RSS Rangers Team Notes

[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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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.”

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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.

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.

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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​

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​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

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​

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

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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​

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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​

Peter Carr/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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 Rangers]

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​

Seth Harrison/The Journal News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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​

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

 

[New York Rangers]

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.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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​

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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

 

[New York Rangers]

Why there’s plenty reason to question if Rangers have right GM for retool

The New York Rangers did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They will not make them this season. Barring some kind of miraculous turnaround, it’s hard to imagine they’ll qualify for the postseason in 2026-27.

Unless Rangers owner James Dolan changes his mind, all three of those seasons will have one thing in common: Chris Drury as the general manager.

Dolan went on WFAN radio on Jan. 6 and was asked if he still believed in Drury, even after the Rangers failed to make the playoffs in 2024-25, one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy. His response: “Yes, absolutely. He and (coach) Mike Sullivan are installing a new culture into that club, and that does not happen overnight. … What I can tell you about Mr. Drury from the day I hired him is Chris Drury is a winner and a competitor. He’s won, himself, he can’t stand to lose.”

But since then, the Rangers have done almost nothing but lose — they’ve dropped seven of eight going into a road game Friday against the San Jose Sharks and are last in the Eastern Conference.

Drury sent a letter to Blueshirts fans last Friday basically throwing in the towel on this season and telling everyone that changes – likely major ones — are coming.

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

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

The question in the minds of the fans who chant “Fire Drury” as they watch loss after loss at Madison Square Garden is whether he’s the right person to make those changes.

Chris Drury’s tenure has many questioning if Rangers GM is right person to lead them​

Peter Carr/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Drury does have some accomplishments since taking over as president and GM, after Dolan fired John Davidson and Jeff Gorton in May 2021. The Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 and 2024, and won the Presidents’ Trophy as regular-season champion in 2023-24.

The two trips to the East Final came under different coaches. Drury fired Gerard Gallant after the Rangers were ousted in the first round of the playoffs in 2023. He hired Peter Laviolette, who had great success in his first season but got the axe after the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2024-25.

Drury finally got his man when the Rangers hired Sullivan, a two-time Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins, on May 2. But the Pens missed the playoffs in each of his last three seasons, and he’ll begin a fourth straight early summer in April.

What the Rangers accomplished in Drury’s first three seasons isn’t nothing; however, most of the personnel that accomplished those feats joined the team before Drury’s ascension to the GM role. But that’s also one of the problems — the Rangers under Drury drafted poorly and struggled to develop talent.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Noah Laba, a center taken in the fourth round (No. 111) of the 2022 NHL Draft, is the only player selected under Drury’s aegis who’s become an NHL regular – he made the team as a third-line center this season but that’s likely his ceiling. Brennan Othmann, his initial first-round pick (No. 16 overall in 2021) scored his first goal last week in his 34th NHL game.

Forward Gabe Perreault, taken with the 23rd pick in 2023, is the Rangers’ top under-23 player, according to The Athletic – and he’s No. 120 (middle of the lineup player) among the 137 players in its rankings (in contrast, the archrival New York Islanders have four of the top 50).

Perreault shows flashes of promise as he settles into a regular NHL role, but the 20-year-old has all of three goals and seven points in 23 NHL games and needs to add strength and speed to complement his skills and smarts.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Rangers also failed to develop their prospects. It’s a trend that goes back to Drury’s pre-GM days; after joining the Rangers in 2015, he was director of player personnel, assistant GM and general manager at AHL Hartford, and associate GM. Perhaps Drury didn’t have final say on draft disasters like Lias Andersson (No. 7 in 2017) and Vitaly Kravtsov (No. 9 in 2018) or disappointments such as Kaapo Kakko (No. 2 in 2019) and Alexis Lafreniere (No. 1 in 2020), but he was certainly involved in the process.

Andersson and Kravtsov are gone from the NHL. Drury traded Kakko to the Seattle Kraken in December 2024 for bottom-four defenseman Will Borgen (and signed him to a five-year, $20.5 million contract extension).

Lafreniere isn’t a bust, but he’s nowhere near being what NHL teams expect when they get the No. 1 pick in the draft. His 28-goal, 57-point season in 2023-24 represents career highs in both categories. At age 24, Lafreniere is a useful middle-six forward who has yet to show he can be anything more than that.

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

One area where Drury appears to have smartened up is moving on from veterans. He angered the locker room with his handling of Barclay Goodrow’s departure in the summer of 2024, as well as his letter to the other 31 NHL general managers early in the 2024-25 season indicating that captain Jacob Trouba and veteran forward Chris Kreider were available for trade despite each player having a 15-team no-trade clause in his contract.

Trouba did agree to be dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in December 2024 – but quickly went public with his displeasure over the way the trade was handled. Drury must have learned something from that, because Kreider complemented the team on how he was treated when the Rangers sent him to Anaheim last June.

GM Chris Drury must make decisions on trading key Rangers veterans​

Drury also got out ahead of things with Artemi Panarin last week. The GM reportedly told Panarin a contract extension is not forthcoming for the pending unrestricted free agent, and the Rangers will try to move him ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.

Panarin, who turns 35 on Oct. 30 and carries an average annual value of $11.642 million, has a full no-move clause, so he can determine if he wants to be traded and where he’s willing to go. He’s No. 1 on TSN’s latest “Trade Bait” list.

Threading this needle won’t be so easy since the Rangers and Panarin’s representation must work together on sending New York’s leading scorer six years running somewhere that he’ll sign off on. Can Drury be trusted with this delicate situation, one that is crucial to get right for the Rangers?

Center Mika Zibanejad and captain J.T. Miller are 32 and have lengthy contracts with no-move clauses. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Drury offers them a chance to move on, though Miller reportedly isn’t going anywhere. Two-way center Vincent Trocheck, also 32, has three more seasons remaining on a deal with an AAV of $5.625 million and could draw plenty of interest from Stanley Cup contenders.

These aren’t salary dumps. The Rangers need Drury to make sound hockey trades now. Is he capable of doing so?

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Drury and the Rangers also have to decide what to do about 24-year-old defenseman Braden Schneider, a situation not dissimilar to what they faced with K’Andre Miller a year ago. They again have a young D-man, a former first-round draft pick, who’s been a lineup regular for five seasons yet backsliding in his development. Like Miller, Schneider’s due a sizeable raise as a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights at season’s end.

He sent Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes on July 1; does the same fate await Schneider, who’s already drawing interest ahead of the trade deadline? And what would he bring back? That’s a young valuable asset, as is Lafreniere. The Rangers must maximize the return to the fullest if they move on from either Lafreniere or Schneider.

The GM isn’t going anywhere. Dolan loves him some Chris Drury – a lot more than most Rangers fans do these days. Whether he’ll still love him after a second straight playoff miss, a batch of trades, a free-agent market all but devoid of big names to lead the retool, and not a whole lot of talent in the pipeline is still to be determined.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/chris-drury-trust-retool-trade-rumors

 

[New York Rangers]

Slow start dooms Rangers in 3-1 loss to Sharks: Takeaways

The New York Rangers won’t be sorry to head back to the snow and cold of the Big Apple after completing an 0-fer of a California trip with a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Friday night.

As has been the case in several games recently, the Rangers didn’t start on time. They spotted the Sharks a two-goal lead in the first 3:08 and, as has been the case recently, spent the rest of the night unsuccessfully chasing the game.

“We weren’t quite ready to play,” captain J.T. Miller said. “They came out with more urgency than we did.”

Macklin Celebrini, the first player taken in the 2024 NHL Draft, scored two of San Jose’s three first-period goals, all of which came in the first 7:37. Nearly three months to the day earlier, Celebrini had a hat trick and two assists in the Sharks’ 6-5 overtime win at Madison Square Garden. The 19-year-old has 26 goals in 50 games, one more than he scored last season while winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. The 19-year-old became the second-youngest player in NHL history to score 50 career goals, trailing only Sidney Crosby.

WILL SMITH TO MACKLIN CELEBRINI

THIS DUO STRIKES AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/8PjFVWhq8R

— NHL (@NHL) January 24, 2026

Sam Carrick scored the lone Rangers’ goal and centered their best line for most of the night. But the Blueshirts hurt themselves by taking seven minor penalties; the Sharks cashed in their first two power plays and spent 12:25 playing a man up.

The loss in San Jose came after the Rangers fell 5-3 to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday and 4-3 to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, and it dropped them to 1-7-1 in their past nine games. At 21-25-6, they are last in the Eastern Conference – 12 points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild-card spot in the East. The Bruins come to the Garden on Monday night.

It was also the 16th time this season the Rangers have scored one goal or been shut out. It was their first regulation loss to the Sharks since San Jose won 4-1 at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 23, 2017, ending an 11-0-3 run. San Jose hadn’t beaten the Rangers in regulation at SAP Center since winning 4-1 on March 19, 2016.

Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Puck drop was 7:12 local time in San Jose. Unfortunately for the Rangers, they weren’t ready to play – and paid the price.

Mika Zibanejad took a needless tripping penalty 29 seconds into the game, and Celebrini got his first of the night 40 seconds later. He was at the back door when Tyler Toffoli’s pass across the crease hit his leg and caromed past Spencer Martin.

Matthew Robertson air-mailed a clearing pass over the glass at 1:23, and the Sharks made the Rangers pay again. New York couldn’t clear the zone, and Michael Misa’s pass found Pavol Regenda alone in the slot. Regenda’s superb backhander zipped past Martin at 3:08 and it was 2-0.

“We have to do a better job of staying out of the box,” center Vincent Trocheck said.

Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Coach Mike Sullivan then called his timeout, but it didn’t help. San Jose’s Collin Graf took the puck away from Will Borgen and got it to Will Smith, who found Celebrini alone in the slot for a one-timer that beat Martin at 7:37 to make it 3-0.

At that point, the shots on goal were 9-1 for the Sharks, and it looked like the Rangers were going to get run out of the building. But to their credit, the visitors finally found their game and began pushing back.

Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin each got past San Jose’s defense but couldn’t beat Alex Nedeljkovic. But the fourth line could – Carrick capped a hard-working shift that kept the Sharks pinned in their own zone by scoring on a spinning wrister at 12:50 to cut the deficit to 3-1 — the period ended that way, with the Sharks outshooting the Rangers 17-11.

Sam Carrick gets the Rangers on the board pic.twitter.com/P3mzxU8aA3

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 24, 2026

“Weren’t quite ready to play. You feel like you are, but they come out flying,” Miller said. “They draw two penalties. They capitalize. The building was rocking. I don’t know, we just kind of beat ourselves.”

There was a more positive vibe in the second period, when the Rangers outshot the Sharks 11-7 and had the better of the play. They had more zip in their step, kept the Sharks mostly to the outside while killing a pair of penalties and had the better chances at 5-on-5. What they didn’t get was a goal – neither team scored in the middle period.

The Sharks did an excellent job keeping the space in front of Nedeljkovic clear during the third period, and the Rangers didn’t help themselves by giving San Jose two more power plays. New York had plenty of zone time after pulling Martin with just under four minutes remaining but didn’t get a Grade A scoring chance before the final horn sounded.

Key takeaways after Rangers end California trip with 3-1 loss to Sharks​

Another slow start = another loss​

Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The Rangers played pretty well for the final 50 minutes. The problem was that by then, they were already in too big a hole.

San Jose came out flying, converting two early Rangers penalties into power-play goals. The Sharks were flying; the Rangers were not.

“There’s no hiding the fact that the start kills us, really,” Zibanejad said. “Even though we get that 3-1 goal and we’re trying to climb back. It’s, it’s just a constant try to come back and try to chase. We’re wasting a lot of energy on playing like that too.”

Sullivan blamed himself for the recent run of poor starts, which included allowing a goal 18 seconds into the loss in L.A.

“I have to do a better job preparing them,” he said. “I have to make sure they’re ready from the drop of the puck.”

The Rangers played a solid game for the final 2 1/2 periods. The problem was that by then, they were already in too big a hole.

Fourth line produces, top six don’t​

Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Carrick was the Rangers’ best forward, scoring their only goal and combining with linemates Taylor Raddysh and Anton Blidh to generate a number of good scoring opportunities in their limited ice time.

In contrast, the top-six forwards didn’t do much.

Zibanejad (10-game point streak) and Miller (four-game multi-point streak) didn’t do much. Nor did Panarin, their leading scorer, who was held pointless for the second straight game after a 10-game streak.

All three were on the ice for the Sharks’ only even-strength goal.

Sharks win battle of No. 1 picks​

The Rangers (2020) and Sharks (2024) had the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft four years apart. Suffice it to say the Sharks are a lot happier with Celebrini than the Rangers are with Alexis Lafreniere.

Celebrini is a star in the making, and he’s the biggest reason the Sharks are contending for a playoff berth after finishing last overall in 2024-25. He was the most dangerous player on the ice for either team and is tied for third in the NHL scoring race with 74 points (26 goals, 48 assists).

“He’s been one of the best in the league,” Zibanejad said. “He’s not only showed that against us, he’s shown that against I feel like every team they’ve played. You look at what he’s been able to do, it’s obviously impressive. Unbelievable player, and at such a young age to be able to have the impact, that’s impressive. Kudos to him. Obviously, him playing well again didn’t help us.”

Meanwhile, Lafreniere went without a point in all three California games and has just 10 goals and 28 points in 52 games. Sullivan obviously wasn’t pleased with what he saw from No. 13 against the Sharks, giving him only 14:20 of ice time. It’s the third time in the past four games he played less than 15 minutes.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...w-start-leads-to-3-1-loss-to-sharks-takeaways

 

[New York Rangers]

Ex-Rangers star returns, annoyed by injury speculation: ‘people just don’t know’

For the first time in three months, Filip Chytil played in an NHL game Friday night. The former New York Rangers center was happy to be back, but clearly annoyed with the all the speculation about his latest injury.

Chytil centered a top-six line with Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor on the wings, when the Vancouver Canucks lost 5-4 to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The 26-year-old didn’t land on the score sheet for the Canucks in his return from an upper-body injury, but did log 18:29 TOI, recorded two shots on goal, and, most importantly, emerged healthy.

“It wasn’t too bad” Chytil explained postgame. “Yeah, I have to look around more now. Of course the last moment from the last game that I played was a big hit, so the first couple shifts were getting my head back to the game and look around more. I think when the game went on, I felt better, even with the puck. But there’s still so much to work on because even if you practice for two months, that’s not a game. I need to feel better with each game.”

FILIP CHYTIL: ACTIVATED️

Happy to have you back, 72. pic.twitter.com/iMKHe7LNgG

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 24, 2026

Chytil had three goals in the first six games this season, before he was on the receiving end of a massive open-ice hit by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson on Oct. 19. Not only was Chytil knocked out of the game, he landed on long-term injury reserve and missed the next 44 games.

Neither Chytil nor the Canucks disclosed the exact nature of the injury. But it was feared to be another concussion, of which Chytil’s had more than one during his nine NHL seasons. But before the game Friday, Chytil pushed back on speculation about exactly how many concussions he sustained in his hockey career.

“I’d read all these things in the media or whatever about how many concussions I’d had, like eight, and it’s just not true,” Chytil said Friday morning. “People who don’t know what I’m doing, trying to say what’s going on.

“I’m not gonna say how many concussions I had in my life, but yeah, the number, what people say on internet, is crazy. It’s just I know what kind of injuries those are. And I know what I’m going through, and my closest people here as well knows, so I’m not bothered about anything. And I just want to come back and play.”

Former Rangers center Filip Chytil downplays injury speculation: ‘they think I’m about to die’​

Bob Frid-Imagn Images

There’s no arguing that Chytil’s missed quite a bit of playing time in his career due to injury. It’s widely reported that he’s had concussions, as well as other head and neck issues.

Recently, Chytil played only 10 games with the Rangers in the 2023-24 season after sustaining a head injury in November and then a setback in January. After the Rangers traded him to the Canucks on Jan. 31 a year ago, Chytil didn’t finish the season after he was hit from behind by Jason Dickinson in a March 15 game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

To date, Chytil missed 169 regular-season games with the Rangers and Canucks due to injury.

Filip Chytil and Drew O’Connor make a nice give-and-go play, leading to a great scoring chance.

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/lLCEZwpVky

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) January 24, 2026

“People just don’t know,” Chytil said about the specifics of his health issues. “It’s like they think I’m about to die.”

What’s not debatable is that it sure was great to see No. 72 back in game action Friday. Not just because the woeful Canucks, who are 17-29-5 and last in the NHL, sorely missed him. But because he’s finally healthy again.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...ip-chytil-upset-concussion-injury-speculation

 

[New York Rangers]

Rangers Daily: No 3rd period urgency for Blueshirts; Marner’s last laugh

How they started the game Friday night in San Jose certainly cost the New York Rangers yet again. But how the finished the 3-1 loss to the Sharks says quite a bit about the Blueshirts, as well.

Listen, there’s no getting past that allowing two goals in the first 3:08 and three in the opening 7:37 buried the Rangers, who were down 3-0 and being outshot 9-1 by time coach Mike Sullivan used his timeout to settle his beleaguered team down. Including Friday, that’s seven goals this month the Rangers surrendered in the first five minutes of a game. They’ve allowed 14 goals in the opening five minutes of a game this season, third most in the NHL.

As Mika Zibanejad said postgame, “You don’t win like that.”

Spot on. Just look at the Rangers overall record (21-25-6) for evidence of that truth.

But you know what? The Rangers stabilized their game, had the better of play through the second period, and were within 3-1 when the third period started. And they did zip with that opportunity.

Against a team that allows 3.46 goals against per game, third worst in the NHL, the Rangers barely tested Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic in the third period. They managed seven shots on goal in the final 20 minutes, but spent most of the period on their heels, expending energy defending and simply flipping the puck out of their zone.

The Sharks held an expected goal share of 64.64 percent in the third period, per Natural Stat Trick.

When the Rangers did gain zone entry, it was the same sequence over and over: dump the puck in, give minimal effort trying to retrieve it, and the Sharks instead quickly turned play back the other way. It was actually fairly mind numbing.

Credit the Sharks, for sure. But blame the Rangers too. The visitors recorded a pair of back-to-back shots on goal by Brennan Othmann and Will Borgen within the first two minutes. They didn’t record another for roughly seven minutes, on a Will Cuylle short-handed attempt. They sat at four shots on goal for a nine-minute stretch until adding three more in the final couple minutes after goalie Spencer Martin was pulled for a sixth attacker.

Sense of urgency in the third period? Not so much. And that stands out as much as yet another horrific start.

New York Rangers news and analysis​

Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

John Kreiser provides the key Rangers takeaways from the 3-1 loss in San Jose.

Kreiser also weighs in with a column questioning if Chris Drury is the right person to oversee this Rangers retool.

Speaking of that Rangers retool and its timeline, don’t expect the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline to be the be-all, end-all date for what needs to be done.

NHL news and rumors​

Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

New Jersey Hockey Now: As the Rangers fade away and out of the playoff race following an 0-3-0 California road swing, the Devils improved to 3-0-0 out in the Pacific Northwest with an exciting 5-4 win in Vancouver, climbing right back into things by winning for the fifth time in six games.

Sportsnet: Mitch Marner was right. Scotiabank Arena was pretty darn loud and filled with boos when the star forward returned to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs for the first time with the Vegas Golden Knights. But Marner had the last laugh following a 6-3 Vegas win Friday.

New York Post: Bo Horvat is expected back in the Islanders lineup Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres after a nine-game injury absence. However, defenseman Ryan Pulock is questionable with a lower-body injury.

Philly Hockey Now: The Rangers are linked to Shane Wright in recent trade rumors, but William James examines whether the Seattle Kraken center is a good fit for the Flyers.

Sportsnet: As for Wright, he’s doing his best to tune out any and all trade rumors.

Montreal Hockey Now: Always enjoy Marc Dumont’s Canadiens Mailbag, and this latest one again doesn’t disappoint

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/no-urgency-third-period-sharks

 

[New York Rangers]

Why Rangers must call up Dylan Garand for NHL audition

Though there’s not much to like about the current situation with the freefalling New York Rangers, it does create opportunities to find out what they have in certain players who might not otherwise get an opportunity this season. One of them should be Dylan Garand.

The Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft hasn’t been great with Hartford of the American Hockey League this season, but the 23-year-old goaltender is still held in high regard by some within the organization.

With the last-place Rangers (21-25-6) heading for a second straight season out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and star goalie Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve, there might never be a better time to find out whether Garand has what it takes to be a capable backup in the NHL. Especially since the Rangers raised the white flag and declared themselves in a retool phase last week.

Again, Garand hasn’t exactly earned a callup with his play. The fourth-year pro turned in a solid effort with 21 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Bridgeport Islanders in his most recent start Friday. In his four starts prior to that, however, he gave up 18 goals. Garand is 10-9-2 with a 2.98 goals-against average (30th among qualified AHL goalies) and .896 save percentage in 22 games this season. Pretty pedestrian numbers.

Yet Garand is also coming off a strong 2024-25 season, when he won 20 game for the first time and was an AHL All-Star. Garand finished 20-10-8 with a 2.73 GAA and .913 save percentage with the Wolf Pack last season. Before that, he played to his big-game reputation, posting a .922 save percentage in nine postseason games for Hartford in 2023-24 and a .935 mark in eight playoff contests in 2022-23.

Dylan Garand deserves NHL look during Igor Shesterkin injury absence​

Dylan Garand — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

The Rangers are 1-7-1 since Shesterkin went down with a lower-body injury in the first period a 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Jan. 5. They allowed at least three goals in each of those nine games, and 45 total.

Veteran Jonathan Quick and journeyman Spencer Martin simply haven’t been good at all in place of Shesterkin, whose injury coincided with Adam Fox’s lower-body injury which forced the top-pair defenseman to LTIR.

Quick’s Hall of Fame career appears to be coming to an end. He’s struggled mightily with the increased workload. The 40-year-old gave up 31 goals over his past seven starts, two of which he was pulled from, and allowed five or more goals three times.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Martin started three of the past four games, and his results in five games overall are not inspiring, evdienced by an .864 save percentage. It’s clear that the 30-year-old who played for five teams over parts of six NHL seasons is likely an AHL depth piece at best. With the Rangers facing a significant void in goal at the moment, and having lost 11 of their past 13, there’s little downside to giving Garand a handful of starts to see what he can do.

Of course, Garand’s AHL numbers aren’t the best, though it’s possible that playing for a substandard Wolf Pack outfit contributed to that. Hartford sits second-to-last in the Atlantic Division, doesn’t score a lot, has few legit NHL prospects on its roster, and owns a minus-25 goal differential.

The Rangers recalled Garand multiple times over the years, most recently in late November, although he’s yet to make his NHL debut. With Garand set to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent after the season, it would behoove the Rangers to know whether they want to re-sign a prospect who can eventually contribute for them in the NHL, perhaps as soon as next season since Quick very well could retire following this one.

The sinking, goaltending-challenged Rangers have an unexpected window open to do just that. Garand can hardly do worse than Quick or Martin have of late, and he just might impress the Rangers enough to get his career track pointing back toward Broadway.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/dylan-garand-deserves-nhl-audition

 

[New York Rangers]

Rangers Daily: Asking price for Panarin; Islanders coach benches top line

This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, but the New York Rangers reportedly are using the Brock Nelson trade from a year ago as the framework for what their asking price is for Artemi Panarin ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.

Nelson was a pending unrestricted free agent, when the Islanders traded the veteran center to the Colorado Avalanche along with forward prospect William Dufour in exchange for a first- and third-round draft pick and top forward prospect Calum Ritchie.

“It sounds like that’s where the Rangers starting point is, with Panarin right now” Elliotte Friedman reported during Saturday Headlines on Sportsnet.

The draft picks are important, of course. But landing Ritchie was key for the Islanders. And you can bet that the Rangers want to land a similar emerging NHL player when they trade Panarin.

Ritchie was Colorado’s top prospect, a 2023 first-round pick, who was on the cusp of becoming an NHL regular at the age of 20. Needing an infusion of talented young NHL-ready talent, the Rangers absolutely must bring back at least one of those players in any Panarin trade, if not more. Let’s just remember that stockpiling all of those first-round picks in the first retool didn’t exactly work out so great for the Rangers.

“Now part of this is will he be willing to sign an extension. Are their places — he has a no-move clause so he controls where he goes — but I think some of the teams are wondering if an extension could be a part of this,” Friedman added.

A contract extension as part of a trade requirement by Panarin an/or his potential new team benefits the Rangers. Though it could complicate some trade talks, in the end the Rangers receive more in return for Panarin if he’s not simply a rental.

So, that’s why the Nelson trade package is viewed as a starting point for the Rangers. Though he eventually signed a three-year contract with the Avalanche in June, there was no extension in place with Nelson when the trade was consummated.

Friedman mentioned the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Washington Capitals as possible destinations for Panarin. Though he added, “I concede that I’m always missing teams that are in on this.”

New York Rangers news and analysis​

Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Without providing any further information or clarity, former Rangers center Filip Chytil dismissed speculation about the number of concussions he’s had. Chytil returned from a three-month injury absence Friday for the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Here’s a closer look at why the Rangers’ lack of urgency in the third period of a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks was so concerning Friday.

Of course, as John Kreiser points out in his key Rangers takeaways after that loss, another brutal start is what really buried the Blueshirts at the Shark Tank.

NHL news and rumors​

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Post: Islanders coach Patrick Roy benched his top line of Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair, and Anders Lee for the entire third period of their 5-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, after Barzal and Duclair failed to give much of an effort trying to stop Tage Thompson’s breakaway goal in the second period.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: So, Evgeni Malkin said earlier in the week he plans to play another season in the NHL. But Dan Kingerski reports that there’s no contract offer from the Penguins on the table, nor is it known what GM Kyle Dubas’ plan is with the future Hall of Famer.

TSN: Coming off a 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs canceled practice Saturday, with coach Craig Berube pointing to a lack of energy by his team — a rest day better than grinding through another day on the ice in this condensed and crushing NHL schedule.

Daily Faceoff: As the trade rumors swirl, here’s a breakdown of where Elias Pettersson could best fit if the Vancouver Canucks decide to move their top center ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.

New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols reports that — not surprisingly — trade talks involving Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton slowed in the wake of teammate Luke Hughes sustaining a separated shoulder.

Florida Hockey Now: Gotta love the Brad Marchand effect on the Panthers. Marchand returned from a seven-game injury absence and scored two goals — including the overtime winner — and assisted on the tying tally, in a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

Sportsnet: What a night for Evan Bouchard. Playing in his 400th NHL game, Bouchard joined Bobby Orr as the only defensemen in NHL history to record six points and eight shots on goal in the same game. Bouchard notched his first career hat trick and added three assists to help the Edmonton Oilers skate to a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...i-panarin-asking-price-trade-rumors-extension

 

[New York Rangers]

Rangers vs. Bruins: Lineups, storylines with Soucy out for roster management

Too often during this disappointing season, the New York Rangers failed to start on time or play with a distinct sense of urgency. That shouldn’t be the case Monday night at Madison Square Garden, when the Rangers host the Boston Bruins.

If ever this season the Rangers should be fired up to face a specific opponent, it should be this game. Just 16 days ago, the Bruins embarrassed the Rangers 10-2 at TD Garden. In a season full of low points, this was their most lopsided and ugly defeat. So, you’d think that the Rangers will come with their best effort Monday.

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Though the revenge angle is real, the bottom line is that this game is far more important to the Bruins than the Rangers. Boston (30-20-2) hold the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, and is one point behind the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres for third place in the competitive Atlantic Division.

The Rangers (21-25-6) are last in the East, and the only team in the conference with a points percentage (.462) below .500. Their goal differential (minus-23) is also worst in the conference, and they’ve only won five games on home ice, tied for fewest in the entire League.

Interestingly, the Rangers and Bruins were equally disappointing over the first three months of the season. Each was a fringe threat in the playoff race; the Bruins had 44 points through the end of December, one more than the Rangers (43).

Since the start of the new year, these Original Six rivals took divergent paths, however. The Bruins are 9-2-0 in January, highlighted by a six-game winning streak which included that romp over the Rangers. They come off a pair of hard-fought 4-3 wins over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Conversely, the Rangers are 2-7-1 in January and lost eight of their past nine (1-7-1) entering play Monday. They were swept on a three-game California road trip last week, that ended with a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Things are so bad that general manager Chris Dury publicly announced his intention to retool the Rangers roster 10 days ago.

Despite that horrific loss up in Boston, the Rangers have much recent success against the Bruins. They’ve won six of their past eight meetings against the Bruins, including 6-2 at TD Garden on Black Friday in late November.

3 storylines when Rangers host Bruins​

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

1. Rangers must have ‘readiness from drop of the puck’​

The past two games — and far too often this season — the Rangers simply don’t match the urgency of the opposition at the start of the first period. From coach Mike Sullivan to captain J.T. Miller on through the rest of the lineup, no one can pinpoint why the Rangers allowed 14 goals in the opening five minutes of a game this season, including seven times in the month of January.

After the Rangers allowed a pair in the opening 3:08 against the Sharks (after giving up one 18 seconds into the game against the Los Angeles Kings earlier in the week), Miller stressed that they were ready to play, but lacked the urgency that their opponent showed.

Sullivan was more pointed in his assessment.

“I think we have to have a readiness from the drop of the puck,” he said Friday. “Lately, we haven’t had the best starts, so I’ve got to do a better job preparing them for it.”

The Rangers are 5-20-4 when allowing the first goal and 4-12-3 when trailing after the first period. Though it should be pointed out that they scored first, shortly after puck drop, in what ended up to be that 10-2 loss in Boston. So, the Rangers are fragile no matter what, it’s safe to say.

2. Pasta is cooking​

Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

David Pastrnak is once again among the NHL scoring leaders, currently tied for sixth with 64 points (21 goals, 43 assists) in 47 games. The Bruins’ star forward has nine of those points (two goals, seven assists) during his current six-game point streak.

Pastrnak loves piling up points against the Rangers. He had a career-high six points (all assists) in that most recent game against the Rangers, after missing the first meeting the day after Thanksgiving with an injury.

In 38 games against the Rangers, Pastrnak has 18 goals and 46 points. The 29-year-old is three points shy of 900 in the NHL and his 897 points are one away from tying former Rangers forward Rick Middleton for sixth-most in Bruins history.

3. Back to work after snow day​

The Rangers didn’t hold a morning skate Monday with everyone still digging themselves out after the serious snowfall all day Sunday. Since they last played Friday, the Rangers traveled home from San Jose ahead of the storm.

The Bruins headed to New York immediately after their home game Saturday against the Canadiens. So there’s zero issue about them traveling on the day of the game.

Prior to the contest Monday, there’ll be another Centennial Celebration, featuring a pregame ceremony honoring the Legendary Blueshirts from 1991-94. Unfortunately, the Rangers Alumni Classic game, scheduled for Sunday at MSG, was postponed due to the storm.

New York Rangers projected lineup​

UPDATE:

I'm hearing #NYR are on the verge of their first move of the retool. A trade that sends Carson Soucy to the #Isles is brewing.

No official announcement yet as they work out the particulars, but expect him to be held out of the lineup tonight for roster management.

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) January 26, 2026

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

Urho Vaakanainen — Scott Morrow

Jonathan Quick

Spencer Martin

UPDATE: #NYR has recalled defenseman Connor Mackey from the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Additionally, #NYR has assigned forward Anton Blidh to the Wolf Pack. pic.twitter.com/SyYut8lq5j

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) January 26, 2026

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

Who: New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins

When: Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to watch: MSG

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...-preview-storylines-payback-embarrassing-loss

 

[New York Rangers]

What’s next for Rangers after trading Carson Soucy to Islanders

Ten days after the New York Rangers officially threw in the towel on this season and publicly announced their intention to enter a retool phase, they traded Carson Soucy to the New York Islanders on Monday. In return the Rangers received a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

The trade was rumored much of the day, and the Rangers held Soucy out of their lineup against the Boston Bruins for roster management. The Rangers officially announced the trade after their exciting 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Thank you, Souce! pic.twitter.com/QSWSlKehMo

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 27, 2026

The 31-year-old defenseman, who carries a $3.25 million salary cap hit, can become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Considering the circumstances with the free-falling Rangers (22-25-6), who are last in the Eastern Conference, this was not an unexpected outcome with Soucy.

The Rangers acquired Soucy in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on March 6 last season for a third-round draft pick. They viewed Soucy as a veteran bottom-four defenseman who could help stabilize their blue line in 2024-25 and be a lineup regular this season.

It was also part of the equation that if the Rangers were sellers ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, Soucy would be an asset as a rental for another team. That’s exactly how this played out.

Soucy skated most of this season on the second pair with Will Borgen, averaging 17:13 TOI, fifth among Rangers defensemen and ninth among all skaters. He provided some surprising offense earlier in the season and had eight points (three goals, five assists) in 46 games at the time of the trade.

He was third on the Rangers with 66 blocked shots, and led the team by averaging 5.00 blocks/60. His 71 hits were seventh on the Rangers this season.

Soucy brings 411 games of NHL experience to the Islanders, who are his fifth team, after the Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken, Canucks, and Rangers. They needed a reliable veteran to play the left side of their blue line largely because Ryan Pulock and Alexander Romanov are injured.

It’s the first trade between the New York rivals since May 2010, when the Rangers acquired defenseman prospect Jyri Niemi from the Islanders in exchange for a sixth-round pick in that year’s NHL Draft. Niemi spent the next three seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, before he returned to his native Finland to continue his professional career. He never played a game for the Rangers.

What’s next for Rangers after Carson Soucy trade​

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Blue line shuffle​

In the short term, this trade opens up a spot on the left side of the Rangers defense corps, providing an opportunity for frequent scratch Urho Vaakanainen to draw into the lineup. Rookie Matthew Robertson moved up into the second-pair role alongside Borgen on Monday, played 22 minutes and scored the winning goal in overtime. Vaakanainen skated on the third pair with rookie Scott Morrow, and was plus-2 with an assist. Connor Mackey was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League to serve as the seventh defenseman.

MATTHEW ROBERTSON DID IT ALL HIMSELF FOR THE OT WINNER pic.twitter.com/IqOlcEEBX2

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 27, 2026

Assuming no other defenseman is acquired by the Rangers between now and then, the next move on the defense corps comes when Adam Fox is activated from LTIR. The earliest that can happen is Jan. 31, though the Rangers may hold Fox out until after the Olympic break.

Whenever Fox comes back, it makes a lot of sense for Braden Schneider to move off the top pair and to his off (left) side on the second pair, instead of resuming his usual third-pair role on the right side. In that scenario, Robertson drops back to the third pair, Vaakanainen again is the seventh defenseman — and, most important, Morrow remains in the lineup, where the Rangers can best bring him along and evaluate his readiness as an NHL regular.

Basically, the decision comes down to Morrow or Vaakanainen when Fox returns.

First shoe to drop​

The Soucy trade is simply the first of several roster moves on the near horizon for the Rangers following general manager Chris Drury’s letter to the fans on Jan. 16. Expect the retooling Rangers to be plenty busy in the coming weeks and months, and perhaps years, depending on how long it takes to rebuild the organization’s depth.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In a way, Soucy was low-hanging fruit for Drury — the easiest player to move, and least surprising, all things considered. We know the Rangers intend to move Artemi Panarin ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. That eventual trade won’t be a surprise when it happens, per se, but it’ll be a much bigger deal, of course — literally and figuratively.

What we don’t know yet is who else is coming and going. Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, Braden Schneider, and Brennan Othmann are among the names most often included in trade rumors — other than Panarin. But it feels like anyone outside of Igor Shesterkin, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Fox are fair game and could be moved for the right package.

Expect the Rangers to target talented younger players — those already in the League and others who are NHL-ready. The Rangers want to get better quickly, though building up their draft capital is also important to help replenish a largely barren prospects pipeline.

Keep in mind, there’s a League-wide roster freeze from Feb. 4-22 during the Olympic break, and then the trade deadline is March 6. The Rangers must move Panarin sometime in that time frame. But, perhaps, other sizeable trades happen during the offseason instead of now.

Let’s see how it all shakes out.

See ya’ Wednesday!​

Assuming the Islanders insert Soucy immediately into their lineup, the Rangers will face their former teammate on Wednesday, and then again on Thursday. The Rangers and Islanders play a home-and-home set those two nights, first at UBS Arena then at Madison Square Garden.

This is only the fourth trade ever made between these local rivals since the Islanders entered the NHL in 1972, and we’ll get an up-close look at the early returns in a matter of days.

A side note to this trade, it allows Soucy to stay in the New York area, which is especially important for him and his family after his wife gave birth last week to their third child. Remember a year ago, Soucy talked about the difficulties of moving the family from Vancouver to New York. And that was without a newborn. You know he and his wife must be relieved.

That’s a good outcome for a good guy.

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/new-york-rangers-news/carson-soucy-trade-analysis-islanders

 

[New York Rangers]

Why Rangers have ‘appetite to explore’ Alexis Lafreniere trade: NHL insider

Is there a more polarizing player on the New York Rangers roster than Alexis Lafreniere? Especially now that the Rangers embrace a roster retool, with each player under more internal scrutiny than ever.

There are those who see in Lafreniere a No. 1 overall pick who doesn’t produce nearly enough offense and simply is not a star player, and very likely never will be, and should be traded sooner rather than later.

There are others who see a play-driving force supported by solid underlying statistics, who should remain a top-six mainstay on Broadway for years to come.

Such is the conundrum for Rangers management, who’ve analyzed Lafreniere more than any of us and likely remain up in the air on what the plan is with him moving forward.

So what will the Rangers do with their 24-tear-old forward ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, or even into the upcoming offseason? Is he an absolute keeper, someone fully embedded in the core? Or will the Rangers cut bait and move on from the top pick in the 2020 NHL Draft?

“I think there’s an appetite to explore it [a trade],” The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “This isn’t [Artemi] Panarin, making him available, shopping him, but there is a willingness to have those conversations.”

Alexis Lafreniére RIPS a go-ahead goal pic.twitter.com/y2gyD6j2lN

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) December 8, 2025

Pagnotta also said, “His name has been out there and there have been exploratory conversations with other teams going back to last summer. There was a little bit of a connection there with Vancouver, when that whole Quinn Hughes discussion was happening League-wide (before the star defenseman was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12).”

Pagnotta’s take makes sense. It doesn’t appear that the Rangers are actively shopping Lafreniere, who has modest stats (222 points; 102 goals, 120 assists) in 433 career NHL games. But it sure makes sense to listen if teams are making offers for him.

It was just last week that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman contended the Rangers may prefer to “fix” Lafreniere than trade him.

“The Rangers can say … we’d rather try and fix him and try to make it work here than sell him for 50 cents on the dollar.,” Friedman stated on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Rangers must ponder if ‘change of scenery make sense’ for Alexis Lafreniere​

James Guillory-Imagn Images

Lafreniere’s in the first season of a seven-year, $52.15 million contract. That $7.45 million annual salary-cap hit appears hefty for a player sitting on 10 goals and 29 points in 53 games and had a significant drop off in production the past two seasons.

The flip side — remember, we said he’s a polarizing player — is that if Lafreniere reaches his full potential and is consistently the player who scored 28 goals and totaled 57 points in 2023-24, then that cap hit becomes a bargain, especially with the NHL salary cap increasing significantly in coming years.

“With Lafreniere, he’s got his contract, he’s not produced at the level they anticipated he would this season,” Pagnotta explained. “They thought the incline would be happening well in advance of now. Does a change of scenery make sense and what are you getting back?”

Even the argument that Lafreniere is only 24 years old and still approaching his prime is polarizing because he’s already in his sixth NHL season and most often skates on a line with Panarin, one of the best and most productive players in the NHL. Yet, the results, his numbers, are disappointing.

You can see the talent. And the career-best xGF of 54.44 percent is tops among Rangers forwards this season, per Natural Stat Trick. If you’re the Rangers it must be maddening that he doesn’t actually score more.

Will he thrive and produce with a different core around him? Or is this just who he is?

Chris Drury and Co. must feel like damned if you do, damned if you don’t when it comes to potentially trading Lafreniere.

“This isn’t a scenario where you’re moving Lafreniere and bringing back a package,” Pagnotta explained. “This has to be a scenario, a player of his caliber — or at least optically his caliber — that has to be matched with what’s coming back. So, if optically you’re moving out a star player, you’ve got to bring in a star player. And that’s what presents some challenges because obviously his value isn’t the highest, even though a lot of people around the League still believe he’s got a lot of potential left in him and it’s still very, very early in his career.

“So, there’s a runway here for this player. But at the same time, the value is not at its peak or anywhere near that, so it’s a tough path to navigate right now in terms of a deal that makes you better.”

Source: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com/n...re-alexis-lafreniere-trade-rumors-nhl-insider