The Rempe Bias Hurting Rangers

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Derek

Truth be told, Matt Rempe hasn’t been around for that long. A 2020 sixth round pick, he’s played 48 career games for the New York Rangers. When they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets later tonight in what amounts to a big game due to the wild card race, the 22-year-old Rempe will again take his place on the fourth line.

A big, physical forward who towers over most opponents due to being listed at six-foot nine, 255 pounds, Rempe has finally established himself as an NHL regular. It took a while due to him serving an eight-game suspension for elbowing and boarding Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars on Dec. 20. The stiff punishment came due to Rempe being a repeat offender. He previously served four games for elbowing and concussing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on Mar. 11, 2024.

Since he returned to the lineup back on Jan. 9, the rookie has cleaned up his act. Most noticeable has been his improvement in skating. For a player of his size and stature, he’s come a long way over a short time. In fact, he’s gained the trust of Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette. More effective on the forecheck and making better reads in the neutral zone, Rempe has been a positive contributor on an underachieving roster that’s fighting for the postseason.

In 25 games since the suspension, he’s scored two goals and added three assists for five points while finding chemistry with either Jonny Brodzinski or Sam Carrick on the fourth line, which now features fellow freshman Brennan Othmann. Lately, it’s been with Brodzinski centering the line that provides energy and a consistent cycle. Something that wasn’t all too common earlier this season. With Brodzinski continuing to prove that he’s capable of providing secondary scoring due to a shoot first mentality, the fourth line has been getting it done. Othmann brings more speed and skill along with the willingness to battle in the corners. It won’t be long before he records his first NHL point.

Despite his improvement, Rempe isn’t getting the benefit of the doubt from the stripes. In the last two games, a pair of calls went against him that cost the Rangers goals. On Tuesday, Mar. 11 with the game tied at one in the second period against the Winnipeg Jets, Rempe was assessed a two-minute minor for interference on Connor Hellebuyck. The replays clearly indicated that he was shoved from behind by a Jets player when he collided with Hellebuyck.

As the penalty was nearing its conclusion, Gabe Vilardi scored on the power play to put the Jets ahead 2-1. Unfortunately, despite playing the number one team in the league well, the Rangers were unable to tie the game, falling 2-1 in regulation. Afterward, Laviolette took the high road on the controversial call that went against his player.

Two nights later when the Rangers faced the Minnesota Wild, Rempe was sent off for interference on Devin Shore. However, it was another clear case of a reputation call going against him. On the play in question, Rempe didn’t even see Shore when he accidentally collided with him at the blue line. With him set to return from the penalty box, Marcus Johansson converted on the man-advantage to tie the score at two in the third period. When he returned to the Rangers bench, a visibly upset Rempe was seen showing frustration over the call.

Eventually, the Rangers pulled out the game 3-2 in overtime thanks to a goal from Braden Schneider. It was a big two points to give them 70 on the season – putting them in a tie with the Blue Jackets, who still hold the second wild card due to one fewer game played. For the Rangers, they overcame a bad call against Rempe to get the win.

Most eye-opening is that referee Brandon Blandina who made the call apologized to Rempe after the game. Ironically, he also called Rempe for interference against Hellebuyck. While it’s nice that he was accountable for the second interference minor, it cost the Rangers a goal. Unlike the game against the Jets when they didn’t earn any points, it didn’t cost the Rangers versus the Wild.

With points at a premium in a playoff race with the schedule dwindling down, the NHL can ill afford to have such poor officiating helping decide games. It definitely puts Rempe under the microscope during each shift. He was already being watched closely due to his reputation. In a close game, does it impact how Laviolette coaches? He hasn’t deviated lately from sending Rempe over the boards.

What happens when Adam Edstrom returns? He’s missed significant time due to suffering a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 1. He isn’t expected back until April. When the games are even more significant this spring, who comes out of the lineup? If you base it on effectiveness, Rempe should remain in. Much will depend on how he’s officiated. As long as he continues to play his game within the boundaries, Rempe is an effective player who supplies energy. Can he play without the officials making a crucial mistake? That remains to be seen.

Fox Expected to Return to Lineup

Entering Saturday, the Rangers have 16 games remaining. They need to probably win at least 10 to have a realistic chance at making the playoffs. If we’re being fair, 92 points is probably the magic number. So. They can’t afford any more slipups.

Adam Fox is expected to return to the lineup after missing the last eight games. The Rangers went 3-3-2 without him. It’ll be interesting to see how Fox looks. He should be able to help a power play that’s gone 2-for-25 since he went down. Fox will likely replace Carson Soucy, who stayed on late during practice. It’ll be interesting to see who plays with him on the top pair.

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The Lost Weekend: Rangers Fall Back instead of Springing Forward

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Derek

Early Sunday morning, clocks sprang forward. Someone forgot to tell the Rangers, who fell back in what was a lost weekend.

In what felt like two must have games, they blew up literally by losing both to teams they’re competing with for the playoffs. Instead of taking care of business, they only got one of four total points against the Senators and Blue Jackets on back-to-back days.

For most of Saturday, the Rangers looked like they were in control at Ottawa. Deadline pickup Carson Soucy put them up when his shot trickled through Linus Ullmark. The Senators came close to tying it on a power play late in the first period. Despite Brady Tkachuk thinking he scored, the puck never crossed the goal line. Unfortunately, Tkachuk would get the last laugh.

Mika Zibanejad put the Blueshirts ahead 2-0 when he took a J.T. Miller feed and beat Ullmark with a good wrist shot from the right circle. Will Cuylle made a nice pass to Miller, who then found Zibanejad for his 14th. It’s absolutely absurd that at this point of the season, Zibanejad only has 14 goals. At least he’s been playing much better.

If there’s been a common theme with this team, it’s that you can never get too comfortable. Whether it’s allowing opponents to score the first goal a dozen times in the first two minutes, or giving up a goal after scoring, the Rangers continue to shoot themselves in the foot. It took only 11 seconds for Tkachuk to tip in a Nick Jensen shot that pulled the Senators within one following the Zibanejad goal. That should have been a warning that trouble was brewing.

With the Sens pushing hard for the tying goal in the frantic third, K’Andre Miller made a good defensive play that led to Jonny Brodzinski quickly finding Artemi Panarin behind the Ottawa defense for a beautiful goal that gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead with 12:52 left. It was a heads-up play from Brodzinski, who continues to play well in whatever role coach Peter Laviolette has him in. Enough can’t be said about how Brodzinski continues to contribute when he’s in the lineup. More often than not, he makes things happen.

For much of the third period, it was relentless pressure from the Sens, who seemed hungrier than our side. They kept coming at the Rangers in waves, which was eerily similar to what the Caps did in a come from behind win in overtime last Wednesday. What was so frustrating is that it felt like the Sens did whatever they wanted in the Rangers’ zone. Particularly directly in front of Igor Shesterkin, who didn’t have his best period.

Juuso Parssinen took a bad hooking penalty that put the Senators on their fifth power play. Although they had trouble executing, eventually taking that many penalties came back to bite the Rangers. Just as Parssinen exited the penalty box, Dylan Cozens got off a backhand in front that hit the goalpost. Ridly Creig then put home the rebound to cut the deficit to one with 9:44 remaining.

The Senators continued to dominate most of the play. Eventually, their strategy of getting traffic in front paid off, which led to them tying the game late in regulation. It was the Shane Pinto line that wreaked havoc, with Michael Amadio getting to a juicy rebound of a David Perron shot and slamming it home with 2:52 left. Neither Braden Schneider nor Urho Vaakanainen were in the right position on the game-tying goal. Vincent Trocheck was in the vicinity along with Panarin. There was a lot of stick checking. Nobody took either Perron or Amadio.

It was inexcusable. Once again, the Rangers blew a third period lead against a feistier opponent who wanted it more. Before it even got to overtime, the Panarin line came very close to winning it. The trio of Panarin, Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere had the puck on a string with the Senators chasing. But they couldn’t deliver the knockout blow, with Panarin sending a shot wide.

Overtime didn’t last long. K’Andre Miller was the culprit on Tkachuk’s overtime winner just 33 seconds in. After playing extremely well with partner Will Borgen, Miller rushed a pass to J.T. Miller that handcuffed him. It was a bad pass that went behind Miller, who couldn’t handle the puck. That turnover led to Tim Stutzle retrieving the loose puck and finding a wide open Tkachuk for a wrist shot that went through Shesterkin to help the Senators complete a 4-3 comeback win.

While Miller got roasted for the turnover, he wasn’t to blame for what happened in the third period. Vaakanainen and Schneider struggled mightily. Parssinen’s ill-advised penalty opened the door. Since coming over from Colorado in the Ryan Lindgren trade, he’s been ineffective. Laviolette finally sat him out against the Blue Jackets in favor of Brett Berard, who brings more to the table.

In falling to the Senators, the Rangers blew a golden opportunity to vault ahead of idle Columbus and into the first wild card position. Instead, they entered Sunday trailing the Sens by a point and were on the outside looking in with the Blue Jackets having played one fewer game despite being tied in points. That made tonight’s game at 33rd and 7th pretty important.

On home ice facing a division rival they will be battling with until the final day of the season, they embarrassed themselves by losing 7-3 to fall two in back of the Blue Jackets with 18 games remaining. It didn’t have to be this way. But defense and checking were both optional at Madison Square Garden.

With the game still scoreless, Zach Werenski set up Justin Danforth to give the Blue Jackets the lead. The play started due to a bad turnover by Cuylle inside the Columbus zone. Normally a smarter player who plays north/south, he made an East/West pass inside the blue line that led to Werenski taking a Danforth drop pass and passing the puck back to Danforth for an easy finish. The defense pair of Soucy and Zac Jones got victimized. Soucy had trouble with Werenski’s speed, which led to Jones overcompensating for his partner. He went to Werenski, who had an easy passing lane for Danforth’s goal. To put it mildly, the third pair had a tough night.

Despite falling behind, the Rangers played a pretty good first period. They had more puck possession and outshot the Blue Jackets 9-4. In fact, it was the fourth line of Brodzinski, Berard, and Matt Rempe who dominated most of their shifts by spending time in the Jackets’ end. In particular, Rempe used his size and strength to create opportunities. His rapid improvement over the past month has been noticeable. He’s making more plays with the puck and doing a better job on the forecheck. Rempe now resembles an effective hockey player who the coaching staff trusts enough to play him more consistently.

Back in the lineup for Parssinen, Berard was a thorn in the side of the Jackets. He drew a pair of interference penalties. The first came on Kent Johnson, who delivered a hit that sent Berard into the Blue Jackets door. It really wasn’t interference due to Berard having the puck. It was more of a boarding, which is how Sam Rosen described it on the MSG broadcast.

If there’s been a bugaboo since Adam Fox went down, it’s been on the power play. The Rangers haven’t been able to get much going on it. Even with Laviolette finally coming to his senses by sticking Chris Kreider back on the top unit, they went 0-for-4. Kreider came the closest on one, but Daniil Tarasov denied him twice, including on a juicy rebound. Kreider just returned yesterday after missing six games due to an upper-body injury. He’s looked better and seems to be skating with more speed and is finishing checks. If he’s healthier, that could bode well for the team down the stretch.

The Rangers drew even thanks to executing on an offensive draw that was created by Rempe forcing Dante Fabbro to take an icing late in the period. With a chance to take advantage, Laviolette wisely got the Panarin unit out. Following a Trocheck faceoff win, Lafreniere had his shot pass tipped in by Panarin to give him goals in five straight games. It was an excellent play by all three to get the game tied headed to the locker room. Panarin is up to 28 goals. He’s back to playing like the star he is.

Following the goal, Berard drew a second interference minor. It didn’t matter because of how ineffective the man-advantage has been. To paraphrase what Laviolette said in the postgame, they are getting shots. But they’re either not connecting, going wide, or being saved. It’s not like they didn’t have chances. Tarasov made 10 saves when his team was shorthanded. That included robbing Zibanejad from in tight. He got stronger as the game went on.

At the start of the second period, the Rangers looked like they took a nap. With the Blue Jackets coming in with more speed, they took advantage quickly to suddenly grab a 3-1 lead. Adam Fantilli tallied twice within a 26-second span. On the first one, he took advantage of Borgen falling down inside the Blue Jackets’ blue line to start a two-on-one. Fantilli’s wrist shot fooled Jonathan Quick to put the Jackets ahead. On the next shift, Dmitri Voronkov found Fantilli left alone in front for his second of the game. Both Vaakanainen and Schneider were victimized on the goal.

For a while, it looked like the Jackets would run the Rangers out of the building. But they couldn’t handle prosperity. With Cuylle off for holding, it was the Rangers who then turned the tables by scoring a pair of shorthanded goals 42 seconds apart to tie the score. With Columbus getting sloppy in their own end, Zibanejad and Trocheck combined to set up Schneider for a shorthanded goal. Trocheck made a good pass across that Schneider drove upstairs for his fourth.

Some more follies allowed the Rangers to tie it. A turnover from Ivan Provorov was forced by Kreider, who poked the puck loose. He then worked a give and go with Zibanejad on a two on none rush. The passing was perfect with Zibanejad sliding it across for Kreider’s fourth shorthanded goal of the season. Despite missing time, he’s tied for second in shorthanded goals. Only Sam Reinhart has more with five. Most astonishing is that even though he’s not a good defensive player, Kreider has good hockey instincts on the penalty kill which make him dangerous shorthanded. No player has scored more shorthanded goals (13) since 2021-22.

With the Garden rocking, the Rangers had all the momentum but couldn’t get the next goal. If they had, it might have been a different headline. When he was called upon, Tarasov made the timely stops to keep the game tied. That included a save on Panarin, who was firing the puck from everywhere. He tied with Brodzinski for the team lead with five shots and had nine attempts.

As the second wore on, it was the Blue Jackets who got the better chances. Eventually, they went back ahead. On a brilliant play from Werenski, who should win the Norris and get some votes for the Hart, he found Mathieu Olivier in front with a great pass that he tipped in to put the Jackets up 4-3 with 2:57 remaining. While most of the ink goes to Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes when he’s healthy, Werenski deserves all the accolades for a special season. With two assists, he’s up to 68 points on the season. There isn’t a better defenseman in 2024-25 than him.

Trailing by one, the Rangers gave up a back breaking goal with 73 seconds remaining in the period. Another Cuylle turnover led to some more Blue Jackets transition. Fabbro scored to make it 5-3. On a late shift, Panarin had a good scoring opportunity stopped by Tarasov. He was instrumental in the third making 17 saves to prevent the Rangers from making it interesting.

Despite the Rangers piling up the shots in an inspired third, they couldn’t beat Tarasov. At even strength, it was the fourth line that generated the best looks. Laviolette made a switch by shifting Brennan Othmann onto the line and moving Berard onto the third line. Reunited with Brodzinski and Rempe, who he has good chemistry with, Othmann was more effective than he was with Sam Carrick and Kreider. Right now, the third line has become a problem. The Rangers lack a true third line center. It doesn’t matter if it’s Carrick or Brodzinski centering it. Parssinen isn’t the solution, either.

After some more strong work from Rempe down low that led to cheers, Brodzinski had two shots stopped by Tarasov, who finished with 32 saves. He was the story of the third, making more than half his stops.

The roof caved in on a bit of fluky goal from Johnson. On a good counter started by Olivier, who is an effective player, he had his initial shot stopped by Quick. But with the puck taking a funny hop in mid-air, Johnson went to bat it in. However, the puck was accidentally put in by Jones. It was a mess. Jones had the puck go off his glove and past a helpless Quick to make it 6-3 with less than 10 minutes remaining.

Fantilli then completed the hat trick less than two minutes later to put the game out of reach. A young power forward, it was his second career hat trick, with his first coming versus the Maple Leafs on Jan. 22. The 2023 third overall selection is starting to blossom into an emerging star. He doesn’t even turn 21 until October.

Less than a couple of minutes later, Borgen responded to a dirty hit from Luke Kunin on Trocheck. He boarded Trocheck from behind, leading to Borgen dropping the gloves and knocking down Kunin. Kunin received both boarding and roughing along with fighting for nine penalty minutes. Of course, Borgen got the instigator and a misconduct to go with fighting for 17 penalty minutes. So, that was it for him.

Laviolette then lifted Quick for a six-on-four advantage. It didn’t matter. Tarasov made a pair of stops on Kreider and Zibanejad. For a below average backup goalie, he played extremely well. On the flip side, it was a tough one for Quick, who allowed a season high seven goals on 28 shots. While it wasn’t his best effort, this isn’t on him. It’s on how badly the Rangers broke down in their end. Combined with some really bad decision making, with Cuylle having his worst game, it wasn’t their night.

It’s easy to be aggravated about what transpired. But if you’ve followed this team closely, you already know who they are. When the going gets tough, they fold. Whether it’s blowing leads like against the Avalanche twice, the Caps, and Senators. Or it’s falling apart like they did tonight against the Blue Jackets. This team doesn’t deserve to make the playoffs. They’re lucky the competition is so mediocre. I guess they’ll be rooting for Detroit to beat Ottawa on Monday night.

The Blue Jackets visit the Devils on Tuesday night. I fully expect them to win. The Rangers now must go on the road and visit the Jets on the same night. They will then visit the Wild this Thursday and conclude the three-game road trip in Columbus this Saturday. That will be the final regular season meeting between the Rangers and Jackets.

As good as he’s been, J.T. Miller’s disappeared lately. He was a minus-three and ineffective against the Blue Jackets. He only has one assist over the last three games. The Rangers need much more from Miller if they want to squeak in. Ditto for Lafreniere and Trocheck, with neither scoring any goals lately. Even though he’s putting up assists, Lafreniere hasn’t scored a goal since Feb. 2, going 12 consecutive games without one. That’s brutal. For the season, he has 14 goals. So, basically, he and Zibanejad have killed this team in the scoring department.

I don’t get the thinking with sitting out Calvin de Haan. He’s a better skating defenseman than Soucy, who struggled in his second game finishing minus-2. I’m not suggesting that he sit out. But Vaakanainen hasn’t exactly looked good defensively. But he plays with Schneider on the second pair. They really are a third pair getting second pair minutes. I preferred seeing de Haan with Jones, who didn’t have a good weekend, either. There’s no telling what Laviolette will do with the defense.

It’s disappointing to see the Rangers give such a disjointed effort. They must get back to defending better and playing responsibly. The schedule doesn’t get any better.

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Devils’ team and GM have both failed the fans in 2025

Posted on March 8, 2025 by hasan4978

In many ways, the Devils’ disappointing 2025 came to a head yesterday after what can be charitably described as a puzzling, incomplete trade deadline by our joke of a general manager, which was capped off by yet another predictably dreadful performance in front of the home fans with a 6-1 loss to Winnipeg team that barely broke a sweat in their third game in four nights. We are now past merely a crisis point, this is full out panic city time.

Don’t bother telling me the Devils are still five points up on a playoff spot (though the teams behind us all have at least a game or two in hand), that they just cleared the hardest part of their schedule, and the rest of the East is basically trying to make sure our rotted corpse gets in the playoffs. Does it even matter at this point if this team makes the postseason? I thought it would matter to our arrogant, clueless GM but evidently not by enough since Fitz was in hibernation for months before yesterday and basically settled for playing the deadline halfway. Overpay for a middle-pairing defenseman in Brian Dumoulin by having the Ducks retain on the contract just to tease everyone thinking a bigger move was coming, then coming out of deadline day with the likes of Cody Glass and Daniel Sprong, offering nothing but politically charged excuses and loser rationalizations for why he didn’t do more.

If you’re going to not do anything that makes a difference, then don’t insult our intelligence by giving off the illusion of competing and just do nothing at all. Or even perhaps sell minor pieces and admit this just isn’t going to be your year, even I’ve pretty much accepted that at this point. Replacing Jonas Siegenthaler – confirmed out for the season by our brilliant GM – with Dumoulin while doing nothing to fix the offensive issues that were a problem ‘before’ Jack Hughes was ruled out for the season with a separated shoulder and Dougie Hamilton was confirmed out for the next several weeks is putting a band-aid on a paper cut while letting a gaping wound go unattended. I don’t want to hear about Fitz letting down the room when the room has been putting in disappointing performances one after another the last two months though, he mostly let down the fans this season by his inaction throughout. Go big or go home, but trying to go halfway is politically charged junk.

Giving up a second rounder and one of the Devils’ few forward prospects (2024 3rd rounder Herman Traff) that looked like he had a pulse for twenty games of Dumoulin, while getting the Ducks to retain heavily on his contract suggested a bigger move was in play for yesterday. Of course, one never materialized in what was perhaps a fitting coda to the Devils’ embarrassing 2025, a season that’s now at best giving off shades of 2009-10 where the team had a 31-win first half, followed by a dismal, unhappy second half where they muddled around .500 and then got humiliated in a five-game first round loss to the Flyers. At this point I’d take that ending, cause the alternative is a 2007 Mets-like flameout of the playoffs. Maybe Fitz and the players truly deserve the latter though, perhaps that’s the only way meaningful change happens here.

Although I’ve slagged the players a lot in recent weeks, I really didn’t expect more from last night with us playing one of the three best teams in hockey accounting for all the players now missing from the lineup. If you don’t think injuries matter, just look at the Devils’ second power play unit last night with four guys who shouldn’t be anywhere near a power play. My prediction to a friend at puck drop was they get down 3-0 and are booed off the ice after the first, I was only off by one period on that one. Yesterday was mostly an indictment of the GM though, with everything from the actual deadline (including failed picks like Chase Stillman getting dealt off, in another reminder of Fitz’s horrible drafting in recent years) to the strange timing on an extension for Jonathan Kovacevic – who hasn’t looked like the same player since the injury to Siegenthaler – to the Simon Nemec situation, which clearly has come to a head.

In many ways, Nemec’s arc mirrors that of the entire organization the last three seasons – so much promise for most of last year followed up by so much disappointment this year. It’s a pointless parlor game at this point to assign blame or even assess why that’s happened, you could point to any number of things starting with learning a new system, his shoulder injury in Olympic qualifying over the summer followed by Kovacevic beating Nemec out for a spot on the roster in the early part of the season and getting him sent down to Utica. Our own player development hasn’t exactly been infallible in recent years – just look at other high picks who’ve washed out, or in the case of Dawson Mercer regressed from two years ago.

That said, Nemec needs to take responsibility for his own season too. I knew the minute I heard that quote in a Slovakian newspaper a few weeks ago to the effect of (paraphrasing) ‘I’m not happy I’m in the minors but I’m not asking for a trade yet‘, then you know he’s already at least thought in those terms, which is incredibly entitled. Just because you were a high pick who was an NHL regular last year, doesn’t mean you’re above getting sent to the minors now. Plenty of guys have been sent back down after playing as a young rookie, it’s what you do with adversity that’ll define you. Nemec did nothing to earn a roster spot early, he was dreadful then and was even worse when he came back up before being benched and ostensibly having a good road trip once he got back in the lineup.

Then came last night.

While the highlights themselves aren’t exactly great viewing, focus on the last two and a half minutes from about 7:30 on. One mistake after another from Nemec in a performance so bad you’d think he had a Fan Duel bet on Winnipeg goals and was point shaving. Lazily and mindlessly giving away the puck on the fourth goal, getting deked out of his skates on the fifth and outworked on the sixth all suggest a guy who is either bad, or just doesn’t want to be here. Even the broadcasters were struggling to polish up that turd of a game. The first one was enough to get me to storm out of the arena last night, I winced when I heard about the two more that happened after it. Even coach Sheldon Keefe dispensed some hard truths about Nemec’s game in the postgame presser:

https://twitter.com/amandacstein/status/1898213179181744499

Maybe he was better on the road trip because he thought he was getting traded, then after not getting traded and having his main competition Kovacevic sign a five-year deal, he decided to sulk around now that the writing is seemingly on the wall for at least one of Nemec or Seamus Casey to eventually be traded with all the money the Devils have committed to the right side.

I’ve cooled down a little from some of my off-blog ranting on Nemec last night but I’ll reiterate this…if that kid didn’t at least apologize to the room last night and take ownership of his horrible effort both in front of them and in front of the media, then I don’t want to ever see him in a Devils uniform again. Sure they were gonna lose last night anyway even before Nemec decided to seemingly shave points, but the guys in the room who at least tried in the game deserved better than to be railroaded by a sulking 20-year old from mere defeat against a good team into an utter embarrassment of a loss in front of the home fans.

As far as the rest of the game, I don’t really want to bother commenting much on it except to say Jacob Markstrom was also lost last night, giving up a soft goal at the end of the second period, having a couple of puck handling mishaps including one that caused the power play which led to the second goal against and overall playing like a guy that knows he’s gotta hold the opposition to one goal at most every game now with the state of this offense. Our goaltending is our main hope of survival the last few weeks of the regular season, if that even starts to go south forget it.

Things are so depressing at this point I’m past ranting territory, at least for the moment. I’m sure I’ll have more of it if – when? – this collapse becomes official, but for now the less time I waste on this joke of an organization the better. Even if I’m currently scheduled to go to about 7-9 of the remaining home games left including Tuesday’s four-pointer against Columbus, which is likely to be another disaster. They’re the inverse of us, a team with no expectations and less talent finding a way to win on grit and perseverance. I already feel like the result of this playoff ‘push’ is preordained. It’s up to the core in the room to prove me wrong. Nico, Timo, Jesper…time to lead and prove that the Devils aren’t a one-man show a la the Atlanta Thrashers in the days of Ilya Kovalchuk.

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Rangers Turn Reilly Smith into Carson Soucy

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Derek

The NHL Trade Deadline finally wrapped up a while ago. For the Rangers, they didn’t do too much in the grand scheme of things. Instead, team president and general manager Chris Drury made two separate moves to acquire the one player he coveted.

As expected, the Rangers traded veteran forward Reilly Smith back to the Golden Knights in exchange for a 2025 Sharks third round pick. I had a hunch that Smith would wind up back in Vegas where he had his most success – helping the Golden Knights win a Stanley Cup.

In 58 games, Smith recorded 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in his only season as a Ranger. Originally acquired from the Penguins last year for a 2025 fifth round pick and a 2027 second round pick, Smith moved up and down the lineup after starting the season with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Although he isn’t what once was, Smith’s still a versatile forward who can play anywhere. He was tied with Will Cuylle for second on the team with two shorthanded goals. The injured Kreider leads them with three.

Once it became clear that Smith didn’t have a future with the Rangers, he was held out for trade purposes, with Brett Berard taking his place in the lineup. Now, Smith is back with Vegas, who is quite familiar with him. He returns after two years away.

With Drury still in the market for an experienced defensive defenseman who could play either side, he used the Sharks third round pick he got and sent it to the Canucks for Carson Soucy.

https://twitter.com/NYRangers/status/1897807121351151773

Now 30, Soucy brings size (six-foot-five, 208 pounds) to the Rangers blue line. A gritty player who likes to use his physicality to hit and block shots, Soucy was having a down year with the Canucks. After going a plus-10 with 64 blocks, 65 hits, and just 14 giveaways in 40 games last season. Soucy declined to a minus-13 with 92 blocks, 86 hits, and a career worst 65 giveaways.

With Soucy signed through 2025-26 at a reasonable $3.25 million cap hit, he’ll be part of the top six moving forward. He was averaging 18:22 of ice time in Vancouver. That was up from 17:29 in 2023-24. Soucy was particularly effective as a defensive defenseman with the Wild. He continued to play well for the Kraken, even putting up career bests in goals (10) and points (21) during 2021-22. Ironically, he scored his third goal of this season in a Canucks win over the Ducks on Mar. 5. It proved to be the game-winner. If there’s a positive, he was a plus-3 over his final three games. Maybe he can carry that over when he meets the team in Ottawa for tomorrow afternoon’s game.

If there’s a downside to the move, it’s that Zac Jones is likely to be the odd man out again. For whatever reason, coach Peter Laviolette doesn’t like playing him. Jones brings more speed, skating, and offense to a back end that’s limited in that capacity without Adam Fox. Jones took a hooking minor that led to Alex Ovechkin’s tying power-play goal on Wednesday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals. It’s always the same song and dance with this coach. Other culprits stay in the lineup.

Figure Soucy to join Braden Schneider on the second pair while recently re-signed Urho Vaakanainen teams up with Calvin de Haan. Drury gave Vaakanainen a two-year contract with a $1.55 million cap hit. He was acquired from the Ducks in the Jacob Trouba deal. Here’s what I’d expect the defense to look like for Saturday:

K’Andre Miller-Will Borgen

Carson Soucy-Braden Schneider

Urho Vaakanainen-Calvin de Haan

Drury Believes In Group

For whatever it is worth, Drury believes in this group. To his credit, he made some nice upgrades over the past week to get more mobile on the blue line by adding de Haan, who’s a better skater than Ryan Lindgren. Vaakanainen has worked out alright as well. Though his possession numbers are underwhelming. Let’s put it this way. He isn’t great defensively.

“I wanted to make some changes these last few days, this last week, to show them that the way they played, to me, is how you have to play, night in & night out. I do believe in the group. I think we have enough talent to push forward,” Drury told reporters at today’s press conference.

Obviously, he’s referring to more of a commitment defensively that’s seen the Rangers tighten up against opponents. Even the first place Caps found it difficult to get consistent offense against the improved defense, which has seen a better effort from several forwards. Having kids like Berard and Brennan Othmann has helped. The team is playing more physical, with K’Andre Miller finishing checks. His stock has risen recently to boost his value in a contract year. Just as long as Drury doesn’t overpay in both salary and years this summer.

Drury also emphasized his excitement for both Kreider and Fox to eventually return. Kreider’s closer to coming back. He practiced with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad on the first line, with Will Cuylle out sick. As for Fox, nobody knows when he’ll be ready. Aside from having some struggles on the power play, they don’t exactly miss him. Nobody can tell me that Fox hasn’t been compromised by the pair of knee on knee hits he got hurt on last year. He is slower and struggles with physicality. Would anybody put it past this organization to not have Fox get surgery when he probably still needs it?

Here’s the bigger question for the Rangers looking ahead. Is a blue line that includes Soucy better for the foreseeable future? Assuming Jones eventually gets moved in the off-season, they still haven’t found a new defense partner for Fox. Miller and Will Borgen work well together and are the match-up pair. That leaves Vaakanainen and Schneider as the third pair. Maybe we’ll have our answer in free agency or a trade this summer.

Chances Are

If you’ve been keeping a close eye on today’s deadline, you already know that both the Hurricanes and Devils got worse. Carolina never worked out for Mikko Rantanen, who was then rerouted to Dallas for a slew of draft picks and Logan Stankoven. The Stars win that trade easily due to Rantanen re-signing for eight years with a $12 million cap hit due to no state income tax.

Once again, the Hurricanes came out losers after acquiring a big name. Last year, it was Jake Guentzel, who produced for them but then left to sign with the Lightning. Now, they only had Rantanen for 13 games, with him only posting two goals and four assists for six points. They gave up Martin Necas and Jack Drury to the Avalanche in the original deal. Necas has been money with the Avs while playing with Nathan MacKinnon. Joe Sakic looks like a genius.

Now, Carolina has plenty of futures with a pair of conditional first round picks in 2026 and 2028 along with a pair of thirds. How does that help the current roster? They look like pretenders.

As for the Devils, they lost Jack Hughes for the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery stemming from the incidental collision with Jack Eichel that sent him flying into the boards against the Golden Knights. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald revealed that Jonas Siegenthaler will miss the remainder of the regular season and that Dougie Hamilton will be out an extended time.

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Fitzgerald overpaid for veteran Brian Dumoulin, who was penciled in on the second pair tonight with recently re-signed defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic (5 years, $4 million AAV). He also traded for Cody Glass and added veteran forward Daniel Sprong, who was on waivers three times this season. Most of the Red and Black Army are up in arms over the lack of activity from Fitzgerald. Hasan touched on it in his recent post. I can only imagine what he must think of these moves.

If you’re looking at where the Rangers are in the division, they trail the Blue Jackets by a point and are five behind the Devils, who at last check were already trailing the Jets 2-0 at home. With 20 games remaining on the schedule, it’s all in front of them. They have the Senators tomorrow and then the Blue Jackets on Sunday.

While the Hurricanes, who have 78 points probably are out of harm’s way, the Devils are within reach. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility for the Rangers to catch their close Hudson rivals. Following the pre-Christmas disaster, the Devils were only too excited to troll our side as only they can do. At the time, the gif was appropriate. The Rangers were a tire fire headed nowhere. Now, the roles are reversed. There is one regular season meeting remaining on Apr. 5. You can now circle the date. It could prove pivotal down the stretch.

A lot can happen between now and then. We’ll see what happens.

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Conservative Strategy Costs Rangers a Point in Loss to Capitals

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Derek

For two periods, the better team donned the navy Blueshirt jerseys. Indeed, the Rangers were the scrappier bunch who frustrated the first place Capitals into taking undisciplined penalties.

Sam Carrick had given them the lead by parking himself in front and steering in a K’Andre Miller pass to score for the first time in 13 games. His sixth goal put the Rangers ahead with under 12 minutes left in the second period. Carrick has become a folk hero on Broadway. A gritty center who likes to mix it up, his line with rookies Brett Berard and Matt Rempe has gained the trust of bench boss Peter Laviolette. When the fourth line is out, they get things done by outworking opponents and wreaking havoc.

Perhaps the Caps got sick of seeing Carrick and his linemates dominate most of their shifts. During a scrum, Brandon Duhaime dropped the gloves with Carrick taking him off the ice for five minutes. Considering how well he’s played that was an advantage for the Caps. Even though there was no loss of manpower, the Rangers didn’t have Carrick available. The energy he brings is infectious. When push comes to shove, Laviolette prefers the hard-nosed style of the fourth line over the new third line anchored by recent pickup Juuso Parssinen. Right now, they bring more to the table.

Despite playing strong defensively, the Rangers cost themselves a chance to win three in a row due to faulty special teams in a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss. On a high-sticking double minor in the first period, they were limited to one shot on goal by the Caps. In fact, Aliaksei Protas had the best scoring chance on a shorthanded bid that Igor Shesterkin stopped.

By that point, Artemi Panarin scored for the third straight game to tie the contest at one. Zac Jones broke up a Caps’ scoring chance in front of his own net to start the scoring play in transition. He took an Alexei Lafreniere feed and made a good pass that Panarin tipped in for his team-leading 26th with 6:23 remaining. Since returning to the lineup, Jones has played well by adding some much-needed speed and skill to the blue line. He has also stepped it up defensively, with partner Calvin de Haan forming a reliable third pair.

Panarin’s goal gave him five points over the last three games. After going through a lull, his game seems to be coming back at the right time. The Rangers need their leading scorer to help carry them into the postseason. They also need more from Lafreniere, who despite picking up an assist for a third consecutive game, only has nine shots over his last 16 games. He didn’t register a shot for the second straight game. Lafreniere’s season has been a nightmare, with him only having 14 goals despite playing in all 62 games up to this point. He needs to be more aggressive. At the very least, he was more physically involved. That included catching Nic Dowd with a big hit that got the crowd going.

The Rangers didn’t let an early Pierre-Luc Dubois tally deflate them. Instead, they got back on track thanks to some good work from Jonny Brodzinski and Brennan Othmann. Following a Charlie Lindgren save on a Brodzinski shot during a previous shift, Othmann came close to scoring his first NHL goal. On a good scoring chance, he had his shot go off the crossbar.

Panarin later had a backhand in tight denied by Lindgren, who was sharp despite only having to make 15 saves on 17 shots. On the same shift, Urho Vaakanainen had a deflection just go wide. It was the best shift from the Panarin line in quite some time. They were more noticeable, generating some high-quality chances. The trio of Panarin, Lafreniere, and Vincent Trocheck can still finish the season strong to push the Blueshirts into the playoffs.

The Caps nearly went ahead by two. After Will Borgen got caught pinching, Lars Eller got behind the defense for a breakaway. Shesterkin snuffed out his backhand to make the big save. Interestingly, Capitals coach Spencer Carberry showed some frustration with Eller’s choice.

During the period, the Rangers made it a point to finish their checks. That included a nice rubout from K’Andre Miller on Tom Wilson. Since Adam Fox went on the injured reserve, Miller has played some of his best hockey. Given more responsibility on the top pair with Borgen, he’s delivered with more consistent defense and some offense. He led all Rangers skaters in ice time with 26:12.

With the Caps threatening, Jones was in the right spot to steal a backhand pass in front and start a transition that led to Panarin tying the score. It was a good all-around play from Jones and Lafreniere. Panarin went to the dirty area to put away Jones’ feed to draw the Blueshirts even.

Any chance to surge ahead was damaged by an ineffective power play. After Ethen Frank drew blood on Berard, neither unit could get anything going. Will Cuylle came the closest but was stopped by Lindgren late to keep the score tied.

Despite having the better of the play at points in the second period, the Rangers wasted another man-advantage, with the Caps victimized for a bench minor. In fact, Dowd had the best opportunity when his shorthanded bid hit the goalpost. The Rangers went 0-for-4 on the power play.

With the game still tied, it was the Carrick line that provided the go-ahead goal thanks to a dominant shift against the Alex Ovechkin line. Rempe got two hits on Ovechkin in what amounted to an outstanding shift. Following Carrick firing a shot over the top, Borgen was able to get the puck up for Miller at the point. He then found Carrick in front for a backhand upstairs to make it 2-1 at 8:05.

Following the goal, Vaakanainen took an unnecessary roughing minor on Dubois to put the dangerous Caps on the power play. Fortunately, the Rangers penalty kill did a good job to limit their chances.

After Carrick and Duhaime fought, both Vaakanainen and Cuylle came close to giving the Rangers a two-goal lead. However, neither chance reached Lindgren. On an active shift that saw Othmann hit Taylor Raddysh, Matt Roy went after Othmann roughing him up to earn a penalty. With Roy visibly frustrated, he then fought Parssinen, who lost the decision despite coming to the aid of a teammate.

Yet again, the Rangers didn’t take advantage on the five-on-four. Jones went wide on a wrist shot with some room. Trocheck would then take a holding minor on Eller to lead to some four-on-four. On it, Ovechkin finally unleased one of his patented big shots that Shesterkin snatched with his glove. The Rangers took a one-goal lead to the locker room.

Instead of coming out and attacking, they opted to sit back and protect the lead. A couple of close calls from the Caps early should have been a warning sign. The conservative strategy cost them.

With the Rangers only having a single shot, Jones led a rush and made a drop pass for a de Haan shot that was blocked. That allowed the Caps to quickly counter in the opposite direction for a scoring chance. Jones hustled back to catch up to Eller but was called for hooking after going for a stick lift.

For most of the penalty kill, they minimized the Caps’ chances. However, a broken play off a faceoff led directly to Ovechkin tying it with a power-play goal. Andrew Mangiapane was able to find a cutting Ovechkin in front for his 885th career goal, which pulled him within 10 of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. While he set up Ovechkin’s game-tying goal, Mangiapane was hooked from behind by Borgen to put the Caps back on the power play.

The doomsday scenario never played out. Shesterkin made a glove save on a long Ovechkin shot to keep that prevented it. Although they killed the penalty, the Rangers were on their heels. They were lucky just to survive regulation. The Caps kept coming at them in waves and throwing pucks in front. Eventually, the game went to overtime.

In it, Panarin made a nice drop for Mika Zibanejad. Rather than take the shot, he pulled back and reset. The Rangers did this several times, which might help explain why their overtime record is now 1-6. Despite controlling the possession early, they managed just one shot on Lindgren. It was brutal.

When the Caps got the puck, they were dangerous. That included Ovechkin skating inside the blue line and firing a rocket that Shesterkin made a huge glove save on. The closest the Rangers came was when Jones had a great opportunity in front but was unable to win it.

On a counter up the ice, Zibanejad passed up a shot for a low percentage pass to a covered J.T. Miller that resulted in a turnover. It didn’t take long for Dylan Strome to toe drag around Braden Schneider and pass in front for a Wilson tip-in that ended the game. It was a cruel ending. They got what they deserved for being too passive.

Despite outplaying the Caps for two periods, the Rangers never finished them. When you face quality opponents, you have to keep pressing the action. This loss is on Peter Laviolette. For whatever reason, his team backed off. In the process, it cost them a valuable point in the standings. Combined with the Senators winning over the Blackhawks, the Rangers are now out of the second wild card due to Ottawa having one less game played. They’re both tied in points with 67.

That sets up a big match-up on Saturday at Ottawa. The Rangers still hold the number one tiebreaker due to more regulation wins (29). But they really must beat the Senators in regulation. A three-point game isn’t the formula for success. They also face the Blue Jackets on Sunday. These are the teams they’re battling with for the postseason. It’s do or die.

A final point. It wasn’t a good showing for the Miller line. Miller’s been superb since arriving from Vancouver. But his line didn’t have an impact against the Caps. They’ll have to be better this weekend.

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Miller’s Impact on Surging Rangers Deserves Recognition

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Derek

By show of hands, who had the Rangers sweeping two games from the bitter rival Islanders less than a week apart? Better yet, who had Igor Shesterkin allowing only a single goal with the Blueshirts outscoring the Islanders by a combined 9-1 in the pair of wins?

Most probably wouldn’t have predicted it. Usually, getting games at this time of year off the Islanders is like pulling teeth. Fighting tooth and nail in a tight playoff race, the Rangers put together their most complete effort of the season. Playing superb defensively, they made life easier on Shesterkin, who finished with 21 saves for his 19th career shutout (fourth of season).

As a team, they blocked 22 shots with 10 different skaters sacrificing for the cause. That included 14 from the defense led by Zac Jones and Braden Schneider, who each had a team high four blocks. K’Andre Miller blocked three while defensive partner Will Borgen had two. Urho Vaakanainen chipped in with one, with only former Islander Calvin de Haan opting to play strong defense without turning over the puck. In his second game, he finished with two takeaways and a plus-2 rating. So far, so good for the revamped Rangers blue line without Adam Fox.

Since returning to the lineup, Jones has added much needed speed, skating and provided offense. On a fluky play in the first period, after a successful coach’s challenge for offside negated an Anders Lee goal, Jones had the good fortune of his shot taking a funny bounce off the helmet of Will Cuylle and in past Ilya Sorokin to give the Rangers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. It was that kind of night at Madison Square Garden for the home team.

They all were dialed in. As usual, J.T. Miller was the catalyst who led the way. Since being acquired from the Canucks, Miller has been the best Blueshirt by far. In his 11th game since returning to the original team that drafted him in the first round, the 31-year-old center set up and scored a goal to record his sixth two-point game in just over a month. Miller is up to seven goals and seven assists for 14 points since agreeing to waive his no-movement clause to play on Broadway. The impact he’s had has been critical for a team that looked done for most of the season.

Ever since Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to play Mika Zibanejad with Miller, the move has helped unlock Zibanejad. Although he didn’t hit the score sheet in Monday night’s victory, Zibanejad’s playing with more freedom and with more confidence. In Sunday’s win over the Predators, he assisted on a pair of goals, giving him 15 points (4-11-15) since Miller joined the team in Boston on Feb. 1. By shifting mostly to the right side, Zibanejad no longer has as much responsibility. He still can take faceoffs, going 3-for-5 tonight. But Miller takes most of the draws on the new number one line that features the emerging Cuylle.

It was Cuylle who scored his 17th goal to place him in a tie with Vincent Trocheck for second on the team. Late in the first period, with the Rangers killing yet another bench minor – their second of the game – there was Cuylle absorbing a big hit from Noah Dobson to force a turnover that led directly to Sam Carrick finding the trailing Will Borgen for the first shorthanded goal of his career, which really sucked the life out of the Islanders. The Rangers rank second in the league with 11 shorthanded goals, with only the Panthers having more (12) this season.

Cuylle has become a valuable asset on the league’s fourth rated penalty kill. They entered play trailing the top ranked Stars, Hurricanes, and Devils. By going a perfect 3-for-3 against the woeful Islanders’ power play, the Rangers continue to climb while shorthanded. For the season, Cuylle has two shorthanded goals and four shorthanded points, with his secondary assist leading to Borgen making it 2-0 with 45 seconds remaining in the first period.

It took him a while to recover from losing former linemates Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil. They formed an effective third line that dominated opponents at five-on-five. When Cuylle played with Zibanejad, who was then at center prior to Miller arriving, it didn’t work. Cuylle fell victim to the same issues that plagued other players. Zibanejad is a skilled forward but lacks the ‘it’ factor. He doesn’t bring the same energy that Miller does. Since his arrival, Miller’s injected a lot of life into Zibanejad, who’s no longer hesitating to shoot the puck. He’s much more involved than at any other point of the season. Cuylle provides a lot of grit and size, which helps open up space for Zibanejad. So does Miller, who isn’t shy about going into the corners and finishing checks. Both Miller and Cuylle play fast, which is why that line is leading the way.

If there’s been a noticeable difference, it’s the increase in speed the Rangers are playing with since Adam Fox went down. By adding the better skating de Haan in place of Ryan Lindgren, and reinserting Jones, the defense is playing at a quicker pace. Without Fox, Miller is now asked to be the team’s number one defenseman while teamed with the grittier Borgen, who plays a similar style to former captain Jacob Trouba. He doesn’t hit as big but plays with the same intensity. He also is a better skater than Trouba, which has allowed Miller to play his game.

With Laviolette more willing to play his bottom six forwards, it’s created more balance. For the second straight game, Reilly Smith sat out for trade-related reasons. It’s a good bet that he’s played his final game for the Blueshirts, with Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard continuing to supply more speed and energy to the third and fourth lines. That isn’t a knock on Smith, who’s put up a respectable 29 points. He became expendable due to what Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury is doing by making the roster younger and better with an eye towards the future. It isn’t about just squeaking into a wild card this spring. But rather about seriously competing moving forward.

The Islanders hardly mounted any shots or scoring chances in a defensive minded second period that saw each side have six shots. The Rangers seemed to always be in the right spot defensively. They kept getting in the path of Islanders’ attempts. They had 34 attempts never reach the net. Similarly, the Rangers had 35 never reach Sorokin. It was a hard-fought game by the crosstown rivals.

With the Rangers still protecting a two-goal lead, Kyle Palmieri came close to making it interesting. After faking out Shesterkin, he had his shot hit the outside of the net. Frankly put, he ran out of real estate. Earlier in the game, Shesterkin let in a bad goal to Islanders captain Anders Lee that would have put the Long Island visitors in front. Instead, Laviolette successfully challenged for offside, with the video replay clearly showing Casey Cizikas ahead of the play. It was a good break that allowed Shesterkin to reset. Nothing got past him the rest of the way.

In the third period, Miller intercepted a Tony DeAngelo pass in the neutral zone and started a two-on-one. He looked pass and then fired a wrist shot top shelf to make it 3-0. The goal mirrored one Rangers legend Mark Messier made famous. The captain did it with a bit more flair off one foot. There’s no question who’s become the team’s unquestioned leader over a short span. This is Miller’s team. If they get in, it’ll be because of him. He’s the driving force.

https://twitter.com/NYRangers/status/1896745083644657896

In a recurring theme, the fourth line continued to pin the Islanders in thanks to the diligent work of Matt Rempe. No longer a sideshow, he created a couple of scoring chances due to improved skating. On a two-on-one, he nearly had Carrick for a goal. The energy they play with is becoming a trend. In a lot of ways, Othmann and Berard bring a lot of what Laviolette’s asked for. Berard is the smaller player who hustles every shift. Othmann is bigger and brings some skill. You can intertwine Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski, who always seems to challenge goalies with his shot.

Artemi Panarin added the dagger into a vacated net with over five minutes left in regulation.

There’s a lot more youthful enthusiasm in the Rangers lineup. That has helped them tie the idle Red Wings in points (66). There are 21 games remaining, with a step up in weight class with the Capitals up next on Wednesday night. Ever since Nov. 14-19 when they won three in a row, they haven’t been able to put together a winning streak. When Alex Ovechkin comes to town along with the first place Caps, now is as good a time as any for that to change.

Figure Miller to play a key role. He’s made a big difference already.

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Still-struggling Devils at a crisis point after Hughes injury in Vegas

Posted on March 3, 2025 by hasan4978

I’ve been wringing my hands for two months with this Devils team, not wanting to go completely off the deep end in part because of how awful the bottom of the East is – after all, the team is still in a good position to make the playoffs in spite of being sub .500 since Christmas – and in part due to perhaps a misguided hope eventually they’d find a way out of the wilderness one way or another. Even when the team failed to win all of six games on their post-holiday trip or when they lost defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler and goalie Jacob Markstrom to long-term injuries just before the Four Nations break (Markstrom only came back for last night’s game, Siegs should be out a while longer after an undisclosed surgery), overall things were still more in the annoying than alarming column.

Now, however? We’re basically into DEFCON 1 territory after last night’s 2-0 loss to Vegas, not that the loss itself was unexpected or that the team’s been bad on this most recent road trip – beating Nashville and Utah while getting pumped in Colorado and shut down by Vegas is pretty much par for the course, no better or worse. But now we’re about to pay the price for two months of excuses and underachieving, because it was in Vegas where franchise center Jack Hughes had to leave last night’s game late with an apparent serious arm (wrist/shoulder?) injury.

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Given both the reaction of brother Luke Hughes – who was reportedly distraught in the locker room after the game – and coach Sheldon Keefe, who was ejected arguing with the officials and sounded somber in the postgame when discussing Jack, it seems like we’re not going to see the franchise MVP again anytime soon, if at all the rest of this season, which has about six weeks to go before the playoffs. Whether the Devils make the playoffs at this point sadly is no longer a fait accompli. It’s not just because of Jack’s injury though, I don’t want to hear this nonsense in April if the unthinkable happens and the team completely crashes out of the postseason. Jack’s injury is just the bill coming due for ****ing around the last two months.

This is why you don’t take a nap for two months and hide behind every excuse imaginable. Losing games while you had a mostly healthy roster took away your ability to lose them one you no longer have that, and you can never count on having the good health we had the first half of this season. I don’t want to hear about how the whole team had a virus for two months, how tough the schedule’s been at times with all the games up front and the back-to-backs, or how many injuries they’ve had now. One of the biggest injuries – that to Markstrom – wasn’t even a factor due to the goaltending of both vet backup Jake Allen and prospect Nico Daws during this stretch. If it wasn’t for all three of them, the team’s sub-.500 record since late December would be even worse.

How bad is it for the Devils? They don’t have a single regulation win over a playoff team since late December. That certainly fits in with the vibes currently surrounding the team. And we’re past the point of blaming coaches here, we had two different coaches last year, Keefe is the third different coach in the last two years and we’re still seeing the same inconsistencies with this group. While I have issues with him being too stubborn with his lines and d-pairings most of the time, at some point you have to look other places to solve the problem, either above Keefe or below him.

If any single player epitomizes the Devils on the whole right now, it’s Timo Meier, talent and potential up the wazoo but results severely lacking on the ice. To say you need more than sixteen goals and thirty-nine points in 61 games from a guy who’s been a 40-goal scorer in the NHL and making nearly $9 million a season is an understatement. I was actually somewhat excited when Timo finally scored the other night in Utah to break a long drought, but it was kind of a bad goal for the goalie to give up to be fair. Something’s wrong when you’re getting excited about a clunker of a goal.

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Much like with the team itself, the excuses with Timo individually need to end. I don’t want to hear about him playing on the wrong wing, on his stats not being as good because he’s not on the top power play (as if his play has even merited it), on him getting chances as if that’s the same thing as actually converting on it. At some point we need to see more from Timo, his only truly dominant stretch in two years as a Devil to this point was his junktime surge late last season. Not that Timo’s been the only underachiever in the room, Dawson Mercer pales in comparison towards the player we thought was a borderline star in the making two years ago with a 27-goal, 56 point season. Last year’s 33 point, -26 crashout has been followed by a meh 26 points in 61 games this year. Not to mention the fact he can’t play center has severely hindered our depth down the middle, which will be even more of a joke now without Jack.

Also part of the center problem is Erik Haula, who hasn’t scored in over thirty games (and has just eleven points in fifty games overall). I realize the dude’s probably washed but buddy you gotta contribute at SOME point, especially since we’re stuck with him on the books for another year and no other NHL alternative down the middle at the moment. Our bottom six on the whole has completely disappeared down the stretch. Nathan Bastian? Three goals in 44 games. Curtis Lazar? Two goals in 35 games. Tomas Tatar? Six goals and fifteen points in 56 games. Even Paul Cotter after a strong start has pretty much disappeared down the stretch with just five goals – two of them in a loss at Buffalo – since the end of December and a whopping ZERO assists, although that probably has as much to do with the rest of the back six stinking even worse.

While it’s hard to get on the defense for much in spite of the team’s struggles (which have been mostly due to the lack of production from the forwards lately), the fact we have almost zero transition game on our blueline doesn’t really help. Only Dougie Hamilton – who isn’t exactly the force he was two years ago – and Luke even so much as push the play, everyone else is basically a stay-at home D that adds very little to the attack. Granted, that helps our defense actually do its first job of keeping pucks out of the net, but the fact they’re so bad at the secondary part of their job does hinder the offense. And this is where I get to the problem above coach Keefe – our once-again missing in action GM Tom Fitzgerald.

It’s bad enough that Fitz has been a bit of a front runner when it comes to dealing with the media – all too willing to take the plaudits and flowers everywhere from Spittin’ Chiclets to various podcasts early this season or three years ago, but also too willing to go into the bunker when the you-know-what hits the fan a la most of last season or the latter part of this year. Fitz’s media availability wouldn’t even be a big issue if Fitz the GM wasn’t also seemingly in hibernation. At best, he wasted time running the clock to the last week of the deadline with an old-school mentality of waiting on deals when we had the leverage of a team playing well and in good position to address the real issues that were obvious even in January. Whereas now that we’re up against the deadline with the team not playing well for two months and Jack likely out for weeks, clearly the leverage isn’t on our side.

I don’t want to hear that deals weren’t out there in January, clearly they were given all the trades that were done right before the Four Nations tournament. Plus Fitz deserves less of the benefit of the doubt now after waiting too long last year to address a season going up in smoke. Not that his moves have even been working out lately, indeed his contract signings have become more questionable from minor deals like giving Kurtis MacDermid THREE years to play 120 minutes (over twenty-one games) to giving Haula three years last offseason, which looks at least two years too long – never mind the Ondrej Palat deal, which was understandable at the time but clearly hasn’t worked out given we’re in year three of the deal and arguably haven’t had one fully good season from him.

And while his trade for Markstrom this offseason has worked in spite of the fact Kevin Bahl’s playing major minutes in his first season in Calgary, his blockbuster for Timo two years ago hasn’t exactly gone to plan. Even apart from individual moves though, Fitz has clearly changed the direction of the team and not always for the good. Two years ago we were a small, skilled, fast team – clearly not physical or big enough to withstand long playoff runs but at least good enough to win regular season games consistently in 2022-23, and even a playoff series (which would be borderline miraculous this year to be honest).

Instead of merely adding in pieces to replace the departed and fill in around the blueprint already in place, Fitz completely revamped the blueprint and now we’re a slower, more prodding team with a more conservative defense. Not that I would have wanted him to pay the freight to keep guys like Damon Severson and Ryan Graves, or really blame him for trading John Marino after he was one of the players who fell off last season but there was clearly a price to be paid replacing them all with clear stay-at-home guys like Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and Jonathan Kovacevic. You could definitely argue that Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Boqvist were expendable or in Sharangovich’s case, not worth the money Calgary gave him as an RFA this year but they were replaceable players who weren’t replaced. Sharangovich turned into Tyler Toffoli, who turned into a big gap in the top six this year. Bringing back Tatar as a middle six stopgap was a sentimental play that hasn’t worked out.

Part of not being able to replace guys who left goes back to drafting and development, which has been objectively poor in recent years. It’s hard to know whether to blame the former or the latter primarily but when you do see guys like Mercer and Nemec regressing it might be more of the latter, even if there have clearly been poor high first-rounders in recent years like Alex Holtz and Chase Stillman and a questionable process in drafting even more big and slow guys this year.

In summation, this team in its current state is your mess Fitz, nobody else’s. Now start fixing it, before you lose your chance to do so, which may well happen if this team crashes out of the playoffs this year.

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Quick Pitches 63rd Career Shutout in Rangers win over Predators

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Derek

A day following the trade that sent Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Avalanche, the Rangers got a vintage performance from Jonathan Quick in a 4-0 win over the Predators. After hardly being tested the first two periods, Quick stopped 19 shots in the third period on his way to pitching the 63rd shutout of his career.

It was another reminder of how brilliant Quick’s been throughout his Hall of Fame career. Even at 39, the winningest netminder in American history continues to get the job done for the Rangers, who bounced back from a tough loss on Friday to gain some valuable ground in the playoff race. By winning over the Predators, they pulled within two points of the Red Wings for the second wild card. They have 64 points with 22 games remaining. The Senators also have 64 points but have played one less game. The Red Wings have 66 points and 22 games left. It’s anyone’s guess what will happen over the final home stretch.

For at least two periods, the Rangers didn’t need Quick to do much. Facing the league’s biggest disappointment, they jumped all over the Predators in a dominant first period that saw them outshoot Nashville 15-6. Justus Annunen did his best to keep the Predators in the game.

It marked the debut of both Juuso Parssinen and Calvin de Haan. Acquired from Colorado on Saturday, Parssinen wore number 71 and centered the third line. De Haan wore his trademark number 44 and paired up with Zac Jones. Each had a positive impact on the victory.

With the game still scoreless, de Haan made a nice recovery to take away a puck in the neutral zone. That led to Alexis Lafreniere making a good cross-ice feed that sent Artemi Panarin in for a slapshot that beat Annunen upstairs for a 1-0 lead. Not known for his offense, the defensive-minded de Haan picked up an assist in his first game as a Ranger. He entered play with seven assists in 44 games with the Avalanche. The 33-year-old veteran acquitted himself well finishing a plus-1 in 16:26 of even strength time.

Prior to Panarin snapping a six-game goal drought, Matt Rempe was called for an elbowing minor on Cole Smith. The much bigger Rempe came in with speed and delivered a glancing blow that sent Smith down to the ice. He was immediately challenged by Andreas Englund, who gave Rempe a bloody nose. Rempe received five minutes for fighting and two minutes for elbowing. Englund received five minutes for fighting, two for instigating, and a 10-minute misconduct. There was no loss of manpower.

With the Rangers ahead by one, the Predators put them on the power play just 26 seconds into the second period. After he drew a tripping minor on Jonathan Marchessault, Mika Zibanejad combined with Panarin on a nice passing play that led to Miller scoring a beautiful goal on a backdoor cut to the net. The goal was Miller’s sixth as a Ranger in 10 games. He continues to deliver since the trade with the Canucks.

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Miller was at it again when he hooked up with K’Andre Miller who cut in and scored a beauty for his fifth goal that made it 3-0. After he received a pass from Zibanejad in the neutral zone, Miller skated into the Predators’ zone and drew two defenders before sliding the puck to a cutting K’Andre Miller who broke in and beat Annunen with a wicked backhand.

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The Rangers remained in control up 3-0 after two periods. The third was a different story. Unlike the previous 40 minutes, the Predators played with more energy. They came out and were aggressive.

After he broke in on a two-on-one and was stopped by Annunen, Sam Carrick banged into the Predators netminder to go off for goalie interference. Although they didn’t score on the man-advantage, the Preds gained momentum from it. Quick came up with his best save when he stole a goal from Marchessault by making a scorpion save. It wasn’t the only time he bailed his teammates out. They got sloppy in the third period. But Quick was there to deliver the big saves.

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As the shots piled up, Quick continued to give the Predators nothing. Their best wasn’t good enough. The Rangers were thoroughly outplayed in the period, getting outshot 19-6. It didn’t matter. They had the better goalie.

On a night when Parssinen played with Brennan Othmann and Jonny Brodzinski, another young Blueshirts forward got rewarded to put the game away. Brett Berard just returned to the team from the Wolf Pack. With the Rangers sitting out Reilly Smith for “trade related reasons,” Berard returned to the lineup. He played mostly with Carrick and Rempe on the checking line.

As usual, Berard was noticeable. On with Vincent Trocheck and Carrick for a late shift, he buried his fourth from in front to put the game away. Following a Trocheck faceoff win, Carrick found Berard open for the final goal that came with 3:03 left.

After swatting aside a couple of more late attempts from the Predators, Quick was congratulated by excited teammates. It was his third shutout of the season. He continues to prove that he can still get it done. The Rangers needed it. They’ll face the Islanders on Monday night in another must win game.

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Rangers Trade Warrior, Lindgren to Avalanche in Five-Player Deal

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Derek

A day after dropping a tough one-goal game to the Maple Leafs, the Rangers decided to move on from another core piece. On Saturday, they traded Ryan Lindgren to the Avalanche in a five-player deal that saved them $1.475 million in cap space.

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A popular player in the locker room, Lindgren became a first pair defenseman after being acquired from the Bruins as part of the Rick Nash deal on Feb. 25, 2018. Seven years later, the 27-year-old former Bruins 2016 second round pick was sent with Jimmy Vesey, and defense prospect Hank Kempf to the Avalanche in exchange for Calvin de Haan, Jusso Parssinen, and conditional 2025 second round and fourth round picks.

In order to accommodate the Avalanche, the Rangers retained half of Lindgren’s $4.5 million salary to help them save money. Colorado is going for it. From their standpoint, it made sense to add a proven veteran in Lindgren who plays the game with a lot of intensity.

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Nicknamed The Warrior, he will supply depth to an Avalanche blue line that isn’t exactly the strongest. Unlike the situation in New York City, he won’t have to play as big a role. The Avalanche feature All-Star duo Devon Toews and Cale Makar on the back end. An lower-body injury that’s kept Josh Manson out since Feb. 4 might have been the reason that Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic made the move for Lindgren. The Avs had a need in their lineup for a hard-nosed player who has a wealth of experience.

While it’s true that the taxing style was starting to show leaks in his defensive game, perhaps going to Colorado can reenergize Lindgren, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Never the best skater or the biggest defenseman, he was successful due to sheer will and determination. If you needed a big hit or diving block, Lindgren provided it for the Rangers. The guts he played with made him a fan favorite. Even if a few sour apples turned on him due to a predictable decline in his play. It isn’t easy to play those hard minutes. As often happens, classic overachievers like Lindgren play battered and bruised in big games. It took its toll.

When the Rangers became one of the league’s best teams, they were led by the tandem of Lindgren and Adam Fox. They played virtually every game together until coach Peter Laviolette experimented with K’Andre Miller and Fox at the start of this season. Eventually, Lindgren and Fox were put back together. They had chemistry due to having worked together for USA in the World Juniors. Fox provided the speed, skating and offense while Lindgren supplied the grit and physicality. A lot of the team’s success was due to Lindgren and Fox. When they appeared in two Eastern Conference Finals, it was with No. 55 and No. 23 as the top pair, followed by Miller and former captain Jacob Trouba.

Now, the Rangers have turned the page. Team president and general manager Chris Drury continues to remake a roster that has to be changed. Trouba went to Anahaim for Urho Vaakanainen. Will Borgen replaced Trouba after coming over from Seattle for Kaapo Kakko. With Fox sidelined due to an upper-body injury, the blue line will continue to look different. In adding veteran lefty de Haan, they get a no-frills player who is solid in his end. De Haan makes $800,000 on an expiring contract.

Ironically, in his final season as a Ranger, Lindgren tied a personal best in assists (17) and set a career high in points (19). However, his plus/minus (1) was way down from recent years. Giveaways were way up with a career worst 55. He still averaged 19:56 per game while used both at even strength and on the penalty kill where he was an asset. It’s often those blood and guts guys who make the best penalty killers. That was true of both Trouba and Lindgren because they sacrificed their bodies for the cause. The Rangers now have Borgen playing a similar role but need more out of Braden Schneider, who has struggled.

For Vesey, he finally gets a change. He wasn’t playing consistently for Laviolette, but still handled himself like a pro. In a recent 5-3 win against the Penguins, he returned to the lineup and had a goal and assist on Feb. 23. Less than a week later, Vesey will join Lindgren in Colorado on a playoff contender.

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A year earlier, the well-respected veteran forward was part of a good fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Matt Rempe. After notching 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points, he finished with only four goals and two helpers in 33 games this season. The 31-year-old is a solid checking forward who can kill penalties. He lost that role to emerging forward Will Cuylle, who scored his second shorthanded goal against the Maple Leafs on Friday night.

Similar to former Blueshirt Kakko, Vesey voiced his displeasure about his role under Laviolette, who’s made some puzzling decisions with the lineup. That included stapling Rempe to the bench along with rookie Brennan Othmann in the 3-2 regulation defeat against the Leafs to conclude February. Along with Jonny Brodzinski, they’d shown more than either Artemi Panarin or the ghost of Alexis Lafreniere, who didn’t establish himself in 20 minutes. Unlike last year when the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy, minutes aren’t earned at The Garden. Accountability is out the window in Year 2 under Laviolette. Or is that Gerard Gallant in disguise?

For the Rangers, they added a third pair defenseman and a bottom six center who they hope can untap his potential. Parssinen is the key to the deal. A former Predators 2019 seventh round pick, the 24-year-old Finn is considered a checking forward who can excel defensively. If he can fulfill that role under the bright lights, then he could be a valuable player.

It’s the second time he’s been dealt this season. The Avalanche acquired Parssinen from the Predators on Dec. 28, 2024. In 22 games, he posted two goals and four assists with all six points coming at even strength while averaging 9:47 a night. He also added 41 hits. Parssinen’s best year was as a rookie when he had six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 2022-23 with the Predators. He hasn’t been in the league that long. Maybe it’ll click in Manhattan. That depends on how he’s used by the wishy washy Laviolette.

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Here are the conditions on the picks. The Rangers will receive the higher second round pick between the Hurricanes or Rangers pick. The Rangers will receive the better fourth round pick of the Avalanche or Canucks.

Basically, it comes down to Parssinen (restricted free agent) and the two picks who won’t be here for years. On paper, it sounds like a decent return for a player they weren’t re-signing. Lindgren will have a chance to help the Avs win. He’ll be cast in a different role under Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. That might be a better fit.

While I’m not crazy about the return, it opens the door for Zac Jones to play even when Fox comes back healthy. Jones has made it no secret that it’s been a challenging season for him. He went from playing with Schneider on the third pair to being the odd man out. Now, he’s slated to play with Schneider for Sunday’s game against the Predators. He was a minus-1 in 15:54 in his return to the lineup yesterday. God forbid Laviolette try Jones on the first power play unit instead of using five forwards.

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If they really think so highly of Parssinen, I’d try him on the third line. I can’t imagine Laviolette will break up Brodzinski, Othmann, and Rempe. They seem to have good chemistry.

With Chris Kreider placed on the injured reserve, the Rangers recalled forward Brett Berard from Hartford. In his first stint, he had three goals and four assists for seven points in 19 games. My guess is that once Reilly Smith is traded before next week’s deadline, Berard will replace him in the lineup. However, what about Arthur Kaliyev? Is he already the odd man out? Nothing about this season makes sense. Nobody knows what Drury and the organization are thinking.

In some related news, the Predators traded Gustav Nyquist back to the Wild for a 2026 second round pick. A similar type player to Smith, that should set the market for Smith, who’s managed to put up 10 goals and 19 assists. That’s better than Nyquist, who had 20 points with the Predators before he was dealt. Smith turns 34 in April.

There’s six days left until the March 7 trade deadline. As it draws near, we’ll see more players getting moved. The Rangers should remain active.

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Rangers Lose Fox to Upper-Body Injury

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Derek

The Rangers will be without Adam Fox for a while. During last night’s 5-1 win over the Islanders, he exited the game after landing awkwardly on his shoulder while taking a penalty.

After being evaluated by the team, it was announced that Fox would be placed on the injured reserve. According to Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports, the belief is that he’ll return before the end of the season.

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A former Norris winner, the 27-year-old Fox leads all Rangers defensemen in scoring with 48 points this season. His 43 assists pace the Blueshirts.

Even in what’s been a down year, Fox was carrying the team offensively from the blue line. He picked up an assist last night to extend his point streak to seven (2-6-8). Without him available, the Rangers lose their only offensive defenseman. Remarkably, Fox’s defensive partner Ryan Lindgren ranks second among Rangers defensemen in scoring with 19 points. Lindgren picked up a pair of helpers against the Islanders.

It’ll be a next man up mentality. Urho Vaakanainen had his best game as a Ranger finishing with a goal and two assists in the win on Tuesday night. A third pair defenseman, he’s been playing with Braden Schneider. Considering that they both had good games, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette probably will keep them together for Friday’s home game against the Maple Leafs.

With Fox going down, this opens the door for Zac Jones to return to the lineup. A good skater who’s capable of contributing offensively, he could possibly fill the void on the power play. In 28 games, Jones has a goal and seven assists. If he’s used by Laviolette, Jones could shift over to the right side.

The Rangers recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson from Hartford. A former second round pick, he’s yet to make his NHL debut. At this point, what do they have to lose? That could depend on whether K’Andre Miller is ready for the next game. He left last night’s game in the second period. He’s still being evaluated.

The loss of Fox certainly could impact the Rangers’ playoff chances. With 24 games remaining, someone will have to shoulder the burden. It won’t be easy.

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