The Case Of Shesterkin

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Derek

Earlier this week, Igor Shesterkin reportedly rejected the Rangers’ contract extension offer of eight years, $88 million. NHL insider Kevin Weekes broke the story on Twitter.

It isn’t shocking that Shesterkin turned it down. Ever since Mollie Walker of the New York Post speculated that he wanted to be paid as high as $12 million per year back on June 2, it looks like his camp is hellbent on redefining the goalie market. For that reason, they weren’t pleased that the Rangers’ offer on Tuesday was leaked. It happens. The business side of sports can get complicated.

Following making 29 saves to become the first Rangers goalie to record a season opening shutout since Gump Worsley on Oct. 9, Shesterkin declined to comment on his contract status. The time for that was before the season started. Now, it’s all about what happens. There’s an 82-game schedule to play first. The Rangers must still prove they’re one of the league’s best. The playoffs are a long way off.

Shesterkin knows that he must prove he’s worth the contract he wants. The former Vezina winner hasn’t been able to match the gaudy numbers he put up in 2021-22. In his first full season as the starter, he went 36-13-4 with a 2.07 goals-against-average (GAA), .935 save percentage and six shutouts. He followed that up by posting a 2.59 GAA and .929 save percentage in the 2022 postseason – taking the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final. They were a goal or two away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

Somewhat predictably, his level came back to earth. In 2022-23, he won 37 games and posted a 2.48 GAA and .916 save percentage. Last season, he won 36 games and had a 2.58 GAA and posted a career worst .912 save percentage. But he was much better in the second half – carrying his hot play into the playoffs. At times, he was impossible to beat. After backstopping the Rangers past the Hurricanes in a closely fought Metropolitan Division Final, he was even better against the Panthers. However, the offense dried up due to the Panthers’ dominance at even strength. Ultimately, his heroic goaltending wasn’t enough. Florida defeated New York in six games – going on to win the Stanley Cup over Edmonton.

How Contemporaries Stack Up

Considered by many to be the game’s best goalie, Shesterkin has some ammunition. A few of his contemporaries received raises.

In the summer, Juuse Saros signed an extension with the Predators that’ll pay him a $7.74 million cap hit thru 2032-33. He’s making $5 million this season. The 29-year-old has been a starter as long as Shesterkin. He took over for Pekka Rinne. While Saros has never won a Vezina, no starting goalie is a bigger workhorse than him. He’s led the league in games played the last three seasons. Saros has finished in the top five for Vezina the past three years. He was third in 2021-22. Due to playing in Nashville, Saros took a little less money. Even so, he’s a bargain.

Most recently, Jeremy Swayman was in a contract dispute with the Bruins. The 25-year-old netminder finally agreed to an eight-year contract worth $66 million. With less experience as a starter, he cashed in. His cap hit is $8.25 million. Swayman’s best season was in 2023-24 when he set personal bests in games played (44), games started (43), and wins (25). He’s won 80 games over a five-year career.

Linus Ullmark won the Vezina as a Boston Bruin in 2022-23. He went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 GAA and .938 save percentage during the Bruins’ record-setting season. He was unable to duplicate that success in a disappointing first round series loss to the Panthers. Ullmark still put up respectable numbers last season. He won 22 games while posting a 2.57 GAA and .915 save percentage. But Swayman was the number one goalie. With the Bruins aware that they couldn’t keep him due to Swayman, they dealt him to the Senators in the off-season for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first round pick.

In the final season of a contract with a $5 million cap hit, the 31-year-old Ullmark signed a four-year extension for a $8.25 million AAV thru 2028-29. While he isn’t considered in the same category as Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Sergei Bobrovsky, Ilya Sorokin, or Jake Oettinger, he’s won 139 games while posting a 2.50 GAA and .919 over his career. He improved after leaving the Sabres. Doesn’t everyone?

For his career, Shesterkin has 136 wins, a 2.42 GAA, .921 save percentage and 16 shutouts. Excellent numbers that help his case. Some pundits have argued whether or not he’s worth four million more than Swayman. He’s more established and has taken the Rangers to two Final Four appearances. Let’s see how Swayman performs now that he’s the man in Beantown.

Pressure Is A Privilege

They say pressure is a privilege. That’s true. For the world’s greatest athletes, they have the ability to raise their level when the spotlight is on. Shesterkin has done his part in two of the last three postseasons. He also didn’t get much help from teammates in a forgettable seven-game first round elimination to the Devils in 2022-23.

By now, it’s been repeated as much as the scene in Groundhog Day when Phil keeps waking up and slamming the alarm clock at 6 AM. The Rangers are in it to win it. It doesn’t just fall on one player. Shesterkin is the most important one due to the position he plays. Teammates know how much he means to their chances. Without him, it would be unrealistic to think that the Blueshirts can win the Cup. He’s what Henrik Lundqvist was for better than a decade. Mike Richter did it in the 1990s, backstopping the franchise to a championship 54 years in the making.

With so much riding on the line this season, it’s do or die. It isn’t about Shesterkin’s next contract. He knows that. Whether it’s in the Big Apple or God forbid elsewhere, he’ll get his money. How badly does he want to win in New York City? He plays with passion and has an aggressive mindset. All you have to do is watch him come out to play a puck forward for a teammate to catch opponents in a line change. He has an active stick in the crease. He’s a very athletic goalie.

What’s The Scenario?

What if Shesterkin puts together another Vezina season, winning 40 games and leading the league in a few other categories? He’d be worth his asking price. What if the Rangers lose in the second round?

The biggest question is whether or not the Rangers get Shesterkin signed during 2024-25. If he’s fulfilling expectations, then Chris Drury will have no choice but to pony up. Imagine if there really isn’t any negotiations during the season. That would be the definition of insanity. It’s a scenario. Even if unlikely, you never know.

Realistically speaking, the organization knows that they can’t allow Shesterkin to get to free agency. If it ever came to that, they may as well say goodbye.

Panarin Money

When the Rangers signed Artemi Panarin to a seven-year contract that paid him $11.64 million, they made him the highest paid player in franchise history. The Bread Man has certainly been worth the money. In 391 games, he’s produced 149 goals, 314 assists, and 463 points as a Blueshirt. That included a career best 120 points (49-71-120) last season.

Despite performing better last postseason, Panarin struggled against the Panthers. His only goal came with Shesterkin on the bench to give the Rangers one final chance in Game 6. They were unable to force overtime. The knock on Panarin is that he doesn’t score enough in the playoffs. Had he done better along with Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers probably reach the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s no secret that Shesterkin wants Panarin money. He would love to become the highest paid player in Rangers history. He’ll turn 29 on Dec. 30. He’s in the prime of his career. If he was offered eight years at $11.7 million, would that be enough to keep him happy? My guess is we won’t know the answer for a while.

Whatever happens, his play will be a hot topic. At least we have the Mets and Yankees to distract us for a while.

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Rangers and Lafreniere Close To An Extension

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Derek

A day following their first victory of the new season, it looks like the New York Rangers are close to signing Alexis Lafreniere to a contract extension. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the two sides have made significant progress on a deal. They held some discussions during the summer.

The former 2020 top pick is fresh off a career season that saw him achieve personal bests in goals (28), assists (29), and points (57). Lafreniere backed it up in the playoffs by scoring eight goals and adding six assists for 14 points. Playing with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck brought out the best in the just turned 23-year-old. He celebrates his birthday later today.

In the Rangers’ season-opening 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, Oct. 9, Lafreniere got off to a quick start. He scored his first goal and had an assist for a two-point game. Considering the confidence he’s now playing with, it isn’t far fetched to see him put up 35 to 40 goals and top 70 points. The sky’s the limit. The skill he possesses makes him a dangerous player. Not considered the fastest skater, he makes up for it with good patience to get around defenders, like he did on his goal against the Penguins.

If the Rangers sign Lafreniere to a long-term extension worth in the neighborhood of $80 million for eight years, it would be a big investment. While he hasn’t reached the level of Seth Jarvis or Lucas Raymond yet, Lafreniere hasn’t had the chance to be featured on the first power play. He’s had to play second fiddle to established veterans.

As they prepare for their home opener against the Utah Hockey Club tomorrow night, Lafreniere begins 2024-25 on the second unit, which includes Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Reilly Smith, and K’Andre Miller. If the first unit that features Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Trocheck, and Adam Fox falters, Lafreniere will be the first player tried to give it a jolt. The Rangers went 0-for-2 on the power play in their first game.

Shesterkin Starts Well

Assuming a new contract gets done, the next order of business will eventually be focusing on locking up Igor Shesterkin. He reportedly wasn’t happy that news of him turning down an eight-year offer worth $88 million leaked out. Instead of worrying about becoming the highest paid player in Rangers franchise history, he made 29 saves to shut out the Pens – becoming the first Blueshirts goalie to record a shutout in a season opener since Gump Worsley.

What happens with Shesterkin will be a storyline. He can earn that lofty $12 million number by putting together a great season. It’s doubtful the Rangers would let the 28-year-old Russian reach the market next summer. None of it matters now. The primary focus is the team having success. There are bigger goals they want to reach.

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Rangers Dominate Season Opener

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Derek

The first game went about as well as can be expected. When the puck was dropped at PPG Paints Arena, it was all Rangers. They dominated the Penguins to easily win the season opener 6-0 on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

If it were a prize fight, the Pens trainer would’ve thrown in the towel. You wouldn’t have even known that they have one of the game’s all-time greatest players. That’s how easy it was for the Rangers. They made quick work of a flawed opponent that doesn’t look like a playoff team. Sidney Crosby can only do so much.

Before the game was even three minutes old, Jacob Trouba let go of a point shot that Sam Carrick redirected past Tristan Jarry for his first goal as a Ranger. Rookie Adam Edstrom was also parked in front. He played with Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski on the fourth line. Brodzinski picked up an assist on the goal.

A few shifts later, Will Cuylle thought he had his first. He took a nice pass from Kaapo Kakko and snapped a wrist shot from the right circle upstairs. However, the Penguins challenged for offside. In what looked like a very close call, the league ruled that the entry was offside to overturn the goal. It remained a one-goal game.

When the Pens did apply some pressure, they were stopped in their tracks by Igor Shesterkin. Making his first start in a contract year, he was sharp throughout. He made 10 saves in the first period. Shesterkin became the first Rangers goalie to pitch a shutout in a season opener since Gump Worsley in 1956.

With the Rangers still up one, Alexis Lafreniere scored his first of the season. After taking an Artemi Panarin outlet at center ice, he made a great one-on-one move to toe drag around and fire a laser past Jarry for a 2-0 lead.

Adding insult to injury, the Blueshirts struck again with a dozen seconds remaining in the period. Reilly Smith fed Trouba for a one-timer that Jarry couldn’t control. That allowed Chris Kreider to deposit the rebound for his first. That made it 3-0.

If there was any doubt, Filip Chytil erased it. At nearly the halfway mark, he took a Cuylle drop pass and fired home his first goal of the season. It was his first goal since Apr. 18, 2023. That came against the Devils in the first round that season. If it was an early indication, the third line looked good. Chytil had good chemistry with Cuylle and Kakko, who he knows well from the Kid Line days. That line will be a key to the season.

The best part is seeing the big smile on Chytil’s face. He plays the game with joy. His infectious personality can only rub off on teammates. Listening to Trouba who did a postgame interview with the NHL On TNT, they’re happy for him. Chytil has been through a lot. Hopefully, he can have the kind of season he’s always been capable of.

With Smith off for hooking Crosby, Kreider turned Kris Letang into a traffic cone. Catching the Pens veteran defenseman flat-footed, he stole the puck and broke in for a shorthanded goal.

It was the 10th shorthanded goal he’s scored since being put on the penalty kill in 2021-22. Give former coach Gerard Gallant credit for that. He saw something in Kreider to use him in a different role. Given his speed, it’s worked out extremely well. The next shorthanded goal he scores will tie him with Mika Zibanejad and Walt Tkaczuk for fifth on the all-time franchise list. We’ll see if Zibanejad can get one before his sidekick.

With the game winding down, Panarin found Lafreniere wide open in front for a point blank chance. After Jarry made the initial stop on him, Pittsburgh native Vincent Trocheck steered home the rebound for his first to put the finishing touches on the victory.

Shesterkin made a couple of strong stops to preserve a 29-save shutout. It was exactly the way you draw it up. The Rangers took care of an inferior opponent. It’s kind of sad what’s happened to the Pens. But they’re an aging roster.

The Rangers next will face the Utah Hockey Club in Saturday’s home opener. That one will air on MSG. The final season for Sam Rosen. He was named the recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. Congrats to one of the good guys. Hopefully, it’ll be a memorable year.

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Rangers Preview: Cup or Bust

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Derek

When the puck drops on a new season against the Penguins later tonight, the Rangers will be under the weight of heavy expectations. After coming close in two of the past three years, it’s Cup or bust for a core that’s been together long enough.

How will they handle the pressure? For an Original 6 franchise that’s won only four championships in its history, it hasn’t been easy. Since 2011-12, the Rangers have appeared in five Conference Finals. Their record is 1-4. The only time they won an Easter Conference Final was in 2014 when they defeated the Canadiens in six games – reaching their first Stanley Cup Final since Mark Messier led them to the Cup in 1994. They lost to the Kings in as close a five-game series as possible. The less said about it, the better.

Two years after coming within two victories of defeating the Lightning, they fell to the Panthers in six last spring. It was another close call. Florida went on to win the Cup. In each series loss, the offense dried up. Despite superb goaltending from Igor Shesterkin, it wasn’t enough. The Blueshirts needed more from a talented core that includes Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. The trio picked the wrong time to go cold.

Since Panarin signed with the Rangers in 2019, they’ve become one of the league’s best teams. That also includes captain Jacob Trouba, who was acquired from the Jets that summer. He struggled throughout the 2024 postseason. Trouba wasn’t quite the same after returning from a broken ankle. His decline last season made him a trade candidate over the summer. But Chris Drury was unable to move him due to Trouba’s desire to remain in the Big Apple for his family.

Aside from that, now there’s the Shesterkin issue. He rejected an eight-year contract extension worth $88 million that would’ve made him the highest paid goalie in league history. The 28-year-old netminder is determined to get more. It could just be that he wants to become the highest player in Rangers franchise history. Panarin is currently that player with a cap hit of $11.64 million. His contract expires in 2026. If Drury were to offer $11.7 million to Shesterkin, would that get it done? His asking price is said to be $12 million. A figure that was first reported by the New York Post.

For the Blueshirts, none of this matters. They have a job to do. The business side of hockey will take care of itself. Shesterkin can earn that new contract by performing better than he has the last two seasons. That means a better start. It begins against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Whatever happens in 2024-25 will decide whether or not a close-knit group remains together next summer.

FORWARDS

The core is led by Panarin, whose 49 goals and 120 points were career bests last season. His line with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere remain together. They carried the offense by dominating at even strength. Lafreniere is coming off his best season, in which he achieved personal bests in goals (28), assists (29), and points (57). If he can continue that trend, he will get a hefty raise next summer. With Lucas Raymond and Seth Jarvis signing big extensions, Lafreniere can put the onus on the Rangers. Trocheck also posted a career high 77 points while becoming one of the game’s best centers on faceoffs (58.7 pct).

Much of why they failed to get further can be attributed to Zibanejad and Kreider. More so Zibanejad, whose scoring slump really hurt. His failure to elevate his level at five-on-five has become a concern. A better season would go a long way to changing the narrative. Kreider remains a beast in front of the net, where he makes his living tipping in shots. Eighteen of his 39 goals came on the power play. He and Zibanejad have been inseparable since being put together. They now have a new right wing in veteran Reilly Smith. A former Golden Knight who was a key part of a Cup in 2022. He’s a good complement who’s defensively responsible. We’ll see if he can add a similar element on the top line.

Filip Chytil is a key to the season. Limited to 10 games due to his fourth concussion, he looked good in preseason. He will center the third line, which includes the gritty Will Cuylle, and Kaapo Kakko. Cuylle supplies the physicality. Kakko has yet to figure out how to score consistently. On a one-year deal, this could be his swansong. He really needs to produce. The health of Chytil is crucial. He must avoid the kind of hits that have plagued him. If he can perform, it would provide better balance than they’ve had. Too often, it’s hinged on the top six. That isn’t a successful formula.

Connor Carrick was brought in to replace Barclay Goodrow. It’s a tall task. But Carrick is a cheaper option who can center the checking line. He should supply energy and grit. Jonny Brodzinski finally starts the season with the big club. It’s well deserved for the 31-year-old vet. A versatile forward, he’s capable of playing all three spots and taking draws. While much of the fanfare continues to surround Matt Rempe, it’s been the play of Adam Edstrom during preseason that earned him a roster spot with Jimmy Vesey sidelined (LTIR). Edstrom’s skating, size, and soft hands make him a good fit. He’ll get to show what he can do. Rempe still must prove he can become a full-time regular. His size and strength make him a fan favorite due to the ferocious style he provides. He wants to be known for more than his fists.

DEFENSE

Adam Fox leads an experienced blue line. One of the game’s premiere defensemen, the former Norris winner remains an exciting player who can jump into the rush and make things happen. A terrific passer, he can find open teammates at even strength. He also doubles as the quarterback of the top power play unit. If there’s an area he’s improved on, it’s shooting the puck. He notched a career high 17 goals last season. The more he thinks shot, the harder it’ll be for opponents to defend him. Fox won’t have partner Ryan Lindgren for at least the first three games. Lindgren supplies the nuts and bolts, making life easier for Fox. He’s on a one-year, $4.5 million deal and can become a free agent in 2025.

Without Lindgren, K’Andre Miller will move up to play with Fox on the top pair. He remains a key to the blue line. He battled with inconsistency last season. Miller wasn’t pleased with 2023-24. Playing for a contract, he’s looking for a better season. At the moment, the Rangers’ matchup defenseman will also be featured on the second power play unit. Considering his responsibilities at five-on-five and on the penalty kill, we’ll see if he can handle the extra workload.

For the time being, Braden Schneider is being asked to shift to the left side. He didn’t look comfortable when tried with Fox in the preseason. He will start with Trouba on the second pair. Once Lindgren returns, Schneider can slide back to his natural side. He has more to give. Whether it’s teamed up with Miller on the second pair, or with Zac Jones, Schneider is another young player who’s being counted on.

All preseason, Jones proved that he’s ready to be a regular. His skating and offensive instincts will help improve team speed. If he can continue to improve, Jones has a shot to put up 30 points. Especially if he eventually replaces Miller on the second power play. He is good at getting his shot through and making things happen.

Victor Mancini was the biggest surprise of camp. He went from barely any pro experience to making the roster. A role opened up due to the Lindgren upper-body injury. However, Mancini had already opened eyes with his superb skating and relative calm with which he plays. How will he handle NHL speed? It isn’t preseason anymore. He’ll work with Jones on the third pair to start the season.

Chad Ruhwedel is a solid journeyman who’s capable of filling in when the situation needs it. He’s good insurance to have.

GOALIES

The Shesterkin stuff has already been examined. How he handles the pressure will determine his future. He turns 29 on Dec. 30. Considered one of the game’s best goalies, he’s looking to cash in. Why shouldn’t he want to get paid top dollar? He sure did his part last spring. He didn’t get any run support.

If he wants to stay a Ranger, then all he has to do is lead them to the promised land. If they broke a 31-year drought, there’s no way the Rangers wouldn’t show Igor the money. They don’t exactly have a heir apparent, either. Unless Dylan Garland suddenly proves he’s ready.

Jonathan Quick played so well last season that he signed on for another year. He’ll be hard pressed to duplicate the 18 wins he had. But he needs seven more to reach 400 victories for his career. Quick is a steady backup at this stage. When Shesterkin slumped last January, Peter Laviolette didn’t hesitate to ride the hot hand. It was Quick’s play that allowed Shesterkin to reset following the All-Star break.

COACH

Laviolette came in and did an outstanding job in his first season on Broadway. He changed the dynamic by making players accountable and adding a defensive system. The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy by going 55-23-4 with 114 points. A proven coach who’s won 807 games, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do for an encore.

If there’s an area he can improve on, it would be at not being afraid to roll the dice. Former Ranger Erik Gustafsson struggled against the Panthers in the third round. Instead of inserting Jones, he stuck with Gustafsson, who didn’t help Trouba one bit. Laviolette also refused to adjust the power play when it went cold. Lafreniere remains a candidate who should see time if the top unit has issues.

ANALYSIS

The Rangers should remain near the top of the Eastern Conference. They will get more competition from the Devils for the division. The Islanders also should be good and the Hurricanes can’t be discounted. It doesn’t matter if they finish first. It’s all about the playoffs. Anything less than a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals would be underwhelming. It’s a lot to ask from a group that hasn’t proven they can deliver a championship.

They’ll be very good. But things will come to a head. There’s too many dominoes that have to fall in place. I am not expecting it to happen.

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NHL Preview: Cup Winner Hard To Predict

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Derek

Entering the start of a new season, with the Devils and Sabres having already completed a two-game series over in Prague for reasons only known to the league, there isn’t a consensus pick to win the Stanley Cup. At least it doesn’t appear to be on paper. There are plenty of good teams who should be in the mix.

It’s too much to assume that the defending champion Panthers will become only the third team to repeat in the salary cap era. It’s been done by the Sidney Crosby-led Penguins and the Lightning, who said goodbye to franchise great captain Steven Stamkos (Predators). It’s impossible to keep a championship team together. The Bolts still have remaining core pieces Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. They replaced Stamkos with former Pen Jake Guentzel, who helped them win back-to-back Cups.

McDavid, Oilers Top the List

If there is a team that’s expected to seriously compete for the Cup, it’s the Oilers who top the list. Led by the game’s most dominant player Connor McDavid, they are loaded. With a cast that already features McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard, they added Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner.

It’ll likely come down to Stuart Skinner and a blue line that relies heavily on Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and the polarizing Darnell Nurse. McDavid is otherworldly – pulling away from teammate Draisaitl, Lightning’s Kucherov and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon to put himself into another category. If he can lead Edmonton to their first Cup since Mark Messier captained the franchise to a fifth in 1990, he’ll enter legendary status.

A Red and Black Army

Following a colossal disappointment, in which they failed to qualify for the postseason, leading to Lindy Ruff and Travis Green finding work elsewhere, the Devils made big changes. Former Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe is now in charge of a nucleus that features Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Dougie Hamilton.

Tom Fitzgerald made some good additions to beef up the lineup. They include Paul Cotter, and Brenden Dillon. Both have already had an impact in their first two wins over the all too predictable Sabres. Most importantly, they improved in net by trading for Jacob Markstrom. He should solidify the goaltending along with capable backup Jake Allen. A much better tandem than Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid were a year ago. Brett Pesce should be ready for the home opener against the Maple Leafs. He is a key addition to the back end.

If all goes well, the red and black army should be heard from next spring.

Do or Die for Blueshirts

Since they signed Artemi Panarin and acquired Jacob Trouba, the Rangers have become one of the league’s best teams. However, they still have yet to play for the Cup. They came close in both 2022 and 2024. Ultimately, they didn’t have enough to get past Tampa and Florida.

With Igor Shesterkin declining Chris Drury’s offer that would’ve made him the league’s highest paid goalie, it looks like a game of chicken has begun. If Shesterkin performs well, something will likely get done. So much for a ‘hockey insider’ all but assuring Blueshirt fans that there would be a new contract done before Wednesday night’s season opener.

So. There will be some distractions on 33rd and Seventh. It isn’t comparable to what the Messier led Rangers went through to finally erase a 54-year curse to win the franchise’s fourth Cup. It’s 30 years and counting since. The pressure is on for a roster that includes Panarin, Shesterkin, Trouba, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere. They have plenty of talent.

It’s a big year for K’Andre Miller, who can earn a hefty raise if he fulfills his own expectations after a down season. What if Shesterkin gets a King’s ransom and Lafreniere has an even better 2024-25? That isn’t a concern now. The Blueshirts are looking to reach the mountain and end another long drought. It’s do or die.

The Star in Stars

If there’s a very good team that’s been close, it’s the Stars. They certainly have the talent to deliver a second Cup to Dallas. They lost to the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. They lost to the Oilers in the Final Four last spring. They have the pieces to put it altogether.

Roope Hintz remains one of the game’s most underrated top pivots. He is a good playoff performer. Jason Robertson should return to scoring close to 40 goals. Wyatt Johnston might one day score 50. Miro Heiskanen remains an elite defenseman, who’ll probably never win the Norris due to how it’s voted on. Jamie Been is still around to lead a tough team that still features Tyler Seguin. It’s too bad that Joe Pavelski retired. What a career he had.

The Stars have enough scoring depth and balance to make a deep run. Jake Oettinger will determine their fate. Only 25, he’s looking for a big season in a contract year.

Hurricane Season

For half a decade, the Hurricanes have been on the cusp. Rod Brind’Amour remains one of the league’s best coaches. However, he’s never taken them out of the Eastern Conference. They were swept in two Conference Finals and twice lost to the Rangers in crushing fashion on home ice.

Sebastian Aho established himself as one of the game’s best centers. He was heroic in a six-game second round defeat last spring. If they hadn’t collapsed in the third period, they might’ve made history by coming all the way back from a 3-0 series deficit against the Rangers. It would’ve been all the more impressive without Pesce. They lost both Pesce and Brady Skjei (Predators, and let Guentzel go to Tampa.

There’s still a good nucleus. Seth Jarvis is one of the league’s emerging stars. He’s a complete player who plays in every situation. Andrei Svechnikov still hasn’t put together his best season. Neither has Martin Necas. That could change. Jordan Staal remains along with the underrated Jaccob Slavin. Expect Pyotr Kochetkov to supplant Andersen as the top guy in net.

How much will the Canes miss Pesce and Skjei? Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere can help. But they might suffer defensively.

Isle Be Seeing You

The Islanders will have a different look. Cal Clutterbuck is gone. Matt Martin is too. Both were well respected on and off the ice. Martin welcoming Rangers’ neophyte Matt Rempe at the Stadium Series was great. Both were good players who helped the Islanders come within reach of playing for the Cup.

Times change. Lou Lamoriello seems to finally be getting it. He waived Pierre Engvall, who had a ridiculous long-term contract. The arrival of Maxim Tsyplakov made him expendable. The KHL import looks like he can make an impact. Anthony Duclair looks promising with the cohesive duo of Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal. Duclair has been on eight teams. But he is a good skater who can net 25-30 goals.

Brock Nelson remains a consistent 30-goal scorer who provides strength at center, along with Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Kyle Palmieri rediscovered his scoring touch last season. Anders Lee is a shell of himself due to the gritty style he plays.

If Ilya Sorokin is fully recovered from back surgery, he’ll need a big bounce back year. He lost the job to Semyon Varlamov, who Patrick Roy rode. They remain a good tandem. If the defense led by Adam Pelech, Noah Dobson, and Scott Mayfield stays healthy, they’ll be a difficult team for opponents to face.

Rookie Watch

There are plenty of rookies to watch this season. They might not get the fanfare that Connor Bedard received. But there’s considerable young talent in the game. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith will both be players to watch on the rebuilding Sharks. Plenty of attention will be on Celebrini.

If you like college hockey, Cutter Gauthier should be a familiar name. The former Boston College standout forced his way out of Philadelphia in a trade to Anaheim last spring. He’s expected to be an immediate contributor on a Ducks roster filled with potential. Gauthier should challenge for the Calder Trophy.

Lane Hutson is a Canadien to keep an eye on. Similar to Gauthier, he took the college route by starring at Boston University for two years. He debuted with two assists in two games last season. Both Hutson and Gauthier are 20 entering their rookie campaigns. Along with the Stars’ Logan Stankoven, they should provide plenty of excitment.

Stamkos in Mustard?

It’s still a bit perplexing that Stamkos left the Lightning and signed with the Predators. Barry Trotz went on a spending spree by also adding Jonathan Marchessault and Skjei. All are getting paid big bucks to turn Nashville into a playoff contender.

By keeping Filip Forsberg and Juuse Saros, the Predators should be a formidable team. They play in the toughest division. The Central includes the Stars, Avalanche, Jets, Blues, and Wild. Only Minnesota missed the cut. The division could be even more chaotic with the Utah Hockey Club looking to break through.

The Preds boast Saros in net and Roman Josi on defense. Stamkos and Marchessault will bolster the scoring. Especially on the power play. Skjei is a good five-on-five player with a big shot. Nashville should be in the mix.

Do They Be-Leaf?

In Toronto, they’re banking on Craig Berube to finally do what Keefe couldn’t do. Take a super talented roster that now has Auston Matthews as the captain to the promised land.

Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, and John Tavares have never been past the second round. It’s hard to believe that Tavares is in the final year of his contract. Remember when he left the Islanders to come home? That feels like a lifetime ago. A year after scoring the biggest goal the Leafs have had in recent memory, he showed some signs of decline last year. He’s 34. What does the Nylander center experiment signal?

Joseph Woll has been handed the keys in net. Had he not been injured, they could’ve completed the comeback against Boston. Woll must prove he can be the man. Anthony Stolarz is a very capable 1b. It never seems to matter what the Leafs have on the back end. It’ll fall on the stars to deliver. Is this the season?

Emerging From the Pack

There are some teams who are emerging from the pack. One is Utah. And no. I’m not going to keep referring to them as the Hockey Club. Pick a name already. A core that features Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz, Mattias Maccelli, Josh Doan, and Sean Durzi should have no problem scoring goals.

Adding Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino can only help stabilize the back end. Connor Ingram is the starter who delivered last season. Can he duplicate it? If not, Karel Vejmelka will need a better year.

Utah promises to be exciting. Guenther will become their best finisher. Doan looks poised to have a good rookie season. Are they ready to return to the playoffs?

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, the Flyers have 2023 seventh pick Matvei Michkov ready to go. So much for the wait. Another fresh face with a bright future, the 19-year-old Russian looks to take the league by storm. If he lives up to the hype, Michkov will on highlight reels. He doesn’t turn 20 until Dec. 9. He’s super fast and skilled. He’ll also compete for the Calder.

Owen Tippett is capable of scoring 30 goals. Travis Konecny is an established star who does everything. The Flyers will need from captain Sean Couturier. Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink are key players.

Cam York and Jamie Drysdale patrol the blue line. Travis Sanheim is the defensive leader. Can they succeed again with Samuel Ersson and unproven Ivan Fedotov in net? We’ll see how much patience John Tortorella has.

All Apologies

We didn’t cover everyone. Apologies to the Canucks, and Golden Knights. Both are good. They have to play in the Oilers’ division.

As polished as Vegas is, there might be a changing of the guard in the Pacific. Edmonton’s talent is too hard to ignore. This isn’t to say that a Knights team led by Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Noah Hanifin won’t be good enough to challenge for the top spot. I can’t see Adin Hill or Ilya Samsonov preventing McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, and Bouchard from going bonkers. Those will be fascinating matchups.

Vancouver has a good roster. J.T. Miller has become the unquestioned leader. He’s their best forward. What if the Rangers didn’t throw him away in the Ryan McDonagh deal to Tampa? One can only wonder. Miller does it all for that team. They need Elias Pettersson to get back to being the star player he’s supposed to be. He was a no show last postseason.

Quinn Hughes is a remarkable player. He is the best of the Hughes Brothers at this juncture. Thatcher Demko starts again on the injured reserve. Arturs Silovs performed quite well last spring. Kevin Lankinen backs up until Demko is ready. Jake DeBrusk is a good addition up front. Thirty goals is possible for the former Bruin. Brock Boeser should continue to fill the net.

The Canucks must prove last season wasn’t a fluke. Without Demko and key grinder Dakota Joshua, they could start out slow. They should be heard from.

Bold Predictions

Let’s take a gander at the league through our crystal ball. It’s prediction time.

McDavid puts up 160 points. 50 goals and 110 assists.

Bouchard scores 28 goals and adds 70 assists for 98 points to win his first Norris Trophy.

After the Wild miss the playoffs again, Kirill Kaprizov becomes a trade candidate next off-season with a year left on a deal that pays him $9 million.

The Kings learn the hard way that banking on Darcy Kuemper won’t work. They miss the postseason.

Jesper Wallstedt eventually becomes the starter in Minnesota.

Necas sets career highs in goals (33), points (75) and power-play goals (12).

Despite Kucherov putting up another season over 100 points, the Lightning miss the postseason.

Led by Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto, and Jake Sanderson, the Senators reach the playoffs. Linus Ullmark makes a difference.

Guenther scores 28 goals for playoff bound Utah.

Inspired by the loss of Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets get off to a good start. They become a harder team to play against. They don’t finish last in the Metropolitan Division.

In a close race, Gauthier wins the Calder over Hutson and Michkov.

Adam Edstrom proves to be the better rookie than Matt Rempe for the Rangers.

After again failing to convert on his chances, Kaapo Kakko is replaced by Brett Berard on the third line. He finally gets traded to the Blackhawks for a third round pick.

Alex Ovechkin again struggles to score early on. He rallies to get 28 goals – leaving him 14 shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record. The Capitals finish last in the division.

The Flames become woefully bad, challenging for the lottery.

The Bruins fail to make it out of the first round.

The Maple Leafs fall to the Panthers in seven games to lose a hard fought second round series. Matthews proves he can perform by scoring five goals and adding five assists in the series.

After getting outdueled by Markstrom, Shesterkin shatters his stick in disgust. The Rangers are eliminated in the second round by the Devils in a crushing seven games. Chris Drury and Peter Laviolette are fired.

The Stars defy the odds by upsetting the Oilers in a rematch to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. They defeat the Panthers in five games to win their second Cup. The first in 26 years.

Johnston wins the Conn Smythe with 14 goals and 12 assists.

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Edstrom Makes Rangers Roster

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Derek

Nothing is official yet. But it looks like Adam Edstrom will start the year with the New York Rangers.

A 2019 sixth round pick, the 23-year-old forward had a strong training camp. Most notably, he scored a few goals while fitting in well on the fourth line. Last season, Edstrom appeared in 11 games for the Rangers, recording the first two goals of his NHL career.

A good skater for his size, the six-foot seven, 234-pound center was featured with Matt Rempe on the fourth line. They meshed well with former Blueshirt Barclay Goodrow to create an effective energy line. Now, it appears that Edstrom is ready to become a full-time player. His unique combination of size, skating, and touch should be an asset for a team that doesn’t have many skaters who bring that element. It was Edstrom who stood out most among the new young faces.

Blueshirts Make Cap Moves

On Monday, the Blueshirts made cap moves. In an effort to get an extra day of accrual, they assigned Edstrom, Will Cuylle, Brett Berard, and Victor Mancini to the Hartford Wolf Pack. The majority will be back on Wednesday for the season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Only Berard is expected to remain in Hartford.

As USA Today Sports reporter Vince Mercogliano noted in a previous tweet, the Rangers placed Jimmy Vesey on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). That means he will miss at least the first 10 games of the season. In doing so, it allows them to carry 13 forwards and seven defensemen.

Ryan Lindgren was put on regular injured reserve. He will miss at least seven days and still count against the cap. After they visit Pittsburgh, the Rangers will host the Utah Hockey Club and Detroit Red Wings. Lindgren won’t play any of the the first three. He’ll become eligible for the Rangers’ fourth game when they take on the Red Wings on Oct. 17.

Mancini Will Debut on Blue Line

As he displayed throughout preseason, Mancini proved that he belongs with the Rangers. With Lindgren out, a spot opened up on the back end. It was the steady play of the 2022 fifth round pick that stood out. He outplayed veterans Ben Harpur and Connor Mackey to earn it.

Mancini will make his NHL debut on the Rangers blue line. During a recent practice, he took rushes with Zac Jones. That’s how they could line up on Wednesday, Oct. 9. If they do, the 22-year-old from Saginaw, Michigan will play on the third pair. That was a long shot when camp opened.

Chad Ruhwedel would be the extra defenseman. A role he handled well following coming over from the Penguins. He’s a solid depth player who brings experience.

Panarin Declares Himself Ready

Artemi Panarin declared himself ready. Despite the Rangers pulling him from two preseason games due to a lower-body injury, Panarin will be in the lineup for their first game against the Pens.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Rangers’ top offensive player looks. Will there be any rust? Coming off an MVP caliber season in which he set personal bests in goals (49), assists (71), points (120), power-play goals (11), and shots-on-goal (303), what can the 32-year-old Russian dynamo do for an encore?

Panarin will be in his usual spot on the left wing with line mates Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. They had terrific chemistry last season – carrying the offense at five-on-five. One of the league’s best scoring lines, it’s Year 2. Panarin is the straw that stirs the drink. But both Trocheck and Lafreniere are coming off career years. They’ll be the focus.

Miller on Second Power Play Unit

At practice, K’Andre Miller was on the second power play unit. It’s a role he doesn’t have a lot of experience in. One-half of the Rangers’ shutdown defensive pair, Miller usually logs a ton of shifts at even strength against opponents’ best lines. He also doubles on the penalty kill.

Now, he’s being asked by Rangers coach Peter Laviolette to man the point on the second power play. At least for now, it’ll feature Miller, Lafreniere, Filip Chytil, Reilly Smith, and Kaapo Kakko. The hope is that they’ll contribute enough to become a good option. In recent memory, the Blueshirts have relied heavily on the top unit that includes Panarin, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Trocheck, and Mika Zibanejad.

If Miller struggles, Jones could replace him. He’s a player with good wheels and offensive instincts.

Othmann Assigned to Hartford

As expected, Brennan Othmann was assigned to Hartford over the weekend. He played in all six exhibition games. However, he never showed enough consistency to seriously be considered.

Had he performed well, where would he have played? They brought in Smith for the first line. Kakko was brought back on a one-year deal worth $2.4 million. There wasn’t a top nine role available. At 21, Othmann is still learning. There’s still a lot of room for growth. It’s better for his development to play top line minutes with the Wolf Pack.

Is it disappointing that he’s not further along? No. Not every first round pick is ready right away. Things can always change. Much depends on how Kakko starts. However, Othmann won’t be the first player recalled. Instead, it’ll be Berard, who impressed Laviolette during camp.

Berard will be someone to follow during the season. He brings a lot of energy and can play in any role, including the penalty kill. He’s a year older than Othmann. Having experience at Providence College helped prepare him for the pro style.

Games Return on Tuesday

On Tuesday, games return. Unlike the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, who already started their seasons with a two-game series in Prague over last weekend, the rest of the league will finally get going this week.

There will be six teams in action tomorrow. The Seattle Kraken will host the Saint Louis Blues at 4:30 EST. The Chicago Blackhawks begin their season by visiting the Utah Hockey Club at 10 EST. That should be exciting. Connor Bedard begins his second year. Utah has a promising roster full of young talent capable of reaching the playoffs.

The Boston Bruins are supposed to visit the defending champion Florida Panthers at 7 EST. However, it’s likely to be postponed due to Hurricane Milton. It’s expected to be a category 5. Please keep all the Florida residents in your thoughts.

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Devils take both overseas games with back-to-back dominant performances

Posted on October 6, 2024 by hasan4978

Ever since this cross-continent beginning of the season was announced, with the fact Lindy Ruff was named coach of the Sabres just days after the 2023-24 season, I was a bit anxious about having to play two games with them right off the bat. Clearly the nightmare scenario was to lose them both and get trolled with the fans (including me) being restless at the home opener on Thursday, while the boring scenario would have been a split – and of course the dream scenario was obviously to win both and take a big step toward burying the disappointment and bad feelings from last season.

Thankfully for my sanity, it was the latter – and to be honest neither game was really that stressful. True, the Devils fell behind in the second period of the Saturday game and were still tied after two before breaking loose with two third-period goals to cement the sweep, but a bit of the pressure had been taken off after the 4-1 romp in the Friday opener anyway. Perhaps the best sign from the weekend was the fact the Devils themselves certainly weren’t satisfied with a split though.

Certainly this team lacked a business-like approach last year when they lost to bad teams frequently and couldn’t put any sustained winning streaks together. And while they didn’t win by as many Saturday, they did play better from start to finish – but let’s start with Friday’s game first. One of the main themes of opening…afternoon was the fact a lot of the new guys made immediate contributions. Start with Jacob Markstrom in goal, as he made 30 saves including some key ones in the first period, including this highlight-reel one on Nicholas Aube-Kubel:

While anyone can make a highlight reel save, sometimes it’s about just not allowing the back-breaking soft goals to get past which was more the problem with our goaltending last season – and really throughout the whole Tom Fitzgerald era other than 2022-23 where they magically got good goaltending from a now-journeyman vet (Vitek Vanecek) and a raw rookie (Akira Schmid). Markstrom couldn’t be faulted on the only goal he allowed to Owen Power in the third period after a rebound and quick feed by Jason Zucker from behind the net, and he kept the door shut after that.

Of course, Markstrom was far from the only newcomer to make his mark on the opener – although you wouldn’t entirely call Stefan Noesen a newcomer, it was his first game back in a Devils uniform since 2019 – either way Noesen certainly made his presence felt by doing what he does, getting to the net and scoring off a feed from actual newcomer Johnathan Kovacevic, who also made a nice play to keep the puck in and find a wide open Noesen to open the scoring at 8:39. Kovacevic, not known for his scoring touch kept up a breakout first period by firing a seeing-eye wrister through traffic and getting his first goal as a Devil at 15:38, with assists going to d-partner Jonas Siegenthaler and Dawson Mercer. While he’s only been here a short time, clearly the kid is well-liked in the locker room as evidenced by his quasi-tongue in cheek nickname of Kovechkin in the first video clip above. At least for one period he did play up to that amalgamation.

After playing a fairly good opening twenty minutes, the Devils pressed their advantage – and it paid off with an early second-period goal to extend the lead with an unlikely line combination. Another fellow newcomer, Paul Cotter took a hard shot from the point that was saved, but Nathan Bastian corraled the loose puck and found a wide-open Nico Hischier in front at 3:29 of the second to give the Devils what proved to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

Admittedly some of that feeling was colored by the fact that while I had DVR’ed this game and stayed away from the result, I couldn’t resist the temptation to look up the final score once it got to this point in the game, wanting to immediately know if I was now going to be in for angst. Thankfully the answer was no, but from about that point on in the game really the action tapered off as the Devils played more conservatively – not allowing great chances but certainly not taking the play as much to Buffalo. Power’s goal at 10:07 of the third spoiled the shutout and I’m sure would have raised my eyebrows had I been watching without knowledge of how the game ended up, but to be fair there wasn’t much in the Devils’ play that would have made me too nervous anyway. Sure enough, they would seal the result for good when Bastian and Cotter shockingly combined for another goal at 17:28, albeit an empty netter that gave Cotter his first in a Devil uniform.

If you’re counting, that’s three new additions who scored three of the four goals, along with Markstrom being the winning goalie with thirty saves. Despite the Sabres outshooting the Devils 31-23, you never really felt too ill at ease after the first period. Sometimes the xG and ‘deserve to win meter’ which is popular among the kids doesn’t really tell the whole story. We did dominate both in the second game yesterday morning though, outshooting Buffalo 37-18 in more of a command performance despite not having forward Ondrej Palat who missed the latter game due to his wife giving birth to their second child. Our faceoff percentage even improved dramatically from 42.4% on Friday to 64.7% yesterday.

And yet…after a scoreless first period it was the Sabres who struck first in Game 2, literally moments after Jack Hughes was stopped on a two-on-one, it was Tage Thompson who scored on the other end after a net-mouth scramble for a loose puck at 8:18. As annoying as that was, like I said some of the pressure had been taken off winning the first game, and with the way they were playing I figured the game wasn’t going to end 1-0 or even 2-0. Sure enough just three minutes later we answered back with another quasi-new acquisition doing the honors. Obviously rookie Seamus Casey has been in our system since being drafted, but he’d only made his NHL debut the afternoon before and it only took him two games to score his first NHL goal, firing a pinpoint shot through traffic on a power play at 11:59, with Noesen and Erik Haula getting the assists on the rook’s milestone goal.

If there was one concern throughout the first five periods of the season, it was the lack of offense from key forwards Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier with all starting on a line together. When the game was on the line in the third period though, that changed quickly – albeit with some help from an ‘outside’ source, as Jack double-shifted on the fourth line and found an open Cotter, who beat goaltender Devon Levi with a nice move to give the Devils the lead at 7:18, and himself a second goal in two games. For the coup de grace, it was the whole first line that got into the act with Jack springing Bratt on an outlet, and Bratt’s wraparound attempt got Levi completely out of position for the rebound, which Meier banged home at 14:14.

Oh and while he didn’t have as much to do as Markstrom did the day before, Jake Allen also gave the Devils what they needed out of him – a solid backup performance with seventeen saves and also not allowing any shady goals. Solid goaltending, solid D, role players and stars all contributing? You really couldn’t have asked much more out of this weekend with two statement games and almost everyone getting in the act with no real injuries to speak of, in fact the Devils expect to have another newcomer join the lineup Thursday with Brett Pesce likely drawing in on defense. For who remains a question since everyone, especially the two likely #6 and #7 options in Kovacevic and Casey both played very well in Prague. Of course, as talented as the Sabres can be it’ll be a step up in class when we play the Leafs on Thursday for the real home opener.

Speaking of newcomers I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the ‘impact’ Brendan Dillon had early in the second game, laying out the kind of hit you haven’t really seen from a Devils defenseman since maybe Anton Volchenkov? I don’t even remember Volchenkov doing this a lot as a Devil tbh:

Not that it had any real tangible impact in the game (other than the borderline two minute penalty Dillon got for interference), but it’s the intangible impact that’s key here. For too long our defense has been quick but small, with no real physical presence at all. Bringing in the veteran Dillon was one of the new instruments Fitzy brought in to make this group closer to an orchestra than they’ve been in recent years.

Still, it’s early and bigger tests remain. At least they took a couple of steps toward putting last year in the rear view mirror now…sorry Lindy?

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Rangers Defense Gets Exposed Without Lindgren In Preseason Finale

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Derek

In what amounted to the final tuneup before the regular season, the New York Rangers were outclassed by the New York Islanders in an ugly 5-2 preseason loss in Elmont, New York.

Facing a full Islanders lineup, the Rangers were outplayed by a significant margin. The only player who showed up was Igor Shesterkin. If not for his goaltending in the first two periods, things could’ve been even worse. He made some great saves to keep his team in it headed to the third. But it didn’t matter. Eventually, the Islanders got two more goals to win handily. They erased an early two-goal deficit.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette inserted forgotten defenseman Matthew Robertson for the preseason finale. An injury early in training camp limited him to one full game. He got hurt in a previous appearance, which didn’t help his chances of making the roster. In 19 shifts that totaled 14:18 of ice time, he was up and down like the rest of the defense, which got exposed without injured starter Ryan Lindgren.

In desperate search for an answer to finding a suitable partner for Adam Fox, Laviolette tried both K’Andre Miller and then Braden Schneider. At least Miller looked like he’d played with Fox before. In the third, Schneider looked lost playing a different side. It was a failed experiment. Fortunately, we won’t have to see that pair from hell again. Speaking of which, Miller was back with Jacob Trouba for the last 20 minutes. He looked better with Fox, helping set up the Rangers’ only two goals.

With less than a week until the opening game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it doesn’t look like Laviolette has a solution to the Lindgren problem. If he’s out for a while, there isn’t an ideal fit to play with Fox. If he wants to go with skill, then Miller can work. They certainly play well off one another and control play in the offensive zone. Defensively, that could be an adventure. Fox needs a more physical partner to be consistent in his end. Unless they decide to stick Connor Mackey on the first pair, that’s out. The only other option is veteran Chad Ruhwedel. But he’s better suited for a third pair role. He’s basically a depth defenseman who can fill in.

Both Mackey and Victor Mancini sat out. The organization will make a decision soon. If they wanted to get an idea of how weak the defense is, it was on full display on Friday night. Nobody played well. The Islanders skated circles around them. That included the forwards, who didn’t establish much at even strength. They were busy turning over pucks and being spectators.

Brodzinski and Fox Get On The Board

Despite the Islanders dictating play, they couldn’t beat Shesterkin early on. He made a lunging save from the seat of his pants to take away a sure goal. With the Rangers’ goalie taking care of business on one end, that allowed them to surprise Semyon Varlamov with two fluky goals.

Matt Rempe helped create the first one. While Fox and Miller combined to find Johnny Brodzinski for an innocent looking shot in the slot, Rempe was parked directly in front of Varlamov. He couldn’t see a thing. Brodzinski’s shot took a crazy hop in the air and somehow went in to give the Rangers the lead.

A couple of minutes later, Fox took a Miller feed up up top and threw the puck towards the net for Filip Chytil. Instead, it banked in off Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Offensively, Fox had a goal and assist. It was a rough go defensively later in the contest.

Horvat Scores on Power Play

With less than three minutes left in the first, Sam Carrick was called for cross-checking Noah Dobson. That put the Islanders on the power play. Bo Horvat scored a power play goal.

On the play, KHL import Maxim Tsyplakov made a good read after moving the puck down low to Mat Barzal. He immediately drove to the net to screen Shesterkin. Barzal found Horvat open for a one-timer in the slot that cut it to 2-1.

Strong Isles’ Second Ties it Up

In the first part of the second period, the play was pretty even. However, Robertson cross-checked Oliver Wahlstrom. The Rangers had a strong penalty kill. Following it, the Islanders grabbed the momentum from the power play. It became lopsided in their favor. A strong second allowed them to tie it up.

While the Blueshirts had all kinds of problems holding onto pucks, the Islanders swarmed them with a relentless attack. In particular, Barzal and Horvat dominated shifts at five-on-five. Playing alongside Anthony Duclair, they were dangerous throughout the game.

On some extended time in the offensive zone, Barzal used his speed to turn around Miller and Matt Rempe. When he got behind the net, the Rangers were running around. Barzal patiently waited to make a nice pass for an easy Horvat one-timer into an open net with Shesterkin out of position. That evened the score.

It was Rempe’s responsibility to stick with Horvat. Initially, he made a good switch. However, he allowed Horvat to drift into open space for the easy finish. Both Miller and Trouba were on for the goal against.

With less than a minute remaining in the period, Will Cuylle held Noah Dobson. That gave the Islanders another power play. Once again, Barzal made them pay. Duclair and he worked the puck behind the net to Tsyplakov. He wisely sent the puck off Miller and past Shesterkin to give the Islanders their first lead.

Barzal Caps A Big Night

Barzal capped a big night late in the third period. He scored on a breakaway and then set up Duclair. He recorded a goal and four assists for a five-point night. He and Duclair look to have good chemistry with Horvat. That could be a potent scoring line.

If Tsyplakov looks as capable as he does, then the Islanders could have an improved offense. Especially with Brock Nelson centering the second line. If you had one takeaway, they looked ready for the start of the season.

Disappointing Finish

The Rangers didn’t. They looked disjointed. There was hardly any sustained pressure. No line looked good. Rempe had a bad game. He looked slow and was sloppy defensively. Zibanejad did absolutely nothing. Has anyone seen Reilly Smith? Brennan Othmann played in place of Artemi Panarin. Even that line with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere didn’t establish much.

Laviolette never tried anything different with the power play, either. Othmann couldn’t even get a shift on a five-on-four. Was it that important to play Brodzinski on the second unit? Even Cuylle would’ve been better.

It would be nice if there was some creativity. But we know there isn’t any room for Othmann or Brett Berard. Mancini is the best option to start in the top six. He won’t. He’ll be sent down. This is how the organization operates.

Having seen how out of sorts they looked without three regulars, maybe they won’t be great. We’ll see what happens once things get rolling.

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Mancini Makes A Case To Stay

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Derek

In the second game of a home and home preseason series between Hudson rivals, the New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-4 at The Garden. After falling to the Devils 3-1 due in large part to Jeremy Brodeur (29 saves), the Rangers iced more of their starting lineup at home.

That included Victor Mancini and Connor Mackey. Both defensemen are fighting for a spot on the roster. Each made a case to stay on Tuesday night. In the win, Mancini and Mackey scored goals to improve their chances of making it.

Late in the second period, with the game tied, Mancini took a feed from Bo Grouix at the top and then skated into open space and fired a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Devils goalie Isaac Poulter to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

In 18:25 of ice time, Mancini had a goal and finished with a plus-2 rating. For a player who doesn’t have much pro experience, he’s continued to look good during training camp. He looks very poised and under control. His skating certainly is an asset. Maybe the Rangers might have something in the 22-year-old 2022 second round pick. At the very least, he’s making it hard on the organization. If they decide to send him down to the Hartford Wolf Pack, it’ll be so he can get more acclimated with the pro style game.

Mackey Helps Himself

A player who’s also competing for a roster spot on the Rangers blue line is Mackey. An older defenseman with valuable experience, he’s been busy during preseason. He had his third fight last night when he dropped the gloves with Nathan Legare early in the second period.

Aside from showing the physicality and toughness he brings, Mackey scored a goal to increase the Rangers’ lead to 4-2. On a play started by Brett Berard on the forecheck, he moved the puck over to Brennan Othmann. Othmann then found an open Mackey for a good wrist shot that went off the crossbar and in. The goal came 28 seconds after Mancini’s goal.

The 28-year-old Mackey isn’t known for his offense. Listed at six-foot three and 205 pounds, he brings some size and plays with an edge. In one appearance for the Blueshirts last season, he fought Brady Tkachuk in a game against the Ottawa Senators. That fight sparked the Rangers to a comeback win on Jan. 27.

At the time, they trailed 2-0. Following the bout with one of the game’s toughest players, the Rangers erupted for five goals. They scored seven unanswered to take the game 7-2. They were a different team following that victory.

Looking back on it, the Rangers weren’t playing well at the time. They’d gone through a tough time in January. They’d lost nine of 13 games. It was the final contest before the All-Star break. Mackey’s scrap against Tkachuk was a turning point. In his only game as a Blueshirt, he took some punches to wake up his teammates. It worked. When they returned from vacation, the Rangers were a different team. They’d go onto win the Presidents’ Trophy, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Florida Panthers in a hard fought six-game series.

Whether or not Mackey makes the current roster depends on how Rangers coach Peter Laviolette and the coaching staff view him. He isn’t the fastest skater. But he’s a left defenseman who capable of filling in on the third pair. With Ryan Lindgren unavailable for next week’s season opener versus the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9, the organization knows that they’ll need someone to help fill the void. Along with Mancini, Mackey is a good candidate to make the team.

Jones Keeps Rolling Along

If there’s been on constant during camp, it’s been the consistency of Zac Jones. The 23-year-old defenseman has looked good throughout the preseason. A key depth player on the back end in 2023-24, he got into a career high 31 games. That included establishing career bests in goals (2), assists (7), and points (9). Although he didn’t see any action last postseason, Jones’ impressive play was good enough for the organization to let Erik Gustafsson sign with the Detroit Red Wings. Now, he’ll finally get the chance to become a regular.

An extremely smooth skater with good speed, Jones can quickly transition up the ice. A skilled player who isn’t shy about jumping into the rush, the former University of Massachusetts product has demonstrated that in three appearances during exhibition. Playing with confidence, he’s scored and set up goals. That continued against the Devils last night.

With the game scoreless over six minutes into the first period, it was Jones who had his shot from the left point tipped in by Kaapo Kakko for a goal. He made a good read and then got his shot through for Kakko to redirect past Poulter. He picked up the only assist on the scoring play.

With the game knotted at two in the second, Jones picked up a secondary assist on the go-ahead tally from Mancini. He recorded two assists and finished plus-3 in 20:18. That included over two minutes on the power play. At the moment, the coaching staff is looking at K’Andre Miller on the five-on-four. However, don’t expect that to continue once the season begins. Jones is a better offensive weapon, who’s better suited for that role. Figure him to eventually replace Miller on one power play unit.

Othmann Notches a Pair of Assists

In the victory, Othmann notched a pair of assists. Both were primary helpers that set up goals. He made two excellent reads to help create offense.

With the game tied at one in the second, Othmann was in transition with Adam Edstrom. Able to lead Edstrom with a good feed, he allowed the 23-year-old Swede to move in and put in his own rebound for a 2-1 lead. It was all created by Othmann, who is a promising offensive player.

Later in the period, he found an isolated Mackey at the left point for a goal that made it 4-2. Othmann isn’t shy about getting dirty. He’s got some grit to his game along with his skill. That should make him a good player once he reaches the NHL.

If there’s an area he can still improve on, it’s defensively. On a Devils goal scored by Kevin Labanc, he got caught puck watching. For Othmann, he’s likely to start his second pro season with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Without a top nine role, due to Reilly Smith and Kakko filling out the first and third lines, it’s better for his development to play more minutes in the American Hockey League (AHL).

As the year moves along, the organization can assess whether or not he’s ready to make the jump. Much could depend on Kakko. He needs to get off to a good start. Maybe the goal he scored will give him a confidence boost.

Edstrom All But Seals a Spot

By scoring yet another goal, Edstrom all but sealed a spot. He’s continued to use his size well. He also moves well for a big man. That was evident on the goal he scored to give the Rangers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He has soft hands.

Without Jimmy Vesey, the Blueshirts will start the season with a fourth line that features Sam Carrick and Matt Rempe. Jonny Brodzinski can shift over to play the left side. However, Edstrom’s unique combination of size and skill make him a good fit. There’ll be games when Brodzinski is inserted into the lineup for Rempe. Edstrom looks like a more capable player at this stage. It’ll be worth watching to see how things develop.

Panarin Leaves with Injury

Artemi Panarin made his first appearance since suffering a lower-body injury in a game last week. He didn’t last long. After taking four shifts for 2:25 of ice time, he left the game with an injury.

The Rangers haven’t indicated that it’s anything serious. However, it’s a bit of a concern that twice Panarin’s played in exhibitions and had to leave early. Even more puzzling is why they had to play him in the penultimate game of preseason. The Rangers had more starters in against a Devils B squad that was mostly made up of minor leaguers. It didn’t make much sense for them to play their best player.

With eight days to go before they begin the season in Pittsburgh, it would be wise for the Blueshirts to hold Panarin out of the final preseason match against the Islanders. There’s no point. It’s more important for him to recover and be ready for Game 1 of 82.

Labanc Pots Two for Devils

In a losing cause, Labanc potted two for the Devils. The former San Jose Shark is in on a pro tryout (PTO). A player who once recorded a career best 17 goals and 39 assists for 56 points, the 28-year-old Brooklyn, New York native has shown that he still has the skill that made him a top nine forward.

Labanc added a helper in the defeat for a three-point night. With the Devils main roster already preparing for two games against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, it remains to be seen if they’ll keep him. However, he still looks like a very capable player who can contribute offensively. Perhaps his strong showing will earn him a contract with an NHL team.

The Devils can always keep him around if they feel Labanc is worth having as an extra on the roster. They improved their depth by adding Paul Cotter and bringing back Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen. There might not be room for Labanc. He doesn’t belong in the AHL. If he doesn’t get a contract with the Devils, hopefully he signs elsewhere.

Preseason Concludes on Friday

The preseason concludes on Friday. As usual, it’ll be the Rangers and Islanders. Unlike previous years, it’ll be at UBS Arena in Elmont. They used to have the final game between the teams in Bridgeport where the Sound Tigers play. I liked that as it gave other fans a chance to see NHL talent.

Considering that the Rangers don’t play any games at AHL affiliate Hartford despite it being the former arena of the Hartford Whalers, I would’ve preferred the final tuneup be at Bridgeport. Oh well. The days of the little fan getting anything are over. It’s sad.

If you root for our team and attend games at Madison Square Garden, you know how bad it’s gotten. The escalating prices for tickets and food and beverages sums it up. It should be called the World’s Most Expensive Arena. Ever since the renovation, it’s gone downhill. I still enjoy going to games. But they’re becoming a rarity. Especially considering the current state of New York City traffic these days.

At least the much too long preseason is coming to an end. Where else can you find a sport that sees too many star players suffer serious injuries before it even starts? The NFL is on par with the NHL when it comes to that. They at least don’t play all the regulars more than a single game. Patrik Laine won’t even make his debut with the Montreal Canadiens until the winter. He has horrible luck.

If you’re in a fantasy hockey league, which I’m in three, you have to hold your breath. I’m sure Hasan gets the point. Nobody wants to draft players only to see them wind up on the injured list for an extended period. If teams want to prevent such scenarios, limit the amount of games played in September. Most regulars don’t need too many reps to get ready. It’s something to consider moving forward.

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Devils getting set to begin anew in Prague

Posted on October 2, 2024 by hasan4978

We’re now approximately almost two days away from the official beginning of hockey season – at least for the Devils and Sabres – and while I don’t remember there being any official roster announcement, you can pretty much tell what the final roster will or should be based on the twenty-six players who traveled to Prague. I assume there’s a bigger taxi squad because of the nature of this being an overseas trip and being next to impossible to ‘call anyone up’ if guys get injured this week. If you were going to boil this down to the likely 23-man roster for the home opener next week it likely wouldn’t include third goalie Nico Daws, either Nolan Foote or Shane Bowers on the fifth line, and either Colton White or Nick DeSimone on the fourth pairing.

Among the rest, there really are no surprises although at least there’s promising news per GM Tom Fitzgerald’s latest update on the status of Brett Pesce, indicating he would likely be ready for the home opener next Thursday. He didn’t make the trip overseas to focus on his rehab but at least he should be in the lineup when the team returns to the States, unlike Luke Hughes – who Fitz indicated was still approximately 5-7 weeks away. Hughes’ absence has at least opened the door for rookie preseason standout Seamus Casey to get a long look to begin the season.

Might as well segue into the defense portion of the season preview – it’s certainly a vastly different defense than the one we ended last season with given the additions of Casey, Brenden Dillon in free agency, Jonathan Kovacevic in trade and the return to action of Dougie Hamilton after missing the majority of the 2023-24 season with a torn pectoral muscle. Dillon should add some size and physical presence we’ve clearly lacked on the blueline for years. Kovacevic is also a big boy but is probably more of a stay-at-home type who analytics seem to have pegged as a good buy-low opportunity. Pesce is also a stay-at-home type who should help on the PK once he settles in the lineup. Casey will hopefully add more of the speed and quickness we will miss without Luke early in the season.

Not counting Dougie, our only returning starters from last year are Jonas Siegenthaler (who hopefully will rebound from a poor year) and second-year standout Simon Nemec, who should take on more responsibility in all phases of the game. Clearly though, Dougie’s the man to watch and the one we most need this year. For all our other issues last season – and god knows I’ve harped on them all – it’s not an accident the power play looked toothless last year once he went on the shelf, and the offense as a whole suffered. You can’t take a 22-goal, 74-point defenseman out of the lineup and not feel any impact, and the domino effect of his loss probably didn’t help everyone else who was still here. After all, where would the Devils have been in the 2023 playoffs without inarguably the most important goal of that postseason, with the team down 2-0 in their first-round series with the Rangers?

Of course, even an improved defense won’t matter as much if the goaltending doesn’t also improve. Other than 2022-23 where we got miraculous surges from Vitek Vanecek in the regular season and Akira Schmid in the playoffs, the goaltending throughout Fitz’s tenure has been consistently poor and/or injury prone, to be blunt. Both Vitek and Schmid imploded last year, and other than a brief spurt by Daws the Devils never really found any consistent goaltending from anywhere until it was too late. Sadly, last year has been more the norm in between the pipes than the exception.

Clearly feeling the heat after a disappointing 2023-24, Fitz overhauled the goaltending position up and down the roster. After bringing in Jake Allen via trade late last season to be a short-term backup, he finally reeled in long-rumored target Jacob Markstrom to be the primary goaltender for the next two seasons. Vanecek was offloaded late last season, followed by Schmid in the offseason as the organization – at least in the nearer term – is probably hoping for one of Daws or fellow AHL goalie Isaac Poulter to take the reins after the current vets leave. For now though, obviously Markstrom’s the man to watch and there’ll be pressure on him to produce.

Sidenote: I get a kick out of Cory being the one doing analysis of this trade on the NHL Network (the irony not being lost on me that the last truly reliable long-term goalie the Devils had was Cory himself, before his own injuries), and his comments were more than fair although clearly Fitz wanted a stopgap and not an expensive solution to begin with. For better or worse, they do believe in the young goalies in their system long-term and hope to have cheaper solutions going forward, not just with Daws or Poulter but also potentially with both kids they drafted this year, who granted are a ways off themselves. Clearly those two will get the first crack at the backup job next year when Allen’s contract runs out and perhaps more when Markstrom’s deal is up in two years. All that said – if Markstrom doesn’t produce now, Fitz isn’t gonna be the one potentially reaping the benefits of whatever Daws or Poulter give the organization going forward.

In theory, the forwards were always going to be the spot that had the least turnover this offseason with all the remaking Fitz was doing on the blueline, in net – and also with the coaching, which I’ll get to in a moment. That doesn’t mean there were no changes up front though. With the necessitated exile of Mike McLeod midway though last season, dealing off Tyler Toffoli at the deadline and binning off Alex Holtz this offseason, there were at least a couple of spots available for newcomers. He brought back former Devils Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar to be role players in the top nine and brought in Paul Cotter from Vegas to solidify the fourth line, if not play higher in the lineup. Clearly Fitz’s comments after trading for the latter indicate he might be looked at in that capacity but until I actually see it, I’ll just consider it over the top hype. For the moment, at least it seems like he’s a good locker room guy if nothing else.

Unlike with imports who’ve never played here, you pretty much know what you’re getting from Tatar (only a year removed from being a nice little role player on the Devils’ 2022-23 record-setting team) and Noesen – who was a feel good reclamation story on the Devils’ surprise 2017-2018 playoff team before bouncing around the league a while, then resurfacing in Carolina the last two years where he solidified his place back in the NHL as a solid bottom six player. You also know what you’re getting from guys like Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian, though the latter clearly isn’t the physical force he used to be and perhaps it’s time for a younger, cheaper option there. Maybe a guy like Nolan Foote finally emerges? His career’s been a bit derailed by injuries but hopefully he stays healthy long enough to get a real shot this time around. He’s likely to start the season as the 13th forward with Kurtis MacDermid also hanging around for goon/locker room purposes. Camp tryout Kevin Labanc might also factor into the final roster when it’s all said and done, but without a deal he wasn’t taken overseas.

Overall, we do need more from our back six this year than we got last year, and that includes returning guys like Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula, particularly Palat who struggled last year on the ice with just eleven goals and 31 points in 71 games and in a season where the team looked like they needed more leadership, those two should have been a big part of providing that and seemingly weren’t. Fitz also clearly tried to remake the back six around the edges, getting rid of guys like Holtz who didn’t fit that mold for Cotter who does fit his vision of a back six with more grit.

All that said, the season’s ultimately going to hinge a lot more on our key four forwards up front plus hopefully a return to form from Dawson Mercer, who suffered an odd junior slump last year. People usually call struggling in the second year of your career a sophomore slump, but in Mercer’s case his sophomore year he put up 27 goals and 56 points with a +22, before plummeting to 33 points and a -26 last year in his de facto junior season. With his RFA contract situation out of the way, that could help facilitate a bounceback to something closer to his first two seasons, when he looked like a potential core piece going forward.

While Mercer having a personal resurgence could be a key to an overall team resurgence, they’re clearly going to need their big four up front to stay healthy and produce. After a first full season in New Jersey where he was injured and out of position on the third line, hopefully Timo Meier plays like a fish back in water this season. Health shouldn’t be an issue for the moment, and he’s back on the right side in the top six where he should be. Even with all of that, you saw some signs of the old Timo resurfacing in New Jersey late last season, mostly after Toffoli’s trade opened up a RW spot in the top six that Timo could slide back into.

Health is also key for our two franchise centers…Jack Hughes was playing hurt (and seemingly distracted) last year – though he still put up 74 points in 62 games during his so-called off year. While fellow former #1 overall pivot Nico Hischier has for the most part managed to avoid the injury bug lately, he’s also missed his share of games in the past and doesn’t exactly shy away from contact so to a degree you’d like to see him pick his spots better…but of course he wouldn’t be Nico if he did. Maybe Nico can take some heart from fellow core piece Jesper Bratt, who’s played in all 82 games the last two seasons while improving his numbers every year – including 83 points last year – and bulking up enough to not completely shy away from contact.

Finally, we get to arguably the biggest change of all this season – the coaching staff. Out are both Lindy Ruff and Travis Green, who’ve both landed on their feet getting other jobs, the former we’ll see in two days as he’s returned to the Sabres’ bench with his career seemingly coming full circle. Whatever you may think of both men, changes were clearly needed after the team stagnated and went backwards last season. New coach Sheldon Keefe brings a proven track record of getting the most out of his roster and winning in Toronto, albeit almost entirely in the regular season. It’s still early in his career so time will tell if he’s the next Bruce Boudreau or if he and the Devils both take that next step in the postseason together. At least Keefe should bring some more structure to the team on the ice, as it seemed like the previous system here was either too complicated or too flawed to ever work long-term, especially after teams figured us out following our breakout 2022-23.

Early returns aren’t overly promising after the team concluded a sloppy 1-5 preseason – with the only win coming when Utica played Hartford in our next to last preseason game with the Rangers on Monday. Not that preseason record means jack after last year when we went undefeated in the exhibition season, but it does seem like there’s a long way to go in terms of team chemistry with the new system. That, combined with our defensive injuries in camp could lead to a rocky start.

Beyond that, I’m not really making any predictions on this season. I hope we’re at least back in the playoffs, by virtue of talent we should at least be in the playoff hunt more this year than we were last year but if that doesn’t pan out, then likely even more changes will be made this offseason that could be even more seismic than this offseason’s bucket list of changes were. It would be nice not to go 0-2 overseas though, especially in a potential troll moment against our fired coach. That’s my micro concern…my macro concern being at least let’s see a team that competes on a more game-to-game basis with discipline and organization, which we clearly did not see last year. Hopefully Friday will be the start of putting to bed all wounds from one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history and moving forward.

In case you were wondering about the times for the first two games, Friday’s opener will be at 1 PM EST, and Saturday’s second game will be 10 AM EST (as if it were overseas soccer!). Both games should be on the NHL Network if you have that. If not, then I guess you’re stuck with Devils Network Radio – not that being compelled to listen to Matt and Chico is a bad thing though!

https://www.nhl.com/devils/team/devils-hockey-network

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