News Rangers Team Notes

[New York Rangers]

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​

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​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

‘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.

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.”

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.”

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

 

[JJ]

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.

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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?​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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.

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

 

[Zedster]

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.

 

[New York Rangers]

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’​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

‘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.”

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.”

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.”

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