On Tuesday afternoon, the Rangers recalled prospect Cole Beaudoin from the Hartford Wolf Pack. He’s set to make his NHL debut when the Rangers host the Islanders in the Battle of New York tonight.

Acquired with Sean Durzi from the Mammoth for Vincent Trocheck on July 1, the 20-year-old center followed up a good training camp with a quick start to his professional career in the American Hockey League. In his first two AHL games, Beaudoin recorded a goal and four assists for a team-leading five points.

To make the roster move, the Rangers put center Joe Veleno on the injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. He’ll miss at least four games over a week. In order to make a spot available for Beaudoin, they placed defenseman Matthew Robertson on waivers yesterday. Robertson cleared today and will be assigned to Hartford.

For Beaudoin, it’s an early chance to show the Rangers what he’s capable of. A former Mammoth 2024 first round pick taken 24th overall, the six-foot-two, 212 pound left-handed center plays the game with tenacity. His willingness to go to the dirty areas was noticeable during preseason. A strong skater with skill, he has the potential to become a fixture on the third line.

For the time being, Beaudoin will replace Veleno and anchor the fourth line, which includes Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jaroslav Chmelar. When asked why they didn’t consider just sending Chmelar down due to him being waivers exempt, Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan emphasized why they decided against it.

“The question is: Do we just put guys in the lineup and send guys down just because they’re waivers exempt, or do we put the guys in the lineup that we think are going to give us the best chance to win? We chose to make a decision based on the latter. We think the guys that are in the lineup are deserving to be in the lineup through their performance and their play. Jaro is one of those guys.”

It’s a refreshing change from past seasons when coaches often favored playing veterans over younger players. That includes Sullivan, who had a personal attachment to nephew in law Conor Sheary last season. However, since Chmelar came up last year, it was obvious that the organization likes him. Since being a healthy scratch for the season opener, Chmelar has remained in the lineup over Matt Rempe, who’s clearly the 13th forward.

If Beaudoin makes a good first impression, it’s possible that Rempe’s days could be numbered. If there’s a justification for keeping him, it’s due to what he can bring for certain matchups. The Rangers don’t want to get pushed around. The season is only a week old and we’ve already seen Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini injured by pest Brady Tkachuk, who gave him an extra shot following a clean hit. Ironically, former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba responded by taking on Tkachuk.

There’s also the likelihood that Rempe could be next to go on waivers. The Rangers have already lucked out with Dylan Garand, who came back up to post his first NHL shutout. Robertson will play for the Wolf Pack until something happens. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if he’s traded at some point. Would any team even blink an eye if Rempe was available? He’d probably clear and go down.

The game has changed. More teams are icing 12 skaters who have enough skill to contribute. It remains to be seen when Rempe could return to the lineup. The Rangers like what they have. A true four line team more in Sullivan’s vision. He hasn’t shied away from bumping up the versatile Tye Kartye into the top six by demoting Bjorkstrand, who remains on the second power play unit. Kartye is effective on the forecheck by freeing up space for J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev. We’ll see how long that combination lasts.

Varlamov Gets Start for Islanders

After 675 days away due to plenty of rehabilitation for surgery on both knees, Semyon Varlamov makes his return for the Islanders tonight. It’ll be his first start since Nov. 29, 2024.

The 38-year-old veteran goalie has worked hard to make it back. Without him last season, the Islanders over relied on Ilya Sorokin in their attempt to make the playoffs. Despite finishing second for the Vezina, Sorokin ran out of gas down the stretch.

Varlamov was definitely missed. Instead, Islanders head coach Pete Deboer sparingly used David Rittich, whose play declined last season. If he can return to form, Varlamov is a significant upgrade as a backup. He’s dominated the Rangers throughout his career, bringing in a 14-8-2 record with a 2.59 goals-against-average, .915 save percentage, and five shutouts, which are the most against a single opponent.

Igor Shesterkin will oppose him for the Rangers. He is 9-10-1 against the Islanders with a 2.68 GAA, .909 save percentage, and one shutout. Twelve of the 52 goals he’s allowed to the Islanders have come on the power play.

Shesterkin is off to a hot start, bringing in a 2-1 record with a 1.67 GAA and .934 save percentage. He’s been in the headlines due to becoming the 18th goaltender in NHL history to score a goalie goal. Recently named the First Star of the week, he has a two-game point scoring streak with an assist on an Eeli Tolvanen empty net goal in a Rangers win over the Mammoth this past Sunday.