportunities, when Laferreriere was penalized for roughing at 8:22 of the second period, and Joel Edmundson tripped Vincent Trocheck 25 seconds later.

Forsberg and the Kings frustrated the Rangers and their five-forward grouping time and again over that span of 2:25. Cuylle and Miller each was robbed by Forsberg on point-blank looks in tight.

It’s hard to blame the Rangers here. But it was a one-goal game at that point, and the Rangers came away empty, before falling further behind shortly thereafter when the Kings scored at even strength to make it 4-2.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...-kings-defeat-rangers-jonathan-quick-birthday
 
TNT analysts believe Igor Shesterkin is Rangers ‘only untouchable’ player

The New York Rangers season has quickly gone off the rails again, and those around the NHL are calling on president and general manager Chris Drury to make some difficult decisions before the League’s trade deadline on March 6.

It seems everyone’s got an opinion on what the Rangers should do. And the latest group to chime in was the three-person NHL on TNT panel of Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter and Tuukka Rask. Each agreed Tuesday that Igor Shesterkin is an absolute untouchable, when it comes to retooling New York’s roster

Taking it a step further, Carter and Rask each said the 30-year-old goalie is the only untouchable player on New York’s star-studded roster, and Drury should at least listen to offers for everyone else.

The Rangers (21-24-6) are last in the Eastern Conference with 48 points and lost seven of their past eight games. They are 3-9-2 in their past 14, which prompted Drury to pen an open letter to season-ticket holders last week declaring the Rangers intention to retool the roster.

Shesterkin, of course, was once again playing at an extremely high level this season, posting a 17-12-4 record with a .913 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average before sustaining a lower-body injury during the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Jan. 5.

In the seven games he’s missed, the Rangers are 1-6-0 and allowed 35 goals, an extremely subpar average of five goals per game. That simply underscores Shesterkin’s immense value to the Rangers.

But despite his excellence, Shesterkin’s contract is likely untradeable anyway. He is in the first of an eight-year, $92 million contract that runs through 2033. His contract also includes a full no-move clause in every year of the deal, and there’s zero indication Shesterkin has any interest in leaving New York.

Paul Bissonnette believes Adam Fox also untouchable in Rangers retool​

NHL: Utah Mammoth at New York Rangers

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It isn’t a surprise that a panel of respected NHL analysts, each a former player, believe Shesterkin is untouchable. He willed the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final twice in his seven-year career, won the Vezina Trophy in 2022 and was a Hart Trophy finalist in 2021-22.

But it’s an astounding fall for the Rangers that those who watch the sport for a living deem him the only untouchable player on this roster.

Bissonnette, though, bucked his TNT brethren by saying that New York’s top defenseman Adam Fox is also untouchable and shouldn’t be traded under any circumstance. Like their struggles without Shesterkin, the Rangers cratered defensively without the injured Fox in the lineup, and their power play struggled without its quarterback during his 14-game absence earlier this season, when he had an upper-body injury.

Fox is again out, this time with a lower-body injury. The 2021 Norris Trophy winner went on LTIR the same day Shesterkin landed on injured reserve, yet is still tied for fifth on the Rangers with 28 points, and is third with 24 assists.

“I personally wouldn’t trade Adam Fox,” Bissonnette said on TNT during the second intermission of the New Jersey Devils-Edmonton Oilers game Tuesday night. “He loves playing there, [is an] incredible offensive defenseman. I don’t know how you’d replace a guy like that.”

Carter and Rask both disagreed.

“Everybody’s on the table for me, except Igor,” Carter said. “I would trade Fox if I got the right package for him. Igor is the one guy that I keep.”

“[Shesterkin] is definitely one of those guys that you can’t touch,” Rask said. “He’s an absolute elite goalie in this league. You need him, but anybody else? Perhaps.”

No-move clauses could hamper Rangers GM​

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers

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That Drury informed superstar forward Artemi Panarin to pack his bags is unsettling, since it was his signing ahead of the 2019-20 season that pulled the Rangers out of the wilderness following (then GM) Jeff Gorton’s rebuilding letter to fans in 2018. Panarin was New York’s leading scorer each of the previous six seasons, and is again so far in this one with 56 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 50 games.

But the Rangers won’t offer the pending unrestricted free agent a contract extension and plan to trade the 34-year-old ahead of the March 6 deadline. So, Panarin isn’t exactly an untouchable, even with his no-move clause.

Drury’s got his work cut out for him in this reload, and he only has himself to blame for it, due to the inordinate number of no-trade and no-movement clauses on the Rangers roster.

Panarin, though, is sure to waive his no-move clause — negotiated by Gorton it should be noted — to go to a team of his choosing and a chance to chase the Stanley Cup. But if the Rangers want to max out value for Mika Zibanejad’s resurgent season, he must first waive a no-movement clause, which carries through the 2028-29 season. Zibanejad’s shown no interest in doing so.

If they want to convince a rival club to take Vincent Trocheck’s leadership, elite face-off skills, big-game reputation and two-way prowess, it’ll have to be to one of the 19 teams not included on his modified no-trade clause. Even defenseman Will Borgen somehow has a full no-trade clause for his contract that inconceivably runs through 2029-30.

Those clauses spell extra doom for the Rangers, since Will Cuylle, Braden Schneider, and Alexis Lafreniere are among the few players of value without an NTC or NMC in their deal. None has celebrated his 25th birthday yet, so trading them is not as appealing as moving on from a 30-something veteran like Zibanejad or Trocheck. But if Drury wants to max out and really overhaul this roster, his only choice may be to move at least one of those younger players — none of whom reach the level of untouchable, by the way.

Even though things appear bleak in the Big Apple, Carter remains confident in New York’s ability to execute a quick and effective reload, thanks to one factor.

“It could be a pretty quick retool,” Carter said. “It’s New York City.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...lysts-igor-shesterkin-only-untouchable-player
 
Reasons why Rangers in retool, not rebuild: ‘this is restless franchise’

At the end of the day, words don’t matter nearly as much as actions and results. Still, when the New York Rangers announced their plan last week to raise a white flag on this season in order to focus on the future, general manager Chris Drury emphasized that this isn’t a “rebuild,” instead choosing the word “retool.”

That’s pretty much semantics. A cynic can argue that Drury and the Rangers are simply trying to soften the blow that changes are coming, some popular players soon will be traded, but, hey, it’s not a complete teardown that can last years.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, though, does agree that “retool” is the proper term to describe the Rangers upcoming timeline to rebuild their current roster and organizational depth.

“I think this is a restless franchise in so many ways,” Kaplan said earlier this week on the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast. “It’s New York. You can’t risk a full rebuild. You’ve got to go for it. Especially, they’re two years removed from one of, if not the best regular season in franchise history.

“We don’t know how long this is going to take, however given the dynamics of New York, with James Dolan as the owner, with Chris Drury as an uber-competitive guy, and when you have a goalie like Igor Shesterkin who masks so many of your mistakes, I don’t think this can be something that is very long term. More realistically, you’re using this as a reset opportunity.”

A Message from Chris Drury to Our Fans pic.twitter.com/JVimBJ59B7

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 16, 2026

Need another reason to believe this is more short term than long? Just look behind the Rangers bench, Kaplan says.

“Mike Sullivan, highest-paid coach in the NHL. You don’t hire him in this rebuild or retool situation if you can’t get back on track sooner rather than later,” she explained. “I don’t view this necessarily as a huge step back … I think they’re just cutting their loss on this season, saying we know this isn’t our year and let’s see how we can best prepare ourselves for next year and the year after.”

The Rangers (21-24-6) are last in the Eastern Conference and set to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. As Kaplan pointed out, just two seasons ago, the Rangers established franchise records for most wins (55) and points (114), won the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the regular season, and reached the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three years.

The gutting of that roster began last season, when Jacob Trouba, Barclay Goodrow, Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Lindgren, and Filip Chytil were moved out. It continued this past summer when the Rangers traded Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller. And the next phase is underway, with Artemi Panarin topping the list of those expected to be ex-Rangers soon enough.

Why Rangers GM deserves ‘little bit of credit’ for how he’s publicly, privately going forth with retool plan

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What surprises Kaplan is not the roster overhaul, per se. Drury made it clear that he wasn’t happy with its makeup even after the successful playoff run in 2024. Of course, the GM didn’t exactly see this season’s crash and burn either, especially after acquiring J.T. Miller a year ago, and naming him captain in September, to help alter the soft identity that the Rangers carried.

No, it’s that the Rangers did this Letter approach to signal their intentions once before, only eight years ago. They were lauded for being so honest and transparent then. Now? Well, a bit strange to go down that road again with The Letter 2.0.

“In some ways it was shocking,” Kaplan said. “We all kind of knew this was the direction they were heading, especially when I found out what was going on with those Artemi Panarin contract negotiations behind the scenes. But to see them say it so publicly, so shortly after hiring Mike Sullivan as the highest-paid coach in the NHL, was a bit shocking.”

But maybe there was a method to Drury’s madness, to use an old cliche?

“Talking to some people around the League, talking to some people close to the situation, when you think about modern athletes now … they don’t necessarily need to agree why something happens, they just want to know why something happens.

“I don’t know if it was necessary, per see, for the fan’s perspective, but now it emboldens [the Rangers] to have these conversations about any of these players on the roster and not risking the possibility of it leaking out and upsetting the locker room. You put it all out there, you had conversations with all of these guys about exactly where they stand. So, in some element we need to give Chris Drury a little bit of credit here.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...-franchise-explain-retool-rebuild-chris-drury
 
New York Comptroller candidate wants state to buy stakes in Rangers, MSG

The New York Rangers could be on the verge of becoming the NHL version of the Green Bay Packers, though in the largest market in North America.

According to the New York Times, New York State comptroller candidate Adem Bunkeddeko is interested in using the the state’s pension fund to purchase a stake in the Rangers and NBA’s New York Knicks as well as their parent company, Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers, of course, are run by James Dolan in his role as executive chairman and CEO of MSG Sports. He is the controlling owner of the Rangers, as well as the Knicks, MSG, Radio City Music Hall and other landmarks like the Las Vegas-based Sphere.

Adem Bunkeddeko believes New Yorkers ‘should have stake’ in Rangers, Knicks​

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Government intervention in a pro-sports team is a non-starter for many fans, especially Rangers fans. But Bunkeddko, a Democrat who twice lost congressional bids in New York’s ninth district which covers Brooklyn, views the potential purchase of shares as an investment in the city’s lifeblood.

“I think the headline is, ‘should billionaires be the only people who get to own our culture?’” Bunkeddeko told Ken Belson of the Times. “It could be a win for the state pension, and it also can be a win for the future of New York and the franchises and sports teams generally. From my perspective, the Knicks and the Rangers are part of our identity, and New Yorkers should have a stake.”

Bunkeddeko told the Times that, if elected, he would try to buy up about 5 percent of shares in the teams by using the state’s pension fund, which is worth $290 billion, since that is the largest investment the fund can make in a single entity. According to Belson’s reporting, there are roughly 15-17 percent of shares available for purchase.

But Bunkeddeko hopes by having a small-yet-significant stake in the team, the fund could in practice purchase a seat on the MSG board. That could entitle residents to have a voice in how the team is operated.

Imagine how those meetings would go at a time like this, when the Rangers publicly raised the white flag on this disappointing season, not long after Dolan preached patience and support for general manager Chris Drury.

“I would say it’s not simply just buying a little bit of shares, but being a significant minority player with the option of growing that stake,” he explained.

Rangers wouldn’t be first NHL team owned by fans​

NHL: Minnesota Wild at Toronto Maple Leafs

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The NFL’s Packers are, of course, the model when it comes to a publicly owned pro sports franchise, since they’re controlled by roughly a half-million fans who purchased shares in the team.

In the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs were once owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. The pension plan initially invested $44 million, then sold its controlling stake of the team in 2012 for more than $1.3 billion — an eye-popping 30x return on investment.

Before them, the Hartford Whalers were also publicly owned with 17 corporations bankrolling the team’s operation for roughly 13 years, between 1975-88.

So Bunkeddeko’s plan is far from radical, and he is trying to use the initiative to drum up support in his candidacy. Bunkeddeko is considered an underdog to unseat current state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who currently oversees the trust fund.

Bunkeddeko and DiNapoli are only two of the candidates slated to be on the ballot for the 2026 comptroller primary election. That will be held June 23.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/pension-msg-ownership-bunkeddeko
 
Struggling Rangers defenseman on Sharks ‘radar’ ahead of trade deadline

There’s a pretty good chance that New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury catches up with his San Jose Sharks counterpart — and close friend — Mike Grier on Friday, when their teams hook up at SAP Center. It wouldn’t be surprising if Braden Schneider’s name comes up in that conversation.

With the NHL Trade Deadline not far off on March 6, and the Rangers decision to retool their roster made public last week, Grier wouldn’t be doing his job if he failed to inquire about the 24-year-old defenseman’s availability.

Perhaps he’s done so already — Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported Thursday that Schneider “was a player that they actually poked around on last season.”

“Schneider is somebody on their radar,” Pagnotta told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast. “Now, yeah, Schneider’s not having the best of seasons, but neither is the entire team, for the most part. So, can’t lay that exclusively on him, although it would be nice if he upped his performance, for sure. But this is a player San Jose had interest in, and poked around again, and we’ll see if it comes to something here whether before the Olympic break or before the trade deadline.”

A physical right-shot defenseman in his mid-20s with 337 games of NHL experience is quite the trade chip should Drury choose to cash it in. The Rangers have a slew of holes to fill on their roster and throughout the organization; trading Schneider could bring in a favorable haul, though would also create another hole in their defense corps.

NHL: Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers

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The Sharks want to upgrade their group of defensemen, and get younger on the blue line at the same time. Schneider certainly would help them achieve those goals.

“Mike Grier is listening now on all his pending unrestricted free agent defensemen and at the same time trying to find other ways and other outlets to bring in some guys that are in their mid or early 20s, primarily that are going to shore up this blue line moving forward for San Jose,” Pagnotta explained.

John Klingberg, Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, and Vincent Desharnais are veteran defensemen on San Jose’s roster who can each become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. So, yes, they’d love to pick up some assets in return for one or two of them, and add Schneider to aid their playoff push this season and be a long-term fixture on the back end moving forward.

“The Sharks are certainly in a playoff-type mode mentality, but they also know they have pieces on the back end that can bring back value, that they can package and flip to provide more stability on that back end that they can help grow with the rest of the core,” Pagnotta explained further.

The up-and-coming Sharks are loaded with young high-end talent at forward, led by 19-year-old wonderkid Macklin Celebrini. And we sure know the Rangers are bereft of those type players within their organization.

So, who says there’s not a deal to be made here?

Despite struggles, Braden Schneider still key trade chip for Rangers

NHL: Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers

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The Rangers are at an interesting crossroads with Schneider, not dissimilar to K’Andre Miller’s situation a year ago. They again have a young defenseman, a former first-round draft pick, who’s been a lineup regular for five seasons yet is backsliding in his development. Like Miller in 2025, Schneider’s due a sizeable raise since he’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights at season’s end.

Do you believe in the player enough to invest big dollars and sign him longer term with UFA status closing in? The Rangers pulled the chute on Miller, trading him to the Carolina Hurricanes this past offseason.

Schneider is not an exact apples to apples comparison to Miller because their roles and styles are different. But the Rangers do face a similar difficult decision with Schneider.

It doesn’t help that Schneider was sheltered for four seasons on the third defense pair. And when given increased responsibility this season — especially after he replaced the injured Adam Fox on the top pair for two extended stretches — Schneider struggled mightily. No Rangers skater has been on ice for more goals against 5v5 than Schneider (45), whose xGF percentage is an ugly 44.24 percent, per Natural Stat Trick.

“Not everybody is (Islanders rookie sensation) Matthew Schaefer. Not everybody’s going to dive into this and at 18 years old be as good as he’s been,” Pagnotta said in support of Schneider. “It takes a bit of time for some players. If you’re pace-carring this and then suddenly let the reins off, it doesn’t always work out favorably, at least in the first year. It takes a little bit of time to get fully acclimated to the new responsibilities. … I think that’s part of the growing pains Schneider is going through right now and why a lot of people are critical, fans especially, of his game this season.”

There’s plenty to like about Schneider, and there won’t be any shortage of suitors if the Rangers make him available, either before the deadline or during the offseason.

“San Jose’s not going to be the only team poking around on a guy like this. With the way the Rangers are going, obviously with the retool letter coming out, teams are going to try plucking guys away from this team, the vultures are going to be coming in. San Jose likes him. I’m sure other teams do, as well. We know Vancouver has in the past.”

So, yes, expect Schneider’s name to come up in Drury’s expected chat with Grier on Friday.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...trade-rumors-braden-schneider-sharks-interest
 
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