Devils season begins with a cloud of increasing expectations and injuries

Posted on October 7, 2025 by hasan4978

I admit I wasn’t following the Devils enough in the preseason to know much of anything other than the seemingly neverending Luke Hughes contract speculation, which finally ended a few days ago when the young defenseman signed a much-anticipated seven-year $63 million deal. It wasn’t the eight years which would have been slightly more optimal from a team perspective, nor was it the five years which would have been the nightmare scenario (lining Luke’s contract to end the same year as brother Jack’s). Proving once again we speculate on negotiations and know nothing, it came out afterwards apparently Luke and his agent wanted a six-year deal throughout the process. Be that as it may, at least a compromise was reached before the camp holdout cost the team any games of Luke’s services in the regular season.

It’s likely because I haven’t been following that I’m having trouble finding a starting point for my season preview blog. Might as well start it with…the start of the season, a not-so-easy three game road trip through Carolina, Tampa and Columbus before our first home game against what’s left of the two-time champion Panthers (following a devastating season-long injury to Aleksander Barkov, and the LTIR absence of Matthew Thachuk) next Thursday for the home opener. Hopefully we’ll get some points on the road and the crowd – including me – won’t be in an antagonistic mood.

In what’s a first for me since the SportsChannel days, I won’t be able to watch the opening game of the season on basic TV. The fact that the Devils’ season opener is on Hulu/ESPN plus streaming should annoy me – but given we’re just going back to the house of horrors where our last season ended, perhaps it’ll just save me from unnecessary angst the first game in this season. I could just listen to the radio telecast but I can’t legitimately remember the last time the Devils played well when I listened to the radio so that’s probably out too.

Anyhoo, let’s get into the actual makeup of the team itself – which really hasn’t changed since early free agency to be honest.

You’ve heard of the term soft quitting in recent years, it seems like the entire NHL soft quit doing business after the free agency frenzy once everyone got a boatload of fresh cap space this offseason with the promise of more still to come. Pretty much nothing at all changed on defense or in net, with Jake Allen having returned on basically a lifetime contract in July, with talks of an extension for starter Jacob Markstrom now being rumored. Guess we’ve seen the last of Nico Daws, waived and now in Utica for the time being as he and any of the other young goalies will only be injury fill-ins for the foreseeable future.

Admittedly. when we had an older than dirt Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg as our goaltending tandem I didn’t worry too much about the age factor then – but it was hard to given Marty’s generational durability and the win-now nature of that group anyway. I’m a little more concerned about pushing all our chips to the middle of the table on two 35+ year olds now, even if the young goalie depth is much better on paper than it was during the end of the Lou era. Plus, let’s be honest it’s not like Markstrom and Allen were totally lockdown last year anyway. They weren’t disasterrific – but definitely inconsistent at times – and you never know when the injury bug will bite as it did for Markstrom in January last year.

On defense, most of the camp consternation was about Luke’s contract, but with that done we return to the same picture we had in July, albeit one now clouded even more for young Seamus Casey, as a long-term injury pretty much rules him out of the next few weeks at least. It does appear that the starting six are pretty well set on paper with Simon Nemec getting his last, best chance to nail down a starting spot here with Jonathan Kovacevic still nowhere close to a return. Shockingly, after all the talk about a possible career-ending injury in last year’s playoffs (and one detailed by the player himself in camp) Brenden Dillon will once again be one of the six when the puck drops in Raleigh.

For the moment, all of Dillon, Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton are healthy to start last season after varying injury issues marred the end of last season in all three cases. While stability is a good thing for the most part, I’m still not sure this blueline has enough transition to keep pace with younger, faster teams. Perhaps Nemec will help with that, and maybe a healthy Hamilton can have one last vintage bounceback season, before cap and roster crunch issues could force a move next offseason. While defensively we were solid for the most part, including with half a defense in the playoffs, we just didn’t get enough offensively from the blueline last year and Hamilton’s struggles with Luke’s inconsistency and a lack of help around them was a big reason why.

Up front has been where the most change has happened this offseason, to the point where I even forgot about Connor Brown being a part of the mix now. I did already talk about him and the other FA adds in my previous blog about free agency so I won’t really add anything else on him or Evgenii Dadonov, and neither of them are the most intriguing new face on the block anyway. To me I’m most looking forward to seeing 24-year old Arseny Gritsyuk, who’s come off like the real-life Russian version of Dani Rojas in the Ted Lasso series, a ball of positivity and fun who also has some talent too.

It does appear as if Gritsyuk will start on the fourth line with Paul Cotter, as the two reportedly had chemistry in camp but we’ll see how long that last and whether Gritsyuk can earn his way higher up the food chain or at least be a big upgrade over the fourth liners we were running in and out last year.

Of course, we’ll ride or die mostly on the health and contributions of the big four up front – Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier, even if the latter is still a bit too inconsistent for my liking. But what can you really say about any of them now? We hope they stay healthy and are as productive as possible, great. In a sense the same can be said for Dawson Mercer, but he’s got a bit more to prove after two down years following a great sophomore season, and with GM Tom Fitzgerald reportedly calling him out for not being strong enough physically. A breakout from Mercer would certainly help the secondary scoring issue.

Speaking of Fitz, there isn’t much to say on the GM either…if he’s not on the hot seat this year he probably should be, at the very least this team needs to make the playoffs without any of the angst they had in the second half of last year. It was embarrassing having the Devils slog it out with the likes of Cinderella Columbus and fresh-faced Montreal for the last spot, little did I know that would be just an appetizer for what the Mets would pull later on, but I digress. The Devils have underperformed expectations for two straight years now since their breakout 2022-23 season and need to take a step forward this season, not just in making the playoffs but at least win a round and get back to the 2022-23 level. What they should, and will do might be two different things though. I’m not here to make predictions, too much is going to happen between now and April for that.

Admittedly it’s been hard for me to get into the Devils thus far, and I’m not sure how often I’ll be blogging going forward. Part of it is sports related, after the disaster that was the end of the Mets season followed by the entire Jets season piled onto the Devils’ own second half mini-collapse last year (as bad as our second half was, the Mets topped it so spectacularly I can’t even call what the Devils pulled from early January on a collapse anymore) has me a bit bleh on sports at the moment. I just don’t have the excitement that needs to be there to maintain any kind of regular correspondence, not even taking into account non-sports stuff I need to address – mainly my next full-time job/career.

I did want to do this blog both as a vehicle to get myself more into the upcoming Devils season and as one to inform any readers (including Derek) that I’m unfortunately just not sure how often I’ll be doing blogs this season. My loose plan is to maybe post a monthly recap of the team and goings on at the arena, plus whenever something major happens with the Devils in the regular season and possibly get into it more frequently as the playoffs approach but I don’t want to lock into that or anything else at the moment. My next blog could be two weeks from now, or two months, or never. While part of me does want to keep up some form of a Devils recap, I just don’t want to do this by rote, and at times especially the last couple of years it felt like I have.

Anyway, that’s enough of my indulgence…Happy Hockey Season everyone!

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Laba Makes Roster, Rangers Enter Season On Bubble

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Derek

On Monday afternoon, the New York Rangers announced their roster for the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season. A day before opening up at home against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers made one final move to set their roster at 23. As expected, they sent down Brett Berard to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League.

Despite having a good training camp, Berard became the odd man out due to the numbers. With Conor Sheary impressing head coach Mike Sullivan enough to make the roster, he signed to a one-year contract worth $775,000 for the league minimum. It’s a two-way deal. Sheary becomes the final player on the 23-man roster. He’s expected to line up on the third line against his former team on Tuesday night.

Most notably, rookie Noah Laba made the Rangers due to a strong showing in camp. The former 2022 fourth round pick had two goals and four assists for six points during preseason. The 22-year-old forward was practicing at center on the third line with Sheary and Taylor Raddysh earlier today. Laba also took some reps on the penalty kill. At the very least, Sullivan liked enough of what he saw from Laba to start him as his checking center. On an entry level contract, he can always be sent down.

Parssinen A Likely Healthy Scratch

Despite having a solid camp, it looks like Juuso Parssinen will likely be a healthy scratch for the season opener at MSG. The 24-year-old forward who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche last season as part of the Ryan Lindgren trade, was outplayed by Laba during preseason. Also a center with similar size to Laba, Parssinen is signed thru 2026-27 with a $1.25 million cap hit. He’s versatile enough to shift over and play the left side. However, he’s the odd man out along with veteran Jonny Brodzinski for now.

As expected, Sullivan decided to keep the fourth line together. The cohesive trio of Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick, and Matt Rempe have good chemistry. The energy they provide is why they’ll start the season intact. How long that lasts is to be determined. Given the metrics of both Carrick and Rempe, it’ll be interesting to see how they’re deployed. Both Parssinen and the versatile Brodzinski are better skaters. The coaching staff has better depth than last year. Hopefully, they make good use of it.

Miller and Panarin Are Both Ready

Both J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin are ready to go for the first game. The Blueshirts sat them out as a precaution, with Panarin missing the whole preseason. We’ll see if he can knock the rust off like he did last year. Almost a year to the day, he picked up two assists in a Rangers 6-0 win over the Penguins on Oct. 9. In fact, he began last season on an eight-game point streak tallying six goals and nine assists for 15 points – helping lead the Blueshirts to a 6-1-1 start.

In his second tour of duty on Broadway, this will be Miller’s first season as captain. A no-nonsense player who wears his emotions on his sleeves, most of the focus will be on Miller to help lead the team back to the postseason. It’ll fall on his shoulders to set the tone. He will be centering Will Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad tomorrow night. They had strong chemistry over the final two months of 2024-25. We’ll see what they have in store this season.

Defense Remains Unchanged

The Rangers decided against putting in a claim for any defenseman earlier today. Instead, they’ll go with the same seven defensemen they’re left with at the start.

Much will depend on the top pair of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov. Fox is looking for a better year after some inconsistency. Gavrikov was brought in to help Fox. A strong defender who uses his skating to help get out of trouble, the former Los Angeles King is being counted on at even strength the penalty kill. If given the opportunity, he’s capable of contributing offensively.

As for the bottom two pairs, that’s where it gets dicey. It would be a surprise if Braden Schneider didn’t start with Urho Vaakanainen on the third pair. They played together before. However, Sullivan has hinted that he wants to mix in Schneider into the top four at times. With the tandem of Carson Soucy and Will Borgen likely beginning as the second pair, hopefully we can expect Sullivan to stick to his word. It’s imperative for Schneider to become part of the blue line’s success.

Matthew Robertson will be the extra defenseman. Having only two NHL games underneath his belt, the 24-year-old former 2019 second round pick is the backup D if anything goes wrong. Hopefully, he’s up to the challenge.

Goalie Strength

If there’s one strong point, it remains in net. Igor Shesterkin his sixth full season. Still considered one of the game’s best goalies, the key for the former Vezina winner is finding more consistency.

He started out on fire last year, but succumbed to the malaise that doomed the Blueshirts. Despite 61 starts, Shesterkin saw his numbers dip, posting career worsts in goals-against-average (2.86) and save percentage (.905). He still recovered to have six shutouts, matching his career-high set in 2021-22 when he dominated the NHL as the league’s best netminder.

There were way too many defensive breakdowns in front of him. A lack of structure under former coach Peter Laviolette led to opponents taking advantage of wide open scoring chances off odd-man rushes and poor coverage. Along with the unnecessary off ice distractions, there was a dark cloud hanging over MSG. Even after being paid as the league’s highest goalie, when he signed a record contract extension for an $11.5 million cap hit that doesn’t expire until 2033, Shesterkin’s focus wasn’t there. He showed a lot of frustration after being pulled in several blowouts.

In what will be his age 30 season, he’s looking for a bounce back season. If the Rangers are to challenge for the playoffs, they need Igor to win at least 35 games and post a save percentage close to his career average (.917). Fortunately, he still has a dependable backup who can give him a breather.

Jonathan Quick will again reprise his role behind Shesterkin. The future Hall of Famer is signed for one more year at $1.55 million. He went over 400 wins last season. It took longer due to how poorly the team played, but he eventually got there. He brings a calm presence and the capability to steal the occasional game. However, his numbers suffered last season. Quick went from a 2.62 GAA to a 3.17, while his save percentage dropped from .911 to .893.

He is mostly used when the Rangers have back-to-backs or when they play three games in four nights. Quick can be counted on for 20 starts. He remains popular with fans. To think, he once outplayed Henrik Lundqvist to backstop the Kings past the Rangers for the Stanley Cup. To be fair, Quick had the better team. It has to be fun for Lundqvist to get the chance to watch and analyze Quick, who is the lone throwback goalie left with Marc-Andre Fleury calling it a career in a preseason cameo with the Pens.

It’s Sully Time

By bringing in his close friend Sullivan to coach the Rangers after he left the Pens, Rangers team president and general manager essentially traded former assistant coach Dan Muse for Sullivan. In an ironic twist, the Pens hired Muse to replace him. Now, they’ll be matched up against each other in 24 hours.

The experienced Sullivan prefers to play a strict defensive system that emphasizes a zone. The man-to-man that Laviolette employed broke down due to a lack of communication between the defense and forwards. In the latter stages of preseason, Sully experimented with his system. The Rangers blew a lot of leads last season, including in the third period. They frequently allowed the first goal early in periods and gave up backbreaking goals with under a minute left. It’ll be interesting to see if Sully can the bad habits.

Sullivan won two Cups with the Pens, going back-to-back. But that was coaching a prime Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, and many other good players. Since that point, they only advanced past the first round once and have missed the postseason the past three years. Can a new setting under the bright lights revive Sully?

Keeping Expectations Realistic

The Rangers have moved on from Chris Kreider, Lindgren, Jacob Trouba, and K’Andre Miller. They replaced Miller by signing Gavrikov, who is an upgrade over what they had playing with Fox. Borgen got a big extension after playing less than two months. His play deteriorated. Is he really a second pair defenseman? Miller wasn’t the easiest player to watch due to his turnovers and blown assignments. However, he was a good skater who drove play. Like I’ve echoed throughout, the defense remains sketchy after the top pair.

Offensively speaking, they’re going to again lean heavily on the top six. That means both Panarin and Miller must lead the way. Zibanejad must have a bounce back season while playing with Miller and Cuylle, who brings some of what Kreider brought. Alexis Lafreniere must get at least 25 goals and between 55 to 60 points. He can’t have as many brain cramps, either. Vincent Trocheck remains a gritty second line center who plays in every situation. His line has to produce like they did two years ago while paying more attention to detail.

What about the supporting cast? If Laba works out, he can probably score 10 goals and put up 25 to 30 points. But he’s a true first-year pro who hardly played in the AHL. Expectations have to be realistic. Who knows what to expect. How much will Sheary and Raddysh score? What about the fourth line? There are a lot of questions remaining.

Hopefully, Berard along with top prospect Gabe Perreault and forgotten first round pick Brennan Othmann can perform well for the Wolf Pack. Fringe players shouldn’t be safe. Especially if the scoring thins out. The kids should get a look eventually. Hopefully, that includes defenseman Scott Morrow. If anyone’s seen what the second power play unit looks like, it’s an abomination. Schneider can’t play the point. They actually might use Rempe on it as a net front presence. That’s insanity.

Sullivan has hinted at wanting to give Lafreniere some looks on the top unit. If it means splitting up Trocheck and Zibanejad, he should do it. Don’t be too predictable. That’s why the power play fell apart last season.

Season Prediction

I’ve debated this back and forth. The Rangers aren’t on par with the upper echelon of the Metropolitan Division. They should rank behind the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. All boast better offenses and are deeper. The Caps are probably the best defensive team followed by the Canes. The Devils are starting the year with guys out. But they should be formidable.

For the Rangers to be successful, they must win the games that they’re supposed to. Something they failed to do last year. There were too many no shows. They suffered bad losses to Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Nashville. The only team they handled was the New York Islanders.

The Eastern Conference remains strong up top. You can probably count at least six teams who will return to the playoffs. That should include the defending champion Florida Panthers, who are without Aleksander Barkov (out for season) and won’t have Matthew Tkachuk available until the calendar year turns. Here’s my six with three per division:

METROPOLITAN THREE

  1. Hurricanes
  2. Devils
  3. Capitals

ATLANTIC THREE

  1. Lightning
  2. Maple Leafs
  3. Panthers

If I include the Ottawa Senators, who have the foundation to return to the postseason, that only leaves one spot up for grabs. The Montreal Canadiens could be due to for a letdown. The Detroit Red Wings still can’t be trusted. The Buffalo Sabres boast even more offense and made an upgrade on the blue line, but will start the year with Alexandar Georgiev in net with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen out.The Columbus Blue Jackets are a team to watch. They have the building blocks up front. Is the defense and goaltending good enough?

Basically, what you’re left debating is a lot of bubble teams with question marks. Where does that leave the Rangers? They have the goalie and a legit top pair. They still have trusted stars. There’s actually some promising young players who could change the script. Maybe they can find their way in.

Record: 42-35-5

89 Points

4th in Metro

WC2

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Rangers Scoring Depth and Defense Worrisome Entering Season

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Derek

As the preseason wound down, with the New York Rangers dropping a 4-1 decision to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Despite dressing a full lineup minus injured forwards J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin, the Rangers had trouble mustering any offense against Bruins starting goalie Jeremy Swayman. Even when they had the better of the play by outshooting the Bruins by a combined 26-10 over the final two periods, they were unable to beat Swayman, who finished the game with 30 saves.

In an uneventful first period that saw Boston grab a 2-0 lead on goals from Nikita Zadorov and Pavel Zacha, the only thing that happened was Matt Rempe getting a takedown on Mark Kastelic. They’ve fought before in the regular season. So, it wasn’t a surprise. The fight wasn’t much with Rempe landing a couple of punches before he earned the decision.

Despite a more inspired second in which the Rangers held a 13-2 edge in shots along with most of the play spent in the Bruins zone, Swayman made the key saves to keep his team ahead by two.

Rempe got a dubious roughing minor for just driving to the net and getting hooked by Andrew Peeke into Swayman, who skated over to Rempe and had a few words for him. It was another reputation call on Rempe, who if he even looks in the direction of an opponent, could be sent off the ice. It’s rather absurd how he’s officiated.

The effort can never be questioned, which is why new head coach Mike Sullivan likes him. Something that’s been echoed by both current and former teammates. However, it would be wise if Sullivan uses Rempe periodically. He isn’t ever going to be good defensively due to his skating, which to his credit has improved. His strengths are using his size to win physical battles along the boards and driving the net to screen goalies. If he’s going to stick on a roster that has better depth players, Rempe should be used in certain matchups, such as Boston, Florida, Ottawa, and Washington. Other rivals have gone away from dressing enforcers.

For the Rangers, there are bigger issues that are a concern entering Tuesday’s season opener at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on ESPN. They skated without Panarin during the preseason. Obviously, he’s their leading scorer who drives play and creates plenty of offense for teammates. Without him, they struggled to sustain anything against the Devils in a recent home defeat. Panarin is the straw that stirs the drink on a scoring line with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. If he has to miss any time during the regular season, it would really hurt the offense. He also is a key on the power play, which will also need Miller as the net front presence on the top unit.

The most recent update was that Miller took regular practice with his line while Panarin skated on his own. In training camp, he dealt with two injuries. The first was an upper-body and the most recent was a lower-body issue. With the Rangers sending down Gabe Perreault to Hartford for the start of the AHL season, that likely means that Panarin should be ready for Tuesday night. Miller is expected back for the first game wearing the ‘C’ as the Rangers’ 29th captain in franchise history.

Decisions Still Need to Be Made

With the Rangers not placing anyone on waivers earlier today, they still have some decisions to be made. Currently, 15 forwards remain on the roster.

That includes Noah Laba, who scored on the power play for the team’s only goal in their preseason finale. A nice deflection of an Adam Fox point shot. Laba finished with two goals and four assists to lead the Blueshirts in scoring. If they decide to keep him, it would likely come at the expense of Brett Berard. He also had a good camp, but could start with the Wolf Pack due to the numbers game.

If they sign veteran Conor Sheary, who’s a Sullivan favorite from his days spent with the Penguins, then there would be no room to keep both Laba and Berard. Sheary had a strong showing, which included getting reps with both Laba and Juuso Parssinen on the third line. He also killed penalties. An experienced player who still has good wheels, Sheary brings grit and hustle. Similar to the younger Berard, who might need some work defensively. That’s exactly why Brennan Othmann was sent down sooner.

By signing Taylor Raddysh, the Rangers view him as a depth forward who can play on a support line. He put up 27 points on the Washington Capitals last season. He didn’t look that impressive in preseason, but Raddysh isn’t going anywhere. It’s either going to be Raddysh or Sheary who are likely penciled in on the third line to begin the season.

Sullivan had Laba remain at center and practice with Parssinen playing the left side in a recent practice. Both bring size and are responsible defensively. Each did okay on faceoffs. Sullivan prefers to use his third line for matchups. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Laba and Parssinen line up with Sheary. Assuming the latter is signed out of his PTO.

That would leave Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom, Raddysh, and Rempe for the fourth line. From everything we’ve gathered, Sullivan seems to prefer Carrick between Edstrom and Rempe. A line that played together in 2024-25. However, both Brodzinski and Raddysh are better skaters than Rempe. That would give him some options. It all depends on what he wants to do for select matchups, which should be based both on the opponent and on who deserves to play.

Defense Down to Seven

By assigning Scott Morrow to Hartford, it looks like the Rangers could be decided on Matthew Robertson as the extra defenseman. Having seen Robertson, he isn’t the fastest skater. He relies more on his size and positioning. A left defenseman, he hasn’t proven he should be in the top six, which remains unsettled.

Even though they’re down to seven defensemen, with Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov locked in as the top pair, both the second and third pairs remain sketchy. Is the plan to have Braden Schneider eventually move up to play on his weak side with Will Borgen in the top four? Schneider is obviously a better skater than Carson Soucy, who has paired up with Borgen before in Seattle. But would they really trust Soucy and Borgen together when neither has the best defensive metrics. Even though I’m not big on that stuff, neither Soucy nor Borgen are great skaters. You can’t have them together against a faster and more skilled opponent. That isn’t good optics.

Schneider has teamed with Urho Vaakanainen on the third pair before. They’re familiar with each other. It really hinges on Schneider, who needs a big season in a contract year. He really does have to become part of the solution in the top four. Otherwise, it could be another long, frustrating season on Broadway.

Waiver Options to Explore

If they so choose to, the Rangers could explore some waiver options for the blue line. Former Ranger Erik Gustafsson was placed on waivers at 2 EST. A good skater who can contribute offensively both at even strength and on the power play, which lacks another quarterback aside from Fox, the 33-year-old veteran had more success in the Big Apple than he did in Hockeytown. The downside is his defense, which is abysmal. He doesn’t look like a Sullivan player. There’s also the $2 million cap hit for the season. It’s doubtful they’d claim him.

Other candidates to look at are Calen Addison and Ville Heinola. Addison has more NHL experience, playing mostly in Minnesota and San Jose over two different seasons. Despite being capable offensively, he was inept defensively, which explains why he spent last year in the AHL.

Heinola is interesting. The former first round pick that the Rangers sent over with Neal Pionk to complete the Jacob Trouba deal, he’s never really been able to crack the Winnipeg Jets roster. Now 24, he’s totaled a goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 53 career games. A left defenseman who’s a good skater, the Finnish defenseman was part of three World Juniors for his country. Taking a flyer on him wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Rosters Submitted Tomorrow

On Monday, NHL teams will submit their final rosters. At that time, the Rangers will decide if they’re going to carry an extra forward. The current roster has 24 players. We know at least one has to go down. In the past, they’ve gone with 22 to start the season. However, with better depth, 23 is a good bet. We’ll see what they decide to do tomorrow.

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Othmann Among Roster Cuts for Rangers

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Derek

Earlier today, the New York Rangers cut their roster down to 27. Among the players who were assigned to Hartford was Brennan Othmann.

For Othmann, he was unable to establish himself during training camp. Aside from scoring a power-play goal, he didn’t do enough in the preseason to convince the Rangers to keep him around.

Instead, other players have passed him on the depth chart. They include Brett Berard, Noah Laba, and Gabe Perreault. All three forwards remain with the Rangers, vying for a spot on the roster. Considering the number of veterans who are still around, including Conor Sheary on a pro tryout, there’s probably room for one young player to stay.

Currently, there are 27 players left in camp. Eventually, the Rangers must get down to 23. They’ll likely carry 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies. Assuming Jonny Brodzinski sticks around as the 13th forward like last year, that would leave one spot open. Berard probably makes the most sense. He plays with a lot of spunk and can slide in on the third line.

With Sheary likely to be signed, and Taylor Raddysh probably slotted in on the third line, it doesn’t leave any room for Perreault. A 2023 first round pick who’s displayed the speed and skill that make him the Rangers’ best prospect, starting at Hartford makes better sense for him. Only 20, Perreault can play top line and power play minutes with the Wolf Pack. At this point, that’s best for his development.

If there’s a player who really deserves to make the roster, it’s Laba. A smart two-way center who has a goal and four assists in the preseason, Laba remains with the team. With Sam Carrick day-to-day, Laba found himself centering Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe in practice this afternoon. If an injury prevents Carrick from being ready for next Tuesday’s season opener, Laba could find himself in the lineup, making his NHL debut.

Rangers captain J.T. Miller is also day-to-day with a lower-body injury. It isn’t expected to be serious. Without Miller, Perreault practiced with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere.

As expected, Juuso Parssinen was in between Sheary and Raddysh. Berard and Brodzinski were the extras who rotated in.

Defense Down to Nine

As expected, Connor Mackey was placed on waivers at 2 PM. If he clears, he will be assigned to Hartford. Brandon Scanlin was also sent down as he continued to rehab a lower-body injury.

Casey Fitzgerald, Scott Morrow, and Matthew Robertson all remain in camp. The Rangers can only keep one. With the top six set on defense, it’ll likely come down to Morrow or Robertson. Morrow provides better skating and is capable offensively. Robertson is a no frills defensive defenseman with size.

For now, it looks like the Rangers will start the season with these pairings:

Vladislav Gavrikov-Adam Fox

Carson Soucy-Will Borgen

Urho Vaakanainen-Braden Schneider

If that’s how they line up, Morrow probably will go down. It’s better for him to play major minutes than waste away in the press box. I doubt they’ll keep Fitzgerald over Robertson. Fitzgerald is a 28-year-old journeyman with 63 NHL games. He last played for the Florida Panthers in 2022-23.

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Rangers Face a Tough Decision on Noah Laba

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Derek

On Monday night in Elmont, the New York Rangers played their fourth preseason game against the New York Islanders. They defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Noah Laba.

Laba continued his strong camp by taking a Gabe Perreault lead pass and beating David Rittich for the game-winner. On the play, he beat Islanders 2025 number one pick Matthew Schaefer and then out-waited Rittich tucking in a backhand for his first goal of the preseason.

In four appearances thus far, it’s the consistent two-way play of the former Colorado College product that’s stood out. The 22-year-old center has used his six-foot three, 214-pound frame well. On a night when head coach Mike Sullivan didn’t ice most of his starters, Laba found himself going up against Mat Barzal for some shifts at even strength. Playing with Brennan Othmann and Taylor Raddysh, Laba did a good job defensively against an Islanders roster that iced a full lineup at UBS Arena.

While Laba held his own with his line playing mostly in the defensive zone, Sullivan took a closer look at Juuso Parssinen. The 24-year-old forward anchored the first line between Will Cuylle and Perreault, who also continues to play well in his first real camp where he’s competing to make the roster.

In the first period, it was Parssinen who finished off a nice play with Cuylle by driving to the net to pot a rebound past Rittich for his first of the preseason. On the scoring play, Parssinen made a good entry pass for Cuylle, who purposely shot low for a rebound that Parssinen scored on. In direct competition with Laba for the third line center job, the former Nashville Predators 2019 seventh round pick had a good night, going 11-for-19 on faceoffs with a plus-2 rating.

Despite getting outshot 10-2, the Rangers held a one-goal lead after one period. Igor Shesterkin went the first 40 minutes against the Islanders A squad. He was sharp, making 18 saves on 19 shots. The only time he was beaten came on a nice play from Barzal in the corner. He was able to send a perfect backhand feed in front for Anthony Duclair to bury to tie the score over a minute into the second period.

However, the Rangers responded with a go-ahead tally from Cuylle two and a half minutes later. On a Connor Mackey pass down low, Cuylle skated around the net and surprised Rittich by beating him with a shot from a sharp angle. Perreault added a secondary helper on the play.

After serving a minor penalty, Matt Rempe came out of the box and got two scoring chances. A Scott Morrow clear came right to Rempe, who was in on Rittich. But a hustling Schaefer made a diving stick check to break up the attempt. However, Rempe stuck with it to get a good shot right on Rittich.

Playing with Dylan Roobroeck for a shift, Rempe was very active. His skating continues to improve along with his ability to make smart decisions with the puck. Rempe finished with three shots and a minus-1 in 13:43 of ice time.

For a second-year player, Roobroeck is a good skater for his size. There’s some offensive capability from another big forward listed at six-foot seven, 222-pounds. He scored 20 goals in Hartford last season. Roobroeck will certainly start there again.

In the third period, the Islanders drew even thanks to former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo. After taking a Kyle Palmieri pass, DeAngelo gained the Rangers blue line and waited for some traffic before firing a low shot by Dylan Garand with 8:27 left in regulation. Although there was a partial screen, it was another shot Garand could’ve had. He gave up two bad goals in his previous outing. At this point in his career, the 23-year-old looks like an AHL goalie. Garand is already entering his fourth year. He’ll remain the starter for the Wolf Pack.

The contest went to overtime. During the three-on-three, Bo Horvat had the best chance to end it early. He faked out Braden Schneider with a toe drag before Garand blocked away his backhand.

It was Schneider’s return from off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum. He definitely was rusty while paired up with Urho Vaakanainen. The Rangers need Schneider to improve defensively to have any kind of chance at making the playoffs. They can’t rely on Carson Soucy to play big minutes with Will Borgen.

Sullivan had Morrow work with Matthew Robertson on the second pair. Neither did anything to hurt themselves. Both are competing for the seventh defenseman job. Morrow is waiver exempt, while Robertson is on a two-way deal.

Following the crucial Garand save on Horvat, Schneider passed the puck up for Perreault in the neutral zone. He drew two Islanders before making a nice cross-ice pass to send Laba in for the overtime winner at 61 seconds.

For a 20-year-old first-year player, Perreault has demonstrated the highest skill and skating that got him selected number 23 in 2023. He plays with a lot of speed and has excellent vision. Even if he starts the season with Hartford, there’s reason to believe Perreault will force his way into a call-up. His talent is too hard to ignore.

With younger prospects like Laba, Perreault, and Berard all impressing, what does that mean for veteran Jonny Brodzinski?

The likable 32-year-old forward worked hard to become a regular, scoring a career-high 12 goal in 51 games last season. He put up 19 points for a second consecutive year. As well-respected as he is, Brodzinski is only signed thru 2025-26. He’s making $788,000. If he were placed on waivers, he’d have to clear to be reassigned. Maybe there’s another rebuilding team interested in acquiring Brodzinski. He’s a good guy to have both on the bench and in the locker room.

What about signing Raddysh? How does that look with Conor Sheary playing himself into a potential role? Sheary remains on a PTO.

The Rangers definitely face some tough decisions ahead. As they continue to make roster cuts, with Justin Dowling waived, the remainder of the week will be interesting. They open up on Oct. 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a week.

Has Laba played himself onto the roster? We’ll soon have the answer.

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Laba and Berard Make Case to Stay with Rangers

Posted on September 26, 2025 by Derek

Last night, the New York Rangers played their third game of the preseason. They lost to the New York Islanders 5-4 in regulation at Madison Square Garden.

Playing for the second straight time at home, the Rangers blew a 4-2 lead in the third period.

Unlike the overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, in which the defense broke down, it was more about the play of Dylan Garand. Taking over for Jonathan Quick after two periods, he allowed three goals on 10 shots, including a pair of soft goals to give the Islanders the come from behind win.

That included a goal to Caneron Berg that went off his shoulder and in to make it 4-3. The bad goal gave the Islanders momentum, which they carried throughout the third, outshooting the Rangers 10-5.

With the Blueshirts still protecting a one-goal lead, Gleb Veremyev got into position on Scott Morrow to redirect a Berg pass past Garand to tie the score with less than five minutes remaining. Veremyev was the Isles’ best forward scoring twice.

Kyle Palmieri gave the Islanders the lead 57 seconds later. After taking an Adam Pelech pass, Palmieri entered the Rangers zone pressured by Gabe Perreault. He skated into the dot and sent a backhand off Garand and in for the game-winner with 3:46 left in regulation.

On the play, Morrow was back defending. He kept Palmieri to the outside. Garand simply didn’t make the stop. The 2025 AHL All-Star will continue to be the number one goalie with the Hartford Wolf Pack this season.

For the Rangers, there were some positives in the defeat. Most notably, it was the play of the youngsters. The trio of Noah Laba, Brett Berard, and Brennan Othmann all played well.

During a brief stretch after falling behind the Islanders 2-0, the Rangers scored three straight goals to end the first period. After Vincent Trocheck deflected home an Adam Fox shot set up by Alexis Lafreniere, Othmann connected on the power play to tie the score. Taking a Morrow feed up top, he beat David Rittich with a good wrist shot for his first of the preseason. Conor Sheary helped set it up.

For a second consecutive game, Othmann was more involved offensively. He finished with a goal and three shots in just over 10 minutes while getting a look on the second line with Trocheck and Lafreniere. Othmann also made sure to be a pest around the net. He likes to play with an edge. If he eventually is successful in the NHL, it’ll be due to that tenacious style.

Following Othmann’s tying goal, Laba continued to impress by making a nifty pass in front for Berard, who buried his first of the preseason. They played on the third line with Sheary, who didn’t hurt his chances of making the roster by picking up two helpers. Playing on a pro tryout (PTA), the 33-year-old veteran has shown off the speed and hustle that once made him a key part of two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A depth player who can also play penalty kill, Sheary has played under head coach Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh. He has a real shot at making the team.

Numbers Game Hurts Kids’ Chances

If there’s an issue that could hurt the kids’ chances of making the Rangers, it’s the numbers game. According to PuckPedia, they currently have 13 forwards signed.

That includes former Devil Justin Dowling. He played in one game and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Dowling is signed for two years at just $775,000 on the cap. The second year indicates that it’s a two-way deal. The 34-year-old veteran was brought in for some reason when the Rangers already added Taylor Raddysh to a bottom six that includes Juuso Parssinen, Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom, Matt Rempe, and Jonny Brodzinski. It doesn’t add up.

If Sheary is signed, that would add yet another forward. This isn’t a knock on Sheary, who’s proven that he’s capable of contributing in a supporting role. However, what was the point of signing Raddysh then? It’s too bunched up for any of the younger players to have a realistic chance of playing on the big club to start the season. 

Sullivan’s Lines at Practice Favor Vets

Furthermore, Sullivan prefers vets over kids. If you go based on his lines at team practice earlier today, it doesn’t look like there’s any room for Laba or Berard. Both have outplayed incumbents so far.

Laba looks better than Parssinen, who’s locked in for two years at an AAV of $1.2 million. On his third roster, the 24-year-old must prove that he is capable of becoming a dependable third line center. In 11 games after coming over from the Colorado Avalanche last season, Parssinen had two goals and three assists for five points. He’s two years older than Laba, who has only played 11 games at the pro level with Hartford. A likely destination for him to start 2025-26.

As for Berard, all the 23-year-old forward does is use his speed and grit to outwork bigger opponents. He isn’t shy about finishing a check and will absorb big hits to make plays. There’s some skill and smarts that make Berard easy to root for. He sure leaves it all out there. If he cracked the roster, he’d also play on the penalty kill. An area he excels at.

If Sullivan is going to start the season with more experienced players, that means that even Othmann is likely ticketed for Hartford. A 2021 first round pick who’s played in 25 career games without scoring a goal, the 22-year-old needs a chance to prove himself. Obviously, he’s blocked by Artemi Panarin, who sounds like he will play out the remaining year of his contract without signing a team friendly short-term extension.

As expected, with Panarin returning to practice, the top six look set. Trocheck and Panarin are slotted in with Lafreniere, who must have a better season. Captain J.T. Miller is between Will Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad, who could be poised for a bounce back year playing on the right side.

With Sullivan loving what he’s seen out of Rempe so far, the checking line likely remains the same, with Carrick centering Rempe and Edstrom. That only leaves two or three extra spots, which means it’s likely Brodzinski, Raddysh, and Sheary ‘if’ he’s signed.

State of Defense Looks Unchanged

Morrow has shown off his offensive potential when he’s played on the blue line. However, his defensive play still could use some work. It’s a real possibility that he’ll be reassigned next week.

Matthew Robertson hasn’t done much to convince anyone that he should be the extra defenseman. He’s on a two-way deal.

With Sullivan taking a look at Carson Soucy with Adam Fox last night, it remains likely that the defense will remain unchanged. Vladislav Gavrikov will team with Fox. Will Borgen remains on the second pair. The question is with whom. It might be Soucy by default.

Braden Schneider is still being held out of games. He played with Urho Vaakanainen on the third pair.

If that’s how they line up to start the season on Oct. 8, nobody will convince me the defense is better than it was when K’Andre Miller was here. Gavrikov will help strengthen the top pair. After that, there remain lingering questions.

Patience A Virtue

With the usual number of fans showing frustration over the potential roster, we must remain patient.

Nothing is guaranteed. If Parssinen struggles in October and Laba starts well in Hartford (assuming he is sent down), he’ll probably be the first player recalled. The same goes for Berard, who’s done everything possible to make the decision hard on the coaching staff.

What about Perreault? He certainly didn’t look out of place playing with Miller and Zibanejad yesterday. The explosiveness is there along with the skill. But he’s only 20. There’s plenty of time for him to get top minutes in the AHL. He can always get called up.

I’ve already covered Othmann. It’s become tiresome. Hopefully, this is the year he gets his chance and runs with it. I’m unsure of when that will be.

At the very least, the Rangers have no exhibition games this weekend. They will next play the Islanders on the road this Monday. We’ll see if they make anymore roster cuts.

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Rangers Takeaways from Preseason Loss to Bruins in Garden return

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Derek

On Tuesday night, the New York Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time to take on the Boston Bruins in the preseason. After leading 4-1, they blew a three-goal lead to fall to the Bruins 5-4 in overtime at 33rd and Seventh Avenue.

Prior to the game, the Rangers paid tribute to Eddie Giacomin on the video board. The Hockey Hall of Famer passed away on Sept. 14. Number 1 certainly deserved the recognition with former Rangers captain Dave Maloney narrating the voice over before his first official telecast with Kenny Albert on MSG Networks. The former radio signal callers are now the new TV announcers calling games, replacing Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti.

As part of their tribute to Giacomin, the Rangers will wear a No. 1 decal with Eddie on the back of their helmets during the Centennial season. It’s a nice touch to honor what the Rangers legend represented to the older generation.

Similar to the first exhibition game against the New Jersey Devils, none of the Rangers’ big stars played amongst the forwards. Outside of Will Cuylle, who’s projected to start with new captain J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad on the top line, it was another night to catch a glimpse of the future. Here’s how they lined up for tonight’s game:

Igor Shesterkin played the first half. He was sharp making 10 saves on 11 shots. The only one that beat him was a perfect Casey Mittelstadt setup for Matej Blumel in front to give the Bruins a short-lived 1-0 lead in the first period.

Trey Fix-Wolansky (try saying that name fast 3 times) answered back 44 seconds later to tie the score. Noah Laba won a board battle to keep the play alive for Brett Berard, who made a nice pass that sent Fix-Wolansky in for a sweet finish. Both Laba and Berard played well. Laba had a pair of assists, giving him three points in two games thus far. He certainly hasn’t hurt himself. Berard is always noticeable due to his willingness to get dirty. He makes up for his lack of size with speed and hustle to make things happen.

If there was a positive from the first, it was getting to see the debut of Vladislav Gavrikov with Adam Fox on the number one pair. The Rangers paid Gavrikov handsomely this summer for a big reason. He sure looked the part playing alongside Fox to give the Blueshirts a huge upgrade on the left side. The duo spent the majority of the opening period keeping pucks in the Bruins zone. They really controlled the possession when put alongside Cuylle, Juuso Parssinen, and impressive rookie Gabe Perreault. Gavrikov scored a shorthanded goal during a strong second period. Wearing No. 44, he finished with a goal and plus-3 rating in 23:51 of ice time.

In a dominant second, the Rangers outscored the Bruins 3-0 and outshot their Original Six rivals 18-7. Boston didn’t dress any notable regulars aside from Mittelstadt and third-year pro Matthew Poitras. Nikita Zadorov was the one starter on the blue line. Backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo got the entire game.

In another eye opener, Perreault scored his second goal in two games. He took a Cuylle feed, skated in and beat Korpisalo with a good wrist shot to put the Rangers in front. Perreault was flying most of the night. His speed and skating are elite. The skill is obviously there. It’ll be interesting to see if he can play his way onto the roster. That’ll largely depend on how he fares playing against NHL regulars in another game. He’s only 20. So, the Rangers have options. They also boast depth thanks to the interchangeable Jonny Brodzinski, Taylor Raddysh, and veteran Conor Sheary, who can always clear waivers at this late stage of his career.

Fourth line center Sam Carrick scored unassisted to increase the lead to 3-1 halfway through the contest. He took advantage of a Bruins turnover. Picking up a loose puck, he faked out Korpisalo and went to a forehand deke, burying it for a nice goal.

With Parssinen in the box for roughing, Laba made a very smart play to set up Gavrikov for a shorthanded goal. Showing a lot of patience coming down on a three-on-two, Laba waited for the perfect moment to find a cutting Gavrikov to make it 4-1. In two games, Laba has three assists. Even better, the 22-year-old has shown the ability to play both sides of the puck and win faceoffs (5-for-10 tonight). While he probably will start with Hartford, Laba could be an early recall if Parssinen gets off slowly. Parssinen remains the favorite to begin the season as the number three center. He’s winning draws (9-and-7), but hasn’t put up any points yet.

With Talyn Boyko taking over in net for Shesterkin, the Rangers had a Groundhog Day moment in the third period. Coincidentally, it started with a lousy Fox turnover that resulted in Michael Eyssimont scoring shorthanded to cut it to 4-2. Fox didn’t have a good period, turning over pucks and struggling defensively.

Over four minutes later, Jackson Dorrington lost the puck in the corner to Jordan Harris. He moved it across for Eyssimont, who rifled home his second of the period to cut it to one.

The most disappointing aspect of the third was how the Rangers backed up. They had a healthy edge in shots at one point. But the pesky Bruins kept coming in waves. Preseason or not, it was a reminder of last season. The only difference is most of these guys won’t be playing on Opening Night. They still should’ve done a better job.

With Korpisalo on the bench for a six-on-five late, Eyssimont set up the all too predictable tying goal, with his pass getting past Scott Morrow right to Marat Khusnutdinov for an easy put away with 1:05 left.

That was followed up by Carrick having to take a cross-checking minor on Eyssimont after he blew past Fox with 15 seconds remaining. Fox is supposedly healthy and motivated to play better following last year. He can’t get beat like that during the season. Gavrikov will help. Hopefully, Fox gets the rust out of the way.

After an uninspired Bruins four-on-three power play in overtime, Khusnutdinov sent Zadorov in on a breakaway. At the last split second, he was forced wide by Matthew Robertson. But Zadorov had enough time to recover and beat Boyko top shelf for the overtime winner.

Perreault and Laba Bright Spots

In the defeat, both Perreault and Laba stood out as bright spots. Each made things happen. Perreault with his beautiful goal on a quick wrist shot from Cuylle. He had four shots on goal in 17:43.

Laba with his heady all-around game, which is eerily reminiscent of Mike York. He isn’t the fastest skater. But he’s very smart. You can see why he spent three years at Colorado College. He knows where to go on the ice and makes things happen. Even though Parssinen is effective on the forecheck, so is Laba. He really has impressed so far. We’ll see what happens.

As for Brennan Othmann, it was another relatively quiet game. While he was more active blocking a shot and getting in on the forecheck with three shots, he hasn’t distinguished himself. I can’t imagine playing with Devils reject Justin Dowling helped. That’s like being a castaway.

What is Dowling even doing here? He adds nothing. They have plenty of proven veterans who can be plugged in. Plus Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe are likely starting with Carrick on the checking line. There’s Brodzinski, who scored double digit goals last season. He’s as versatile a forward as they have. Raddysh can play in the bottom six. Dowling seems like overkill. Devils fans rejoiced when he signed with the Rangers.

In his second outing, Morrow was more quiet in over 21 minutes. Robertson finished minus-3 for the night. Why did they even bring him back? Dorrington looks like he has potential. A very smooth skater, who keeps pucks in at the blue line, his offensive game looks up to par. Like most young defensemen, he needs work in his end.

A Future Third Line?

At the moment, it looks like they’ll start with Parssinen in the middle centering Berard and either Perreault or one of Raddysh or Brodzinski. While that doesn’t excite anyone, it’s understandable why they could go that route. As long as they read the room early enough to make changes when they’re needed. Similar to the New York Giants actually realizing how washed up Russell Wilson is. It’s Jaxson Dart time.

My ideal third line would eventually be Laba between Berard and Perreault. All three forwards are young, and combine speed, skill, and grit. That’s the kind of line many Blueshirt fans can get behind.

How soon can it happen? Only Mike Sullivan knows the answer.

Isle Be Seeing You

Next up are the New York Islanders on Thursday night at MSG. Hopefully, top pick Matthew Schaefer plays. Until then, see you later.

Derek

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Rangers Have Plenty of Excitement for Centennial Season

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Derek

For most of the off-season, the New York Rangers remained silent on if they had anything planned for the Centennial Season. However, they finally broke that silence last week by announcing special theme nights for select home games at Madison Square Garden.

MSG CEO James Dolan revealed a celebration for the Rangers Centennial season in a press release on the team site last week. They will in fact honor the past century including the franchise’s birth in 1926. Fittingly, legendary MSG TV voice Sam Rosen will host each theme night during the season. The recently retired Rosen is the perfect choice to emcee each big event honoring Rangers past. Let’s take a closer glimpse into each special night.

The first planned theme night is scheduled on Oct. 20 when the Rangers host the Minnesota Wild. The Birth of the Franchise will recognize the team’s early success that included winning three Stanley Cups, which featured Rangers legends Frank Boucher, Lorne Chabot, Neil Colville, Bill Cook, Bun Cook, Art Coulter, Cecil Dillon, Bryan Hextall, Ching Johnson, Dave Kerr, Lester Patrick, and Lynn Patrick.

On Nov. 8, when the Rangers host the New York Islanders, key milestones and signature moments will be recognized. That will include memorable playoff overtime goals and record-setting games. Figure Stephane Matteau and Pete Stemkowski to be in the building for that special occasion. I wonder if they’ll also recognize current New York Ranger Mika Zibanejad for his franchise-tying five-goal game he recorded in an overtime win over the Washington Capitals on Mar. 5, 2020. Perhaps Jaromir Jagr will return if he can. He remains the franchise leader in goals (54) and points (123) for a single season (2005-06). Henrik Lundqvist is a certainty. The big question is will they acknowledge former Ranger Chris Kreider, who broke Jagr’s single season franchise record for power-play goals (26) in 2021-22.

On Nov. 16 when the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings, they’ll honor the Original Six Era that spanned from 1942 through 1967. At the top of the list of great players who’ll be commemorated is Hockey Hall of Famer Andy Bathgate. He was my father’s favorite player growing up. The original number 9 won the Hart Trophy in 1958-59 by putting up a career best 40 goals with 48 assists for 88 points- beating out legends Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau. He won league MVP despite the Rangers failing to qualify for the postseason. That team also featured Harry Howell, Bill Gadsby, Camille Henry, and Dean Prentice.

On Dec. 13, when the Montreal Canadiens visit MSG, the Rangers will revisit the move to the New Garden in 1967. Prior to relocating to Seventh Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Street over by Penn Station, the franchise originally played at the Old Garden on the West Side of Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Street. It was open from 1925 until 1968. Of course, league expansion soon followed along with television, changing the way the NHL was viewed. The Rangers will look back at a 24-year period between 1967 to 1991. So much changed over that period. TV went from black and white to color. Games that used to be on WWOR soon moved to cable on MSG Network. It’ll be interesting to see how they cover it.

On Jan. 8, 2026 when the Buffalo Sabres are in town, the Rangers will feature the fan favorites. Recently passed away Hall of Famer Ed Giacomin surely will be part of that special night along with franchise all-time leading scorer Rod Gilbert. Might they recognize great defenseman Brad Park, who still doesn’t have his jersey retired? We know Adam Graves, Mike Richter, Mark Messier, and Brian Leetch should be a big part of that night.  Hopefully, John Davidson will be there. What about Ron Duguay? He didn’t leave MSG on the best of terms. But he certainly was a fan favorite before he was traded to the Red Wings. Lundqvist and Ryan Callahan should both be included. Dan Girardi also deserves to be mentioned.

On Jan. 26, 2026, when the Boston Bruins visit MSG, the Rangers will honor Legendary Blueshirts. I think we pretty much know what that will be about. I’ve already mentioned most of the players. It will also include team achievements, which means winning the Presidents’ Trophy probably should get mentioned. Even without winning the Cup in 1991-92, 2014-15, or 2023-24.

On Feb. 5, 2026, when the Carolina Hurricanes visit The Garden, the Rangers will honor the best goaltenders in franchise history. Of all the positions, goalie has always stood out for the Original Six franchise. Since its very inception, with Chabot backstopping them to their first championship in only their second year (1927-28) of existence, the Rangers have had great netminders. They include Kerr, Chuck Rayner, Gump Worsley, Giacomin, John Vanbiesbrouck, Richter, Lundqvist, and currently Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers have a proud history in net. It should also be noted that Andy Aitkenhead was excellent in his brief NHL career with the Blueshirts, helping them win a second Cup in 1932-33.

Finally, on Mar. 5, 2026, the Rangers will honor the most recent history between 2004 to the present with the Modern Era. Funny how they skipped the Dark Ages. I guess we won’t be seeing any cameos from Petr Nedved, Radek Dvorak, Jan Hlavac, or Theo Fleury. Ditto for Eric Lindros. Though when you consider what went so wrong during that lousy era (error), we learned that it wasn’t Fleury’s fault for what he experienced. As for Lindros, chalk it up to bad luck. Back then, not a lot was known about concussions. Had there been, maybe it could’ve been better. They sure went through a lot of money and stars without sniffing the postseason.

All in all, it’s exciting for fans that the Rangers are going to recognize their franchise history over a century. They probably aren’t doing so well at the box office due to the absurd cost of tickets. However, plenty of passionate Rangers fans remain.

At this point, all we’re hoping for is a better season minus any unnecessary distractions. If J.T. Miller’s “No BS” camp slogan is to be taken seriously, that means having a team that sticks together and wins more consistently. They don’t want a repeat of last season. Miller was named captain for a reason. It’s up to him and the remaining leadership group that includes Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Zibanejad to turn the page. That means a return to the playoffs. No bullshit.

Rangers Present Centennial Jersey

On Thursday, Sept. 18, the Rangers officially presented their new Centennial jersey. With former captain Messier wearing the lighter colored blue Rangers jersey that honors the past, they presented their Centennial jersey. It will be worn on select dates this season.

While it doesn’t look anything like the more traditional dark blue colored Rangers jerseys that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, it’s recognizing the past. It’s got more of a classic look to it. As much as I loved the Blueshirts they wore in the early 1990s, there’s an appreciation for how the original players used to look playing for the franchise.

Of the four teams commemorating their centennial season, I like the Red Wings jerseys the best. Here’s how it looks for comparison.

It’s pretty cool. Will it change the Red Wings’ luck? They still haven’t made the playoffs since 2015-16. That’s a playoff drought of nine years. Even more absurd, the Wings have never advanced past the first round since joining the Eastern Conference in 2013-14. We’ll dive more into that and other unique storylines in our season preview.

Rangers Take Preseason Opener over Devils

If you cared, there was preseason hockey on yesterday. For whatever reason, the Rangers and Devils played at The Prudential Center on an NFL Sunday afternoon. Not that it matters if you root for either the Jets or Giants. They each remain abominable. Is this what Bill Murray’s character Phil experienced in Groundhog Day? My god. Why even bother with the NFL? Unless you’re a Bills fan, like my close friends Brian and Rob are, there’s no point.

At the very least, the hockey gave our fans something to look forward to. Not that I caught much of it. The Rangers defeated the Devils 5-3 in the preseason opener in Newark. Goals were scored by Gabe Perreault, Dylan Rooebroeck, Conor Sheary (PTO), Scott Morrow, and Jonny Brodzinski.

Both Perreault and Morrow had positive showings. Perreault is hoping to impress new head coach Mike Sullivan enough to have a realistic shot at cracking the roster. Unless he blows Sully away, I don’t see it happening. But he definitely was more impressive than Brennan Othmann, who took a foolish elbowing major penalty in a less than stellar appearance.

What is it with first round picks for the Rangers? Is he approaching bust status already, with no goals in 25 career games? Othmann needs to have a stronger showing. He still hasn’t dominated the American Hockey League. Brett Berard was more impressive after he came up last season. Hopefully, he’ll carve a role for himself in the bottom six due to his energy, hustle, and speed.

Morrow is the one intriguing player who’s competing for a spot on the blue line. A former Hurricanes second round pick, he has the skating and skill to contribute offensively. The Canes were happy to part with him to sign and trade for K’Andre Miller this summer. Considering how uncertain the Rangers look on the back end, aside from Vladislav Gavrikov partnering up with Fox, they could use another skilled defenseman to round out the defense. Hopefully, Morrow can provide that for the Blueshirts this season.

Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about Roobroeck. But he scored 20 goals and had 34 points in his first pro season for the Wolf Pack last season. A 2023 sixth round pick, he’s another big forward similar to Matt Rempe. The difference is that he’s more capable of scoring. Rempe helped set up Roobroeck’s goal, which came on a rebound. Sullivan was pleased with how Rempe played. Roobroeck’s listed at six-foot seven, 222 pounds. Only 21, he’s entering his second pro year.

Former Devil Justin Dowling went 8-and-7 on faceoffs yesterday in 18-plus minutes. He appeared in a career-high 52 games last season for the Devils posting two goals and five assists for seven points. My question is what is he. The Rangers already have better depth forwards in Brodzinski and Sam Carrick. What will his role be?

Noah Laba picked up a helper in 15-plus minutes. He’s the other player who’s competing with Juuso Parssinen for the third line center. Parssinen is expected to get a long look from Sullivan there. Laba isn’t as experienced. He debuted with the Wolf Pack late last year by tallying three goals and two helpers in 11 games. A 2022 fourth round pick who spent three years at Colorado College, the 22-year-old will likely start the season in Hartford. He is a player to watch during camp.

For the Devils, former 2019 fifth round pick Arseny Gritsyuk scored a power-play goal and had an assist in his debut for the Red and Black. The 24-year-old forward spent a lot of time over in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) before coming over. He’s supposed to be a scoring forward who can finish. It’ll be interesting to see where he slots in with the Devils. I’d at least start him on the third line and second power play unit.

The Rangers return to preseason action tomorrow night when they take on the Bruins at 7 PM. The Devils will host the Islanders. They’re expected to field more of a starting roster with some tweaks.

Maybe when the Rangers play against the Bruins, fans will get to see more of the starters. Probably half. That makes the most sense. Miller wearing the ‘C’ would be nice. We’ll see tomorrow.

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Rangers Name J.T. Miller the 29th Captain in Franchise History

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Derek

A day before training camp opens, the New York Rangers named J.T. Miller the 29th captain in franchise history.

Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury made the official announcement on Tuesday morning before the centennial season begins.

“We’re pleased to announce J.T. Miller as the new captain of the New York Rangers. Since his arrival last season, J.T. immediately became a leader for our group and exemplifies how we want to conduct ourselves both on and off the ice. Congratulations to J.T. and his entire family on an incredible meaningful achievement and we’re confident he will continue to represent our organization with class, commitment, and integrity.”

Acquired from the Vancouver Canucks along with Jackson Dorrington and Erik Brannstrom for Filip Chytil, Vincent Mancini, and a 2025 conditional first round pick on Jan. 31, Miller performed well in his return to Broadway. Seven years after being packaged with Ryan McDonagh to the Lightning for Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, a 2018 first round pick (Nils Lundqvist), and conditional 2019 second round pick (Karl Henriksson) on Feb. 26, 2018, Miller agreed to waive his no-movement clause to become a New York Ranger again.

In 32 games for the Rangers, he produced 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points. Miller centered a cohesive line with Will Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad, whose play improved dramatically once he shifted over to play the right side. Zibanejad finished the final 32 games with 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points.

With the Rangers moving on from Chris Kreider (traded to Ducks), Cuylle’s expected to remain on the number one line and become the net front presence on the power play. It’s a tall order for the third-year pro who set personal bests with 20 goals, 25 assists, and 45 points in his second season.

The leadership group will remain very similar to last year. With the exception of Kreider and former captain Jacob Trouba, Miller will assume the captaincy with four alternates. They are Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Zibanejad.

There had been some speculation that Trocheck would become the next captain. However, he was approached by management and signed off on his close friend Miller, taking over instead. Trocheck played a role in bringing Miller back to the Big Apple.

With it now official as the Rangers plan to celebrate their Centennial Anniversary with special games honoring the past 100 years, they have a clear vision for 2025-26. It’ll be interesting to see how important Miller is to helping the team rebound from last season’s disappointment that resulted in no playoffs.

The 32-year-old center is a player who wears his emotions on his sleeves. He will voice his opinion when things aren’t going well. If there’s any concern, that kind of strong personality isn’t for everyone. In Vancouver, he didn’t see eye to eye with Elias Pettersson. Eventually, the Canucks chose to make Miller available and keep Pettersson. With the Rangers showing serious interest, that’s how he wound up back in New York City.

There will be plenty of pressure and expectations for Miller to perform up to capability. In Vancouver, he averaged over a point-per-game by totaling 152 goals with 285 assists for 437 points in 404 games. Now, he’ll be asked to produce consistently under the spotlight while being front and center as the Rangers’ new captain.

With new head coach Mike Sullivan brought in from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers want to turn the page from the underachieving roster from 2024-25. The goal is to make the playoffs. Considering how mediocre the teams they’ll be competing against are, it’s realistic to return to the postseason. They’ll likely be competing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings for the wild card.

While it’s still too early to make season predictions, the Rangers clearly are behind the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, and Washington Capitals. If say the Caps slip up after last year’s break through that saw them finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference, then maybe the Rangers can sneak up and compete for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

For now, we’ll just focus on the opening of training camp. The Rangers invited 61 players.

It’ll be interesting to see which young players establish themselves. Scott Morrow had a good rookie camp against the Philadelphia Flyers. So did Brennan Othmann. Noah Laba is a center who some are high on to compete with Juuso Parssinen for the third line center. Is Laba ready, or does he need more seasoning with the Hartford Wolf Pack?

Amongst the veterans who were invited include former Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr. He hasn’t played in the NHL since 2021-22. He’s a longshot to make the roster.

Keep an eye on Dorrington, who was included in the Miller deal last winter. He’s a 21-year-old defenseman who played at Northeastern University.

We’ll delve more into key camp battles over the next few days.

The Rangers play their first preseason game against the Devils on Sunday, Sept. 21.

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Rangers Remember Franchise Great Eddie Giacomin

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Derek

On Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, Eddie Giacomin passed away at the age of 86.

One of the greatest New York Rangers in franchise history, Giacomin had 267 wins out of 290 with the Rangers for his career. A staple in the net during the late 1960s and early 1970s, he became a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden. Affably known as “Edd-ie” by the Garden crowd, Giacomin won 30 or more games five times during as a Blueshirt. That included a stretch from 1966-67 through 1969-70.

In 1966-67, he finished second for the Hart Trophy behind Stan Mikita of the Chicago Blackhawks. In what was only his second season, Giacomin appeared in a league high 68 games, winning 30 games with a 2.61 goals-against-average (GAA), .917 save percentage, and a league best nine shutouts. That helped the Rangers make their first postseason appearance since 1961-62.

Although they were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, it was a positive step in the right direction. With Giacomin as the starting goalie along with the emergence of the GAG Line, featuring Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, and Vic Hadfield, the Rangers eventually became a Stanley Cup contender under coach and general manager Emile “Cat” Francis.

After losing in the NHL Quarterfinals four straight years, the Rangers had a great 1970-71 season by finishing with the second most points (109) in the league. A superb team that also featured leading scorer Walt Tkaczuk, star defenseman Brad Park along with a strong supporting cast, which included Bob Nevin, Pete Stemkowski, Dave Balon, Rod Seiling, and Jim Neilson, the Rangers went 49-18-11 under Francis.

With Giacomin and Gilles Villemure sharing the net, they won the Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed to win the Vezina Trophy. In 45 games, Giacomin won 27 games while posting a 2.16 GAA, .922 save percentage, and a league-leading eight shutouts. In 34 appearances, Villemure won 22 games with a 2.30 GAA, .919 save percentage, and four shutouts.

In a six-game series win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Giacomin won four of five starts. He posted a 2.33 GAA and .910 save percentage. The Rangers advanced to the NHL Semifinals where they took on the Chicago Blackhawks.

The winners of the West Division were formidable. Featuring future Hall of Famers Bobby Hull, Mikita, and Tony Esposito, the Blackhawks bested the Rangers in a hard fought seven-game series. Best remembered for Stemkowski scoring in the third overtime of Game 6 at MSG, the Rangers lost to the Blackhawks 4-2 in the deciding Game 7 at Chicago Stadium. Despite building a 2-1 lead on goals from Stemkowski and Gilbert, the Rangers couldn’t hold on. With the game tied, Hull got the series clincher in the third period. Chico Maki added an empty netter to eliminate the Blueshirts.

In 1971-72, the Rangers again had a great season. They went 48-17-13 with 109 points to finish second behind the Boston Bruins in the East Division. With Gilbert, Ratelle, and Hadfield producing at a high clip along with both Park and Tkaczuk having great seasons, the Rangers looked like they might win the Stanley Cup. They also had a strong supporting cast that featured Bill Fairbairn, Bobby Rousseau, Bruce MacGregor, Stemkowski, Ted Irvine, Seiling, Neilson, Dale Rolfe, and Glen Sather.

Despite losing Ratelle to a broken ankle, the Rangers eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in six games. Giacomin was in goal for all six, posting a .914 save percentage. In a Semifinal rematch, they got revenge by sweeping the Blackhawks in four straight led by the scoring of Gilbert, Rousseau, and Hadfield. Villemure went 3-0 in the series with a .916 save percentage. Giacomin won his only start making 25 saves.

For the first time since losing to the Detroit Red Wings in 1950, the Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. They took on the powerful Bruins, who only were led by the game’s best player, Bobby Orr along with Hall of Famers Phil Esposito and Johnny Bucyk. Gerry Cheevers was the number one goalie. Boston also had great depth due to key pieces Ken Hodge, Wayne Cashman, Derek Sanderson, Fred Stanfield, John McKenzie, Mike Walton, Ed Westfall, Dallas Smith, and Carol Vadnais.

During the regular season series, the Rangers lost five of six meetings, getting outscored 25-7. However, the Stanley Cup Final was much closer. Playing without Ratelle for the first four games of the series, the Rangers fell behind three games to one. After coming back to take Game 5 on a pair of Rousseau third period tallies in a 3-2 win, they forced a Game 6 back at MSG.

With Francis riding the hot hand Gillemure in net, the Rangers were unable to beat Cheevers, who finished the game with 33 saves in a 3-0 shutout to give the Bruins the Cup. Orr scored and Cashman added a pair in the third period to break Rangers’ hearts. An ineffective Ratelle wasn’t himself after returning from the serious injury. Had he been healthy, that Rangers team might’ve won the Cup. Diehard fans like my Dad who was in attendance for that fateful Game 6 will never know the answer. That’s as close as that core of Rangers ever came.

Despite another good season in 1972-73, with Giacomin winning 26 games with four shutouts, the Rangers were eliminated in the Semifinals by the Blackhawks. Ironically, they had avenged the 1972 loss by ousting the Bruins in five games. New star Steve Vickers scored five goals in the first round to highlight the Quarterfinal win. But the Blackhawks prevailed in five even without WHA bound Bobby Hull. His brother Dennis torched the Blueshirts for five goals and five assists for 10 points. Esposito outplayed Giacomin by posting a .938 save percentage.

After winning 30 games in 1973-74, Giacomin’s time on Broadway was winding down. Following a tough seven-game Semifinal defeat to the eventual champion Philadelphia Flyers, the Rangers suffered a gut wrenching defeat to the upstart New York Islanders in the Preliminary Round in 1975.

Four games into 1975-76, a 36-year-old Giacomin was placed on waivers. Fittingly, the Red Wings claimed him just in time for them to visit an emotional Garden just two days later. On Nov. 2, 1975, Rangers fans serenaded Giacomin with chants of “Edd-ie, Edd-ie, Edd-ie!” before and during the game. It reduced him to tears. With Giacomin making 42 saves, the Red Wings won the game 6-4. He defeated new Rangers starter John Davidson, who would go on to bigger and better things with the Blueshirts.

The game can be seen in the video I provided below on YouTube. It isn’t the best quality. But you can sure feel the emotion and energy from the crowd who overwhelmingly supported Giacomin and booed the Rangers. That’s how beloved he was. For more insight on Eddie’s return, please refer to the second video below.

For his Rangers career, Giacomin appeared in 539 games winning 267 with 172 losses and 89 ties. His 49 shutouts were a franchise record that held up until Henrik Lundqvist surpassed it with 64. Giacomin’s 267 wins still ranks third on the Rangers’ all-time franchise list, with only Mike Richter (301), and Lundqvist (459) having more.

Following a 13-year career that concluded in 1977-78, the five-time NHL All-Star was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1989, the Rangers retired Giacomin’s number 1 jersey to the rafters. At the time, he joined former teammate Gilbert (7) as the only two Rangers to receive that honor. Since then, former teammates Ratelle, Hadfield and Harry Howell have had their numbers retired – joining Richter, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, Andy Bathgate, and Lundqvist.

In what’s the special Centennial Season with the Rangers announcing on Monday that they’ll hold special events honoring the history of the franchise at select games, they lost one of their best players and people. Eddie will be missed.

RIP EDDIE GIACOMIN (1939 – 2025)

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