Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
During Tuesday night’s game in which they lost a tough one to the Jets at The Rock, the Devils made some news off the ice by sending Ondrej Palat to the Islanders, along with a 2026 third round pick and 2027 sixth round pick in exchange for Maxim Tsyplakov.
By dumping the struggling forward, the Devils saved $3.75 million in cap space, with team president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald attaching the two picks to make the deal happen. He was able to work with Palat, who had a 10-team trade list that sent him from New Jersey to Long Island on Jan. 27.
#NEWS: We've acquired forward Maxim Tsyplakov from the New York Islanders for forward Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round draft pick, and a 2027 sixth-round draft pick.
By finally getting rid of a player who never performed up to expectations after they signed him for five years, $30 million on Jul. 13, 2022, the Devils created over three million in cap space for either another move, or this summer. That largely depends on how the team performs over the last 29 games of the season.
In dropping a second straight game after losing to the Kraken on Jan. 25 to conclude an otherwise successful 3-1 road trip out West, the Devils are nine points out of the wild card, but only five behind the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division. With four games before the Olympic break, they need to go on a run to close the gap. The remainder of the schedule includes the Predators in Newark tomorrow night, the Senators this Saturday, and then back home for the Blue Jackets and Islanders on Feb. 3-5. The latter two have much more significance in the standings.
Palat to Debut for Islanders Tonight
Following the trade, Palat is expected to make his Islanders debut tonight when the Rangers visit UBS Arena in Elmont for the first of a home and home series between the crosstown rivals.
A clutch playoff performer for the Lightning where he won consecutive Stanley Cups, Palat was brought in by Fitzgerald as a backup plan after he was unable to sign Johnny Gaudreau, who tragically passed away with brother Matthew in an accident on Aug. 29, 2024.
The hope was that Palat could help improve the Devils’ offense by playing with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt on the number one line. Instead, he struggled to produce consistently while getting top six minutes. His best run came during the 2022-23 playoffs when he posted three goals and four assists for seven points in two rounds for the Devils.
He never hit more than 31 points during four regular seasons in Newark. After going 11-20-31 in 2023-24, Palat had 13 goals with 15 assists for 28 points last season. He finished with two assists in a five-game first round elimination against the Hurricanes last postseason.
At 34, he was barely contributing despite continuing to play mostly in a top nine role. In 51 games, he only had four goals and six assists for 10 points while seeing his ice time go below 13 minutes for the first time since he came up with the Lightning in 2012-13. When he was scratched on Tuesday night, it was obvious that something was up. Before the game started, the reported deal that the Devils and Islanders had been working on finally got done.
In 292 games as a Devil, Palat finished with 38 goals and 54 assists for 92 points. He’ll now see if he can rediscover his game on the rival Islanders, who the Devils are chasing in the division.
Tsyplakov Gets A New Home
After having a good first season with the Islanders, Tsplakov became an afterthought under head coach Patrick Roy. Unlike 2024-25 when he had 10 goals and 25 assists for a solid total of 35 points, along with 39 penalty minutes, and 140 hits while averaging 14:58 of ice time, the Russian import only had a goal and a helper in 27 games with his ice time dwindling to 9:39. Ironically, he picked up an assist in the Islanders’ 4-0 shutout over the Flyers on Jan. 26.
The 27-year-old gets a new home, going from Belmont Park to Newark. A forward who plays with some grit as evidenced by his 46 hits, will try to carve out a secondary role under Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe.
Unlike Palat, who the Islanders are still on the hook for another $6 million through 2026-27, Tsyplakov has a more affordable $2.25 million cap hit that also expires the following season.
Hameenaho Off to A Good Start
With the arrival of 2023 second round pick Lenni Hameenaho, who’s already shown some promise with two goals and an assist in his first five games, at least the 21-year-old from Finland gives them cause for optimism.
In what’s been a disappointing season up to this point, the Devils can use more production from other secondary players aside from Cody Glass, Connor Brown, and rookie Arseny Gritsyuk. So far, so good for Hameenaho.
Defense Struggles in Loss
A big reason for the one-goal loss to the Jets was the defense, which struggled last night. Multiple times, defensemen were caught out of position in a lackluster second period that saw them outscored 3-1.
On the Jets’ second goal scored by Gabe Vilardi, the Devils were caught on a line change, which led to a three-on-two. With the changing forward scrambling back, Vilardi took a Mark Scheifele feed and beat Jake Allen to give Winnipeg the lead.
Cole Koepke finished off another odd man rush when he put in an Alex Iafallo rebound to make it 3-1. Jonas Siegenthaler stepped up at the blue line and got caught pinching, which allowed Morgan Barron to send Iafallo ahead, which led to Koepke’s goal.
The crusher was scored by Nino Niederreiter with over three minutes left in the period. This time, Dougie Hamilton lost a board battle to Adam Lowry, who chipped a puck behind him to create another two-on-one with only Siegenthaler back. He was unable to prevent Vladislav Namestnikov from setting up Niederreiter for a 4-1 lead.
Despite Jack Hughes setting up Jesper Bratt for a tip home on the power play at 19:24, the only goal the Devils got in a more inspired third period came with Allen pulled for a 6-on-4. Bratt was able to find Nico Hischier in the slot for his 17th to make it 4-3 with 1:46 left in regulation.
Some hustle from Hughes in his end nearly led to the Devils tying it late, but Connor Hellebuyck made the big saves to send the Devils to a second straight defeat.
On a special night that they remembered the 1990s Era, which featured the 1993-94 Stanley Cup Championship team, the Rangers delivered one of their best wins of the season by coming back to defeat the Bruins 4-3 in overtime.
Matthew Robertson scored the OT winner to give the Rangers only their sixth win of the season at MSG. It was a feel-good moment for the team after Carson Soucy was traded to the Islanders during the game.
The victory was their second over the last 10 games and first since Jan. 17.
Despite falling behind the Bruins 3-2 on a Morgan Geekie goal in the second period that David Pastrnak set up for his third assist of the game, the Rangers didn’t back down. Getting some big saves from Jonathan Quick, they were able to rally to tie the game on a goal from Will Borgen that changed direction off Geekie for the only goal of the third period.
Will Cuylle opened the scoring by getting his 12th from Urho Vaakanainen and Noah Laba on a deflection before 10 minutes had elapsed in the first period. It was Cuylle’s second goal in three games. Since being moved down by head coach Mike Sullivan to play on the third line with Laba and Brennan Othmann, Cuylle’s play has improved. In fact, that line created good chances throughout the game due to their aggressive forecheck.
After narrowly missing setting up a goal, Pastrnak found Elias Lindholm in front for the first of two from the center to even things up. But on the following shift, the Rangers had an immediate response when Gabe Perreault took a Mika Zibanejad drop pass and set up J.T. Miller for his 14th just 26 seconds later. Miller has nine points over his last six games.
In the second period, Miller turned the puck over when his pass up the middle was intercepted by Charlie McAvoy, who combined with Pastrnak to feed Lindholm for his second of the game to tie the score.
Following a Henri Jokiharju penalty, McAvoy was called for holding Vincent Trocheck to put the Rangers on a five-on-three for 37 seconds. However, they wasted the opportunity with only four shots reaching Joonas Korpisalo, who made a glove save on Artemi Panarin.
Shortly after the McAvoy penalty expired to put the teams back at full strength, Pastrnak once again made a great pass that led to Geekie putting the Bruins ahead. His third assist of the game gave him 900 career points, becoming the third Czech born player to accomplish the feat – joining Jaromir Jagr and Patrik Elias.
Both teams killed off penalties to keep the score in favor of the Bruins, who took a one-goal lead to the locker room.
After failing to capitalize on a McAvoy interference minor drawn by Perreault, it looked like the Rangers would fall short again on a centennial anniversary theme night. However, they had better intentions with Rangers legends Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, and Mike Richter watching along with many alumni that included Jeff Beukeboom, Adam Graves, Sergei Nemchinov, and even Radek Dvorak.
On a play Alexis Lafreniere started, Panarin got the puck up for Borgen, whose point shot took a favorable carom off of Geekie and past Korpisalo to tie the score with 6:17 left in regulation.
The game went to overtime. In what amounted to a tactical three-on-three due to the Bruins’ checking, even Panarin got involved by showing some hustle on the backcheck for a key takeaway.
On a Vincent Trocheck reset with the Bruins changing, Robertson took a Quick outlet and started a quick (no pun intended) rush up the ice. Coming in with good speed, he made a nice deke before firing home the winner short side on Korpisalo with 1:07 left.
"I'm happy for them. They're big parts of our team and I'm sure they're only going to get better with more experience."
On a day that it was first reported by Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, Carson Soucy was traded from the Rangers to the Islanders during tonight’s game against the Bruins at MSG.
The two bitter rivals finally completed the trade after 8 PM. With Soucy sitting out due to roster management reasons, Urho Vaakanainen got the start in his place. As the second period began, Soucy was finally dealt to the Islanders for a 2026 third round pick. ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan confirmed the move.
As Carson Soucy sits out tonight for NYR for ‘roster management’ a deal is in place to send him to Islanders as @vzmercogliano reported earlier today.
Return is a 2026 third round pick, per ESPN sources.
In the final year of his contract with a $3.25 million cap hit, the 31-year-old Soucy had played better this season than when he first came over to the Rangers from the Canucks for a 2025 third round pick last Mar. 6.
After having a goal and two assists with four penalty minutes in 16 games last season, the veteran defenseman tallied three goals and five assists for eight points, 18 penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating over 46 contests this season with the Blueshirts.
Mostly teamed up with former Kraken teammate Will Borgen on the second defensive pair, Soucy acquitted himself well under Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan by playing with more edge by contributing 71 hits and 66 blocked shots. He was averaging 17:13 per game before getting moved to the Islanders, who filled a need on the blue line by acquiring the experienced Soucy, who’ll likely play on the third pair.
After spending his first two years in Minnesota, Soucy played his next two seasons in Seattle before moving to Vancouver, where he spent nearly two years before the Rangers acquired him. In 62 games, Soucy finishes with 11 points, 100 hits, and 80 blocks.
Now, he’ll move to the Long Island side of the rivalry, which ironically will feature a home and home series this Wednesday and Thursday between the Rangers and Islanders. This time, he’ll line up on the opposite side against former teammates.
Rangers Get Good Return for Soucy
It was less than a year ago that the Rangers brought in Soucy to help provide some help after Ryan Lindgren was sent packing to Colorado on Mar. 6.
They gave up a third round pick to get Soucy. Fast forward to Jan. 26, and they’ve recouped a third round pick for the same player. A good return for a defensive defenseman whose contract is set to expire this summer.
By dealing away Soucy, it opens up a spot for Vaakanainen, who came in and picked up a primary assist on a Will Cuylle goal in the first period on Monday night. For the time being, it looks like he’ll be part of the top six until Adam Fox returns from a lower-body injury that has him on long-term injured reserve.
With Soucy being subtracted from the roster, Connor Mackey was recalled from Hartford. He’ll serve as the extra defenseman for now.
The Rangers have more to get to ahead. Both Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck should draw plenty of attention from interested teams around the league. What that means for team president and general manager Chris Drury is that he has more business to attend to.
Soucy is the first domino to fall during the ‘retool.’ Who’s next?
For the Rangers, excitement went out the window a long time ago. It’s hard to believe that only two years ago, they were on their way to earning the NHL’s best record for a Presidents’ Trophy.
The run that followed included a memorable come from behind win over the Hurricanes on the strength of Chris Kreider’s natural hat trick in the third period of Game 6 down in Raleigh to wrap up a hard fought second round triumph.
It ended in another tough series against the Panthers in six games, marking the second time in three years they’ve lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. Nobody knew it at the time, but the 2-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 6 on June 1, 2024 turned out to be the final swan song for a well-respected core that featured Filip Chytil, Adam Fox, Barclay Goodrow, Kaapo Kakko, Kreider, Alexis Lafreniere, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Artemi Panarin, Igor Shesterkin, Vincent Trocheck, Jacob Trouba, and Mika Zibanejad. They all were part of a strong leadership group that had success on Broadway, with four series victories over a three-year period under two different coaches.
Drury’s Roster Purge Begins With Goodrow Waiver Deal to Sharks
In a big Game 2 win back on May 24, 2024, Goodrow was the hero when he beat Sergei Bobrovsky for the winner at 14:01 of the first overtime. The veteran checking center, who only scored five times that regular season wasn’t done, getting two more in a 5-4 overtime win in Game 3 to help lead the Rangers to a 2-1 series lead thanks to Alex Wennberg’s winner at 5:35.
As it turned out, that was their final postseason win. The Panthers proved to be too much, taking the next three games by a goal with Sam Reinhart’s overtime winner in Game 4 the turning point in the series. Although Shesterkin played extremely well to keep the Rangers in the final two games, they were unable to provide enough offense against the stingy Panthers, whose forecheck and team defense tilted the ice in their favor. Late goals from Lafreniere and Panarin didn’t change the end result in Games 5 and 6.
Less than a month after he finished second on the team with his three goals trailing Lafreniere’s four against the Panthers, Goodrow was placed on waivers by Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury on June 19, 2024. To get around his 15-team no-trade list, the shrewd move allowed the Sharks to claim Goodrow, allowing Drury to clear $3.64 million in cap space over the next three seasons. It was a prearranged deal between Drury and close personal friend and Sharks GM Mike Grier, who previously served as a hockey operations advisor with the Rangers.
Due to how poorly Drury handled the situation, it upset Goodrow and former teammates, who valued what he brought. Even though it was understandable why Drury made the move to get out of the remainder of the contract, the lack of communication didn’t sit well with the team.
By the time Goodrow returned to play the Rangers in November 2024, he was looking forward to playing at MSG again. “It’s exciting. Especially it being MSG. That’s always a trip that’s circled on the calendar,” Goodrow told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now in a story that appeared back on Nov. 13, 2024. “Obviously, a little more meaning to it this time around, so I’ve been looking forward to it and excited to get back.”
“I still have a lot of close friends on that team. I have a lot of good memories. Couple of long playoff runs. I loved my time there,” he said. “That’s just how it went down. I didn’t like how it happened, but we’re all past that. It was a while ago. You have to move on. It comes with the territory of this job. There’s nothing you can do but put your head down and keep working.”
Planting The Seeds for Trouba’s Exit
Following a disappointing playoffs in which he struggled mightily, Trouba’s name came up in trade rumors. Despite playing on a bad ankle that he fractured during the season that forced him to miss time, the Rangers captain was put through the mud by Drury, who planted the seeds for his exit.
A declining player who signed a seven-year deal worth $56 million after being acquired from the Jets in July 2019, Trouba’s $8 million cap hit became an issue for Drury, who two years earlier fully supported naming Trouba the 28th captain in franchise history before the 2022-23 season.
After having a full no-movement clause for the first four years of the contract, it shifted to a moderated 15-team no-trade list on June 30, 2024. With it coming out that the Rangers and Red Wings had agreed in principle on a deal that would’ve sent Trouba to Detroit, he blocked the move due to having the Red Wings on his 15-team no-trade list. He also wanted to stay in New York City due to wife Kelly being a doctor.
Despite taking the high road before the start of training camp about the situation, Trouba had the dark cloud hanging over his head. Even with Drury giving an endorsement of his captain before 2024-25, the damage was already done.
“Jacob and I talk all the time as GM and captain should. We’ve had a number of different conversations over the course of the summer on a lot of different things. He is very clear as to where he stands with me and what I think of him as a player and as a leader.”-Chris Drury on Jacob Trouba, The Detroit News.
Even with the Rangers starting the season 12-4-1, things took a dramatic turn for the worse thanks to Drury.
League Memo Fractures the Locker Room
In November 2024, Drury sent out a league memo to 31 teams with both Kreider and Trouba mentioned as players he wanted to move. At the time, the Rangers were in Western Canada as part of a four-game road trip. After defeating the Kraken and Canucks to make it 12 wins over the first 17 games, the roof collapsed in onesided losses to the Flames and Oilers that sent the team into a tailspin.
By then, it was obvious that Trouba wasn’t himself. Looking distracted during games, he continued to make mistakes that led to opponents taking advantage whenever he and Miller were out as a pair. They’d been together a while, with coaches leaning heavily on both to get the best matchups to free up Fox and Lindgren.
Head coach Peter Laviolette’s man-to-man defensive system was no longer working, causing defensive breakdowns with both defensemen and forwards caught out of position. Combined with a disconnect that fractured the locker room due to having two team leaders mentioned in rumors that became an unnecessary distraction, it was just a matter of time before they imploded.
Bad losses piled up, including a 5-1 humiliation to the archrival Devils to start December. At that point, Drury tried to do damage control to cool things off for a team that had a lameduck captain who was going through the motions. Something which the late Hockey Hall of Fame NY Post columnist Larry Brooks called Trouba out on for his lack of emotion in a 3-1 loss to the Flyers on Nov. 29, 2024.
No emotion, the captain has checked out, this is brutal.
Eventually, Drury took action by having Laviolette make Trouba a healthy scratch for a game against the Penguins on Dec. 6, 2024. It was either they place him on unconditional waivers to be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, or accept a trade. By forcing his hand, Drury finally got Trouba to waive for the Ducks in a deal that same day. Due to Anaheim agreeing to take on the remainder of the contract, the Rangers received a light return of Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth round pick.
Laviolette’s Scratch Leads to Kakko Trade
Following a loss to the Blues, Laviolette scratched Kakko against the Predators on Dec. 17, 2024, which led to the former 2019 second overall pick calling out the coach due to more established players who hadn’t been pulling their weight. He was justified in venting his frustration to the media but once he voiced his displeasure, he was a goner.
A day later, the Rangers shipped Kakko to the Kraken in exchange for Will Borgen, a 2025 third round pick, and a sixth round pick. By moving on from a player who once was viewed by scouts as a top prospect who went number two behind Jack Hughes in the NHL Draft, they addressed a need on the blue line by acquiring Borgen, who eventually signed an extension worth $4.1 million AAV over five years.
Although he never fulfilled expectations, Kakko was a solid top nine forward who had his moments playing with Chytil and Lafreniere as part of the Kid Line in 2021-22. Without their contributions, the Rangers don’t come within two wins of reaching the Stanley Cup Final. While Lafreniere graduated to a bigger role with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, Kakko found chemistry with Chytil and Will Cuylle. In fact, they were the best line at five-on-five before Laviolette broke them up last season.
By subtracting Kakko, the Rangers lost a capable player who could provide secondary scoring. They probably didn’t realize how valuable that was. For most of the current season, the third line hasn’t provided enough secondary scoring. Something they were able to do with Chytil, Cuylle, and Kakko. Instead, Drury had other plans that would impact the team depth ahead.
Chytil Sent Packing for Miller
Six weeks later, Chytil was sent packing to the Canucks with Victor Mancini and a conditional first round pick for J.T. Miller. Instead of realizing that the season was a lost cause, Drury doubled down by taking on Miller’s contract ($8 million AAV) that won’t expire until 2030.
When he returned for his second stint as a Ranger, Miller produced well thanks to some chemistry with Zibanejad and Cuylle. The former Rangers 2011 first round pick had 13 goals with 22 assists for 35 points in 32 games over the remainder of 2024-25. He helped unlock Zibanejad, who previously struggled while playing with Kreider. Over the final two months, he registered 11 goals with 22 assists for 33 points to finish the season in strong fashion.
Given how well they meshed together, it increased expectations for 2025-26. Instead, a nagging upper-body injury Miller’s been dealing with limited his effectiveness. He’s spent two different times on injured reserved, and missed nine games. When he’s played, there have been moments where Miller hasn’t played up to capability due to whatever is bothering him. It doesn’t excuse his lack of backchecking when opponents scored goals where he couldn’t be bothered.
Another J.T. Miller defensive masterclass. Need that competitiveness on Team USA. Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield just don’t bring that.pic.twitter.com/V4vMua481K
In a mind-numbing centennial season that’s seen several key players turn in less than stellar efforts, Miller’s supposed to be the leader of the Rangers. He was named the 29th captain in franchise history on Sep. 16, 2025. Instead of backing up his strong words that promised, ‘No More BS,’ he hasn’t come close to delivering. Following an 8-4 blowout loss to the Senators on Jan. 14, Miller didn’t know what to say, which was unlike a 10-2 humiliation in Boston on Jan. 10 when he took accountability and indicated that he must be better.
Since winning the Winter Classic 5-1 over the Panthers on Jan. 2, the Rangers have lost eight of nine (1-7-1), including getting swept in California by the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks. Although he’s picked it up during the brutal stretch with eight points (2-6-8) over his last five games, the last scene of him coasting back defensively while Macklin Celebrini got his 26th goal in a 3-1 loss on Jan. 23 reflects poorly. That kind of lackluster effort shouldn’t happen from a supposed leader. Perhaps they should strip Miller of the captaincy once the season concludes.
Rangers Lacking Heart and Guts
In what was supposed to be a special year commemorating the 100-Year Anniversary of the franchise by honoring past legends and fan favorites who didn’t disgrace the jersey, the Rangers are lacking heart and guts. Despite Drury bringing in close personal friend Mike Sullivan to take over as head coach, the team has lost its way since the holidays.
An upper-body injury that kept Fox out for 14 games didn’t help. At one point during the first half, the former Norris winner had helped lead a more structured defensive team to a 13-11-2 start. However, things dramatically changed when Brandon Hagel caught Fox with a clean hit against the glass, which injured his shoulder last Nov. 29. The Rangers lost the game 4-1 to the Lightning. Afterward, they went 6-5-2 without him to at least hang around in a crowded playoff race.
After returning to score a power-play goal and add an assist in a 6-3 loss on New Year’s Eve, Fox played in two more games before suffering a different injury against the Mammoth in a 3-2 overtime loss on Jan. 5. A day later, he was put on long-term injured reserve for the second time this season. The bottom has fallen out since with the Rangers only winning once in regulation on Jan. 17. They’ve lost seven of their last eight games in regulation to drop to 15th in the Eastern Conference with 48 points in 52 games, falling out of the wild card race.
Even without Fox, who now looks injury prone due to it being the second straight season he’s missed time, the Rangers have given up in recent losses that caused the fans to boo them at MSG where they’ve only won five times in 22 games (5-13-4). Only the league worst Canucks have the same amount of home wins with a 5-16-3 record. The Rangers have the worst goal differential at home where they’ve been outscored 77-44 for a minus-33 entering Monday’s game against the Bruins. By comparison, the Canucks are a minus-32 (94-62).
If there’s one way to describe the Rangers, it would be passive. There’s been too many instances when they don’t respond to seeing their goalies run into by opponents, who know they can take liberties with Shesterkin, who remains out with lower-body injury he sustained in the first period against Utah due to trying to avoid Mammoth forward J.J. Peterka, who made minimal contact as the Rangers starter fell back into his net. He was helped to the locker room while not putting any weight on his left leg.
Although Peterka didn’t cause the injury, there was no response from the Rangers. It was similar to seeing Fox go down against the Lightning on the Hagel hit. Even if each play was legal, it isn’t viewed well in hockey circles when a team doesn’t go after an opponent.
If there was a sequence that raised eyebrows, it was Jonathan Quick taking up for himself after Daniil But bumped into him, leading to a roughing minor on the veteran goalie, who replaced an injured Shesterkin.
The only willing Ranger who’ll go to bat for teammates is Sam Carrick. Despite being undersized, he’s gone up against heavyweights Mathieu Olivier and Arber Xhejaj, which says a lot about the high character he has. Carrick is one of the only Rangers who’s played with heart and guts. A fourth line center whose effort is unquestioned, the 33-year-old Carrick is well-respected by teammates who like what he brings.
Signed for another year at a cap friendly $1 million, teams could have interest in him as a depth piece. In 52 games, he has three goals and six assists with 42 penalty minutes and 75 hits, along with being 53.9 percent on faceoffs. The fourth line center put up six goals and 14 assists for a career-high 20 points in 80 games last season. Unlike most of Drury’s signings, Carrick has been as advertised, bringing some tenacity to a mostly vanilla roster that doesn’t create much excitement.
Changes Are Coming
On Jan. 16, Drury sent out a letter to Rangers fans promising changes to the roster. He used the word ‘retool’ to describe what’s coming soon. However, what would he call the subtractions of several core pieces last year? It feels like more of a rebuilding situation due to a lack of talent.
With the Rangers making it known to outsiders that Panarin was no longer in their plans, he’s expected to be traded at some point before the Mar. 6 deadline. That largely depends on Panarin, who has full control over whether or not he goes to a playoff contender. He’s continued to produce, leading the team in assists (37) and points (56). In the final year of a contract that pays him $11.64 million, the 34-year-old hasn’t given any indication that he wants to leave the Big Apple.
A gifted offensive player who’s been an excellent Ranger, leading the team in scoring every season, he wants to sign an extension for similar money. What if Drury finds a suitor that agrees to the rumored return he wants, which Elliotte Friedman reported is similar to what the Islanders received for Brock Nelson? It’s still up to Panarin to waive his full no-movement clause to accept a trade. Teams who could be interested include the Avalanche, Capitals, Kings, Sharks, and Wild.
With the Olympic break coming up in less than two weeks, expect things to heat up. At last check, the Rangers and Islanders are close to making a rare deal that would involve veteran defenseman Carson Soucy going to Long Island.
Can confirm @vzmercogliano report that #NYR Carson Soucy to #Isles is getting close. Nothing official yet.
The Rangers have made a roster move by recalling defenseman Connor Mackey from Hartford and sending down forward Anton Blidh. If Soucy goes, he’d be the first domino to fall.
Teams are reportedly interested in center Vincent Trocheck, who has a 12-team no-trade list on an affordable deal ($5.625 million AAV) that has term left. The Hurricanes and Wild could use a versatile checking pivot like Trocheck, who can play in every situation while continuing to be reliable on faceoffs (56.8).
What It All Means
Moving forward, the Rangers want to address the lack of young talent in their system. Outside of Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow, who was acquired last summer in a deal that sent K’Andre Miller to Carolina, the organization doesn’t boast many promising players.
Noah Laba has performed admirably as a third line center who’s trusted to play on the penalty kill. He has six goals and eight assists for 14 points while winning 51.3 percent on draws. Since Sullivan moved Perreault up with Miller and Zibanejad, Laba has been joined by Cuylle and 2021 first round pick Brennan Othmann, who’s finally shown glimpses of the player Drury selected.
Morrow nearly had his first goal as a Ranger. It was changed to Cuylle due to the shot deflecting off him. After struggling earlier, Morrow has three assists in his last five games while playing with more confidence. The Rangers desperately need him to pan out after moving on from Miller, who’s rebounded with the Hurricanes.
The goal should be to trade for prospects and draft picks in an attempt to strengthen their depth. Hopefully, recent picks Drew Fortescue, E.J. Emery, Nathan Aspinall, Malcolm Spence, and Artyom Gonchar can continue to develop and become part of the future. Four of the six are in college, including both Fortescue and Emery, who remain unsigned. Each are expected to be defensive defensemen with Emery not having as high a ceiling as Caps prospect Cole Hutson, who the Rangers passed on in 2024.
With an eye towards the future, keep an eye on where the Rangers finish. They are currently ranked 29th out of 32 teams with a 21-25-6 record, which is tied with the Flames. However, Calgary has more regulation wins. At the moment, the Jets, Blues, and Canucks are the league’s three worst teams. There actually is a possibility for the Rangers to luck into a top three pick. The top three prospects are all rated very high, with forwards Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg considered the best two players, followed by defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, and center Tynan Lawrence.
If they can land a high pick, perhaps they’ll have better luck this time than before. One can only hope moving forward.
After defeating the Flames 2-1 on Simon Nemec’s third overtime winner of the season on Jan. 19, the New Jersey Devils posted a big 2-1 victory over the Oilers last night in Edmonton on the strength of 22 saves from Jake Allen.
They got goals from rookie Arseny Gritsyuk and Cody Glass in the second period. Following Gritsyuk getting his ninth from Glass and Dougie Hamilton, the Oilers evened the score on a goal from Matt Savoie. However, the Devils responded quickly thanks to Gritsyuk taking a pass from Connor Brown and sending the puck across for a Glass one-timer that held up as the game-winner.
It was a heads-up play from Jonathan Kovacevic to get the puck up for Brown, who turned and found Gritsyuk at the blue line for an easy zone entry that led to him setting up Glass for his 11th at 8:32.
In a season full of disappointment from more established stars, both Gritsyuk and Glass have been bright spots for the Devils. After going seven games without a point, the 24-year-old Gritsyuk snapped out of it with a goal and primary assist to reach the 20-point mark in his first season. The 2019 fifth round pick is most comfortable playing with Glass and Brown on the third line. When all three have been healthy, they’ve been key contributors.
Acquired from the Penguins by Devils team president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald last March for Chase Stillman, Max Graham, and a 2027 third round pick, the 26-year-old Glass has played well since joining the red and black in Newark. After putting up two goals and five assists for a total of seven points in 14 games last season, he’s reached double digits in goals for the second time in his NHL career. Glass is three shy of tying his career-high of 14 goals set with the Predators in 2022-23. He’s also been dependable in the faceoff dot, winning 52.7 percent on draws.
Luke Hughes Placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve
In the second period of their win at Calgary this past Monday night, Luke Hughes left the game with an upper-body injury. On a play coming out of his zone, the back of Hughes’ jersey was given a tug by Flames forward Justin Kirkland. Afterward, Hughes was writhing in pain while favoring his shoulder as he came off the ice.
As expected, the injury will keep the 22-year-old defenseman out for a while. The Devils announced that they placed Hughes on long-term injured reserve due to the shoulder issue. At the moment, it doesn’t sound like he will have surgery, with the plan instead for him to rehab the upper-body injury.
After consulting with doctors, Luke Hughes will not get surgery for now and instead rehab his upper body injury.
The Devils placed Hughes on LTIR today; he’s expected to be sidelined through the Olympic break then TBD.
Since signing an seven-year contract worth $63 million last Oct. 1, it’s been a struggle for the 2021 first round pick. Only in his third season, Hughes hasn’t performed up to high expectations. Most notably, his defensive play has suffered due to poor puck management and blown assigments. In a loss to the Hurricanes on Jan. 4, he had two own-goals, which lead to a tough night at home with fans booing him every time he touched the puck. Despite the most difficult game of his young career, Hughes was accountable, answering questions at his locker following the game.
In a recent win over the Kraken on Jan. 14, Hughes picked up two assists, including a secondary helper that resulted in older brother Jack leading Nico Hischier for a breakaway goal in overtime. It was an important victory which followed a win over the Wild on the road.
After putting up over 40 points in each of his first two seasons, Hughes still looked like he was on track for a third consecutive year of 40 or more. Despite some inconsistency, he had five goals and 21 assists for 26 points over 49 games before missing Tuesday’s game against the Oilers.
Due to being placed on LTIR, Hughes must sit out another nine games before he becomes eligible to return to the Devils. For now, the Devils will further evaluate him without knowing what the timetable is. According to head coach Sheldon Keefe, he’ll miss an “extended period.”
Kovacevic Steps Up
Without Hughes, Keefe went with a lineup that included Kovacevic teamed up with Nemec on the third pair. During the first period, Kovacevic delivered a clean hit on Connor McDavid, who fell to the ice. He immediately had to answer the bell, with Vasily Podkolzin dropping his gloves to challenge him.
Kovacevic was accountable by obliging Podkolzin in a quick scrap that energized the Edmonton fans at Rogers Place with 2:49 remaining in a scoreless first period. Podkolzin received an instigator and misconduct along with five for fighting to account for 17 penalty minutes while Kovacevic received only five.
In just his fourth game of the season, the 28-year-old Hamilton, Ontario native took 18 shifts and finished a plus-1 in 13:27 of action. Without Hughes, he’ll continue to remain in the lineup for Keefe.
The Devils recalled Colton White from Utica of the American Hockey League. In 23 games with the big club, White has four assists and a plus-2 rating while averaging 12:15 of ice-time. He met the team in Vancouver for the third of a four-game road trip that concludes at Seattle this weekend. The Devils take on the Canucks this Friday night at 10 PM.
Hamilton Runs Assist Streak to Six
Since being a healthy scratch at Winnipeg on Jan. 11, Dougie Hamilton has responded well by playing more inspired hockey. With a secondary helper on Gritsyuk’s goal, Hamilton ran his assist streak to six straight games. He’s tallied six apples during the Devils’ revival that’s seen them win four of their last five to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Despite all of the trade rumors surrounding the 32-year-old veteran defenseman, he’s played his best hockey of the season. If he can continue to provide offense while logging important minutes in the top four, perhaps Hamilton will stay put for now. When he’s playing up to par, he remains a key to the Devils’ success. Without Hughes at least through the Olympic break, Hamilton will be counted on by Keefe at five-on-five and on the power play.
Back In The Mix
By winning four of five, the Devils now sit 12th in the Eastern Conference with 54 points in 50 games. They are currently tied in points with the Flyers and Capitals. The Flyers have played two less games while the Caps have four more regulation wins (21-17) than the Devils, who trail the second wild card Bruins by four points.
With 32 games remaining, there’s still plenty of time to make up ground on teams ahead of them. It’s imperative that they continue to take care of business, with both the last overall Canucks and surprising Kraken opponents they’re capable of beating. If they can take both games, they’d go a perfect four-for-four on the road trip.
Hughes’ Goal Drought Now 14
While younger brother Luke is out, Jack Hughes has been in a scoring slump. Since getting a goal in his return on Dec. 21 versus Buffalo, he’s gone 14 straight without one. Although he’s still tallied 10 assists over that span, the Devils desperately need Hughes to get going.
His hand might be giving him trouble due to having successful finger surgery due to an accident at a Chicago steakhouse last November. Whatever the case, he’s been healthy enough to play for a month, and will represent Team USA at the Olympics. There aren’t any excuses for the Devils’ meal ticket.
They’ve won two straight low-scoring games by identical 2-1 margins. At some point, they’ll need to produce more offense if they want to qualify for the postseason. That starts with Hughes, who’s the straw that stirs the Devils’ drink.
Despite missing 18 games, he ranks third in team scoring with 31 points (11-20-31) in 32 games.
On Saturday afternoon, the New York Rangers visited the Philadephia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Led by Mika Zibanejad’s hat trick, the Rangers defeated the Flyers 6-3 to snap a five-game losing streak. It was their first win since besting the Florida Panthers 5-1 in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2.
Ironically, Zibanejad posted his first hat trick of the season in that victory. Since putting up three goals and two assists for a five-point effort against the Panthers, Zibanejad has been on a roll. Despite the team’s struggles without Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin, the 32-year-old center has continued to produce for the Rangers. He’s scored nine goals over the last seven games, highlighted by two hat tricks. Since Dec. 31, Zibanejad has an eight-game point streak totaling 17 points (9-8-17) over that span.
Now up to a team-leading 21 goals with 25 assists, his 46 points trail Artemi Panarin by eight for the team lead in scoring. Speaking of Panarin, he matched Zibanejad with three points, including two goals yesterday. The Bread Man responded well to learning that the Rangers don’t plan to sign him to an extension. In the second period, he made a perfect pass across to set up Zibanejad for the record-breaking power-play goal that allowed him to break a tie with Camille Henry and Chris Kreider for the most power-play goals scored in franchise history with number 117.
Better enjoy while it lasts. You won’t see a Ranger that can pass the puck as good as Panarin for A WHILE…if ever with the exception of Fox.#NYR pic.twitter.com/Y7fxUw3oKQ
After Travis Konecny opened the scoring for the Flyers, the Rangers responded by getting the next three goals over an 80-second span. Panarin replied back to tie the game just 43 seconds later for his 17th. Following a strong drive to the net from Alexis Lafreniere, the loose puck came right to Vincent Trocheck, who found Panarin open in front for an easy finish.
On the next shift, Zibanejad netted his first thanks to some nifty teamwork from Braden Schneider and J.T. Miller. After Schneider pinched to keep the puck in for Miller, his back pass for a Zibanejad shot beat Flyers goalie Aleksei Kolosov to make it 2-1.
Othmann Scores First NHL Goal
The Rangers continued to take it to the Flyers, who entered the game winless in five (0-4-1). Brennan Othmann scored his first NHL goal to make it three goals on three shots against Kolosov, who was chased from the net.
Following a Christian Dvorak wide shot that caromed right to Will Cuylle, he turned it into an odd man rush with Othmann. Able to easily gain the Flyers zone, Cuylle passed across for Othmann, who made no mistake by going top shelf for his first goal in 34 career games. The 2021 first round pick celebrated by emphatically pumping his fist while congratulated by teammates. Cuylle made sure to grab the puck for Othmann.
Following the win, Othmann singled out Zibanejad for giving him some good advice. He told him that it would come following some close calls that left the 23-year-old forward frustrated. Since being put on the third line with Noah Laba and Cuylle, he’s looked more comfortable. Othmann has provided the energy boost Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan wants to see. He’s been more noticeable on the forecheck taking the body.
Hopefully, he can keep it going when the Rangers visit the Anaheim Ducks for the first of three games in California on Monday night.
Zibanejad Ties Cook’s Franchise Record For The Most Hat Tricks
In the second period, Zibanejad made Rangers’ history with two more goals. The first came when he scored his 117th power-play goal to become the franchise leader by passing former teammate Chris Kreider and Camille Henry. The second came when he buried a Miller feed to record his ninth hat trick as a Ranger, tying him with Bill Cook for the most hat tricks in franchise history.
Following a Flyers turnover in the neutral zone, Scott Morrow sent Miller in on a two-on-one with Zibanejad. Miller easily dished across for an easy Zibanejad put away for the record-tying hat trick. Over his career, he has 10 hat tricks with three coming against the Flyers. That included two three-goal games eight days apart on Mar. 17 and Mar. 25, 2021 in Rangers’ blowouts in which they outscored the Flyers by a combined 17-3.
By by converting on the power play earlier in the period, it marked the 11th time in his career that Zibanejad has scored at least 20 goals or more in a season. With the exception of his first season as a Ranger in 2016-17, he’s posted nine straight years of 20-plus goals. By getting his 21st, he already surpassed his 2024-25 total in only 48 games. The next target would be reaching the 30-goal mark, which he’s done three times before. We’ll see if he can make it four.
Panarin Reaches 800 Games
Saturday was the 800th career game for Panarin. He did it in style by scoring twice and setting up another to record three points in the win.
With the Rangers comfortably ahead 5-1, Panarin padded the lead to five when he got his second of the game on a Lafreniere feed. Taking a pass from Lafreniere in the slot, he beat Samuel Ersson with a wrist shot for his 18th to make it 6-1.
When asked by reporters about not being part of the team’s plans moving forward, he said, “I’m still confused, but the GM decided to go in a different direction. I’m okay with that. I’m a Ranger right now, so I’ll play every game 100 percent.”
It isn’t easy for a player to keep playing knowing that their days are numbered. Panarin has been a superb Ranger, who’s produced at an elite level. Since joining the Rangers in 2019-20, Panarin ranks fifth in points among all NHL players. According to Stat Muse, his 604 points trail only David Pastrnak (608), Nathan MacKinnon (695), Leon Draisaitl (711), and Connor McDavid (793).
The only thing he hasn’t done is help the Rangers win a Stanley Cup. In the team’s two runs to the Conference Finals, Panarin wasn’t able to match his regular season production. In 2021-22, he had six goals and 10 assists for 16 points to tie for third with Kreider on the team in postseason scoring. Throughout that spring, it looked like something was bothering him. In 2023-24, he recorded five goals and 10 assists for 15 points to rank third on the team during the postseason behind Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck.
Now 34, he has an important decision ahead that could impact both the Rangers and his career. With a full no-movement clause, it’s entirely up to him whether he decides to agree to waive it to go chase a Cup. By going public, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury doesn’t have as much leverage.
Martin Gets First Win
In his first start for the Rangers, Spencer Martin picked up his first win by making 25 saves. After giving up an early goal to Konecny on the game’s first shot, Martin steadied by stopping 25 of the next 27 shots.
He was particularly strong in the third period when the Flyers turned up the volume. Despite facing several high-danger scoring chances, Martin only allowed Trevor Zegras to beat him. He made 12 saves in a busy final period to earn the victory.
Sullivan Gets 500th Win
After waiting a while, Sullivan got his 500th win as an NHL coach. Most of his success came in Pittsburgh where he went 409-255-89 in a decade before leaving to take over the Rangers this season.
His first year hasn’t gone according to plan with the Rangers only 21-22-6 through their first 49 games. They currently rank 15th in the East with the fewest points (48) in the conference. The 6-3 victory was only their fourth win in regulation since Nov. 28.
In the second period on Saturday against the Flyers, Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal to put the Rangers ahead 4-1.
The goal allowed Zibanejad to become the Rangers’ franchise leader in power-play goals with number 117. That broke a tie with Camille Henry and Chris Kreider.
On a great play started by Scott Morrow, who moved the puck to Vincent Trocheck, he then passed it over to Artemi Panarin, who found Zibanejad open for a shot that beat Flyers goalie Sam Ersson at 5:38 of the second period.
Zibanejad later tied Bill Cook for the most hat tricks in franchise history with his ninth. He put away a J.T. Miller feed on a two-on-one for the record-tying hat trick.
The Rangers led the Flyers 6-2 entering the third period.
Following another embarrassing 8-4 loss to the Senators on Jan. 14 that made it five consecutive defeats, the Rangers finally admitted the obvious to disgruntled fans who’ve seen enough of a heartless roster that lacks character in the franchise’s centennial season.
Earlier on Friday afternoon, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury released a statement that provided an update on what the organization plans are. As expected, they won’t include Artemi Panarin, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He will not be offered a contract extension, which means that the Rangers intend to trade him to a playoff contender looking to win this year.
Given how poorly constructed the roster is, this was predictable. The Rangers entered the season very top heavy. The success depended largely on a core of veterans that included Adam Fox, J.T. Miller, Panarin, Igor Shesterkin, Vincent Trocheck, and Mika Zibanejad. Injuries to Fox, Miller, Shesterkin, and Trocheck have contributed to the downfall. With neither Will Cuylle nor Alexis Lafreniere performing up to expectations, the offense has relied too much on Panarin and Zibanejad.
When Fox was healthy prior to his first stint on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), the Rangers hung around with a 13-12-2 record through November. Since losing to the Lightning 4-1 on Nov. 29, they’ve gone 7-10-4 over the last 21 games. They’ve only won three times in regulation over that futile stretch. In a 3-2 overtime loss to the Mammoth on Jan. 5, both Fox and Shesterkin suffered injuries. A lower-body injury has kept Shesterkin out over the last four games. Unlike Fox, who was placed on LTIR for the second time, Shesterkin is close to returning.
In the four games since, the Rangers have been outscored 27-10. Jonathan Quick has been chased from the net twice in lopsided defeats to the Bruins (10-2) and Senators (8-4). After giving up six goals for the second time in his last three starts against Ottawa on Wednesday night, Quick was replaced by Spencer Martin. At that point, the Senators led 6-0 before head coach Mike Sullivan pulled Quick. The first period was so uncompetitive that the Rangers gave up before intermission by allowing Dylan Cozens to score with less than five seconds left.
The only positive coming out of that game was the arrival of rookie Gabe Perreault, who recorded his first career two-goal game. Both goals came on lead passes in front with Perreault able to go to a deke before finishing each. Only 20, the 2023 first round pick is the Rangers’ best prospect. He might be their only prospect capable of playing in the top six. A place he should stay for the remainder of the season.
If there's any silver lining, Gabe Perreault looks like he's on FIRE 🔥
Perreault remained with Miller and Zibanejad at the morning skate. So disgusted with his team, Sullivan made the line change in the first period the other night. He also had Panarin back with Trocheck and Lafreniere. A line that once was responsible for most of the team’s success when they won the Presidents’ Trophy and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in 2023-24. That feels like a lifetime ago.
Key Players Want To Stay
Despite where the Rangers currently are in the standings, sitting last in the Eastern Conference with 46 points, key players have indicated to Drury that they want to stay put. They include Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Miller, Shesterkin, and Zibanejad. All have no-movement clauses in their contracts.
For now, the non-Panarin guys with NMCs — Fox, Gavrikov, Miller, Shesterkin and Zibanejad — sound like they're on board and expressed that they want to be here, according to a source. #NYR
While it’s likely that all five remain Rangers during the next phase of the franchise, Trocheck wasn’t mentioned. A gritty center who brings a lot to the table, he doesn’t have full trade protection. With a more workable contract ($5.625 million AAV) that doesn’t expire until 2029, Trocheck could be a candidate teams have interest in. He has a 12 team no-trade list this season.
Selected to Team USA for the Olympics due to his checking and tenacity, the 32-year-old plays both power play and penalty kill while remaining strong on faceoffs (55.4 percent).
Panarin Era Coming to A Close
As indicated earlier, Drury held an individual meeting with Panarin and told him that they wouldn’t be offering an extension. Instead, they would like to find an opportunity for him to win elsewhere.
According to a source, Panarin was one of the players who met individually with Drury today. It was described as "an honest meeting" in which #NYR expressed they won't be extending him and they'd like to find an opportunity for him to win elsewhere.
That largely depends on Panarin, who has a full NMC. When he chose the Rangers on July 1, 2019, it was because he wanted to play in the big city under the bright lights. For almost seven years, the 34-year-old Russian has been the brightest star at Madison Square Garden since all-time Rangers great Henrik Lundqvist. Set to play in his 800th career NHL game when they visit the Flyers on Saturday, Panarin has registered 202 goals and 399 assists for 601 points in 477 games as a Ranger.
The biggest highlight came when he scored the overtime winner in Game 7 of the first round to help the Rangers overcome a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Penguins in 2022. They came back to defeat the Hurricanes in seven to advance to the Conference Finals. After taking the first two games, they lost the series in six to the two-time defending champion Lightning.
In a memorable 2023-24, Panarin set career bests in goals (49), assists (71), and points (120) to lead the Rangers to the best record in the league. His 120 points are the second most by a Ranger in a single season, ranking behind Jaromir Jagr, who broke Jean Ratellele’s record with 123 points in 2005-06. He finished fifth for the Hart and was selected as a first-team All-Star for the second time in his career.
Panarin posted five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in the postseason. Four of his five goals were game-winners. After they eliminated the Capitals and Hurricanes in the first two rounds, the Rangers lost to the Panthers in six. The stingy Cats held Panarin to a goal and three assists in the series. Panarin scored late in Game 6 with Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker. The Panthers held on to defeat the Rangers 2-1 to advance to the Stanley Cup, which they won over the Oilers.
Despite the current team being a mess, Panarin remains productive with 51 points to pace the Blueshirts in scoring. He ranks second in goals (16) behind Zibanejad, who leads them with 18. His 37 even strength points lead a team that’s struggled. Unlike last year when he had eight power-play goals, he only has scored once on the man-advantage.
With an assist this weekend, he’ll reach 400 as a member of the Rangers. Panarin is closing in on 1,000 points for his career. In 799 games with the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, and Rangers, he has 318 goals and 603 assists for 921 points. Assuming he stays in the NHL and signs in July, Panarin will reach that milestone.
If he wants to shed the label as not being the best playoff performer, then he’ll be amenable to waiving his NMC. We’ll see what he decides.
Criticism For Drury
Ever since MSG CEO James Dolan appeared on The Carton Show over a week ago to publicly support Drury, the Rangers have fallen apart. A former player who wasn’t a good captain, he’s hid behind the curtains like that memorable scene in The Wizard of Oz. We all know the one. He’s a gutless executive who refuses to make himself available to media and face the music.
That’s why Drury chose to create The Letter Part II. Unlike his predecessor Jeff Gorton, who was more serious about a rebuild through the draft and trades, Drury refers to it as a retool. If that were truly the case, what would he call the following:
Dumped Barclay Goodrow on waivers in a prearranged move so the Sharks could claim him to get around his no-trade protection. Ironically, Goodrow’s having the last laugh on a better team thanks to Hart candidate Macklin Celebrini carrying the Sharks.
After making it no secret that he planned to trade captain Jacob Trouba during the summer of 2024, Trouba blocked a move to Detroit. After the threat of unconditional waivers to Hartford, he accepted a deal to Anaheim for a weak return of Urho Vaakanainen, who’s become the odd man out on the blue line following signing a two-year deal. Elijah Neuenschwander was selected with the fourth round pick.
In a league memo that made both Trouba and Chris Kreider available with the team 12-4-1 in November 2024, Drury watched the team go into the tank due to a disconnect in the locker room that he created. When he finally forced Trouba out on Dec. 6, what followed was more dissension.
After being a healthy scratch by Peter Laviolette, Kaapo Kakko fumed at being made the scapegoat for an under-performing roster in which vets never were made examples out of. Eventually Kakko was traded to the Kraken on Dec. 18 for Will Borgen and a sixth round pick (Samuel Jung).
Following six weeks, Borgen is given a five-year contract with a $4.1 million cap hit on Jan. 25. His play slips in the second half of a forgettable season. As is standard, he has a no-trade clause for the first four years of the deal. A solid player who’s at best a third pair defenseman, he remains on the second pair due to how weak the blue line is.
Despite the team hardly proving itself, Drury decides to double down by packaging Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a first round pick to the Canucks for Miller on Jan. 31. The deal also nets Jackson Dorrington. However, that first round pick winds up being dealt twice via Pittsburgh to Philadelphia who select Jack Nesbitt. After putting up 35 points in 32 games, Miller’s struggled as the leader of a bad team with 26 points and a minus-17 in 39 games.
Playing through an injury during the 2024-25 season that caused him to miss some time, Kreider scored in his final game as a Ranger. He also assisted on a Zibanejad goal. Knowing it was the final time he’d ever play for the franchise as one of its greatest goalscorers, he agreed to a trade to Anaheim on Jun. 12 that netted Carey Terrance and a third round pick (Artyom Gonchar).
After being acquired with Juuso Parssinen from the Avalanche for Ryan Lindgren on Mar. 1, Calvin de Haan had some choice words for the organization due to how little he played despite the team performing well in his three games. He was promised a role but instead, he became a healthy scratch under Laviolette. Eventually, de Haan clarified his statements to reporters by explaining how he felt. A six-player deal that included Jimmy Vesey netted promising second round pick Malcolm Spence, who has eight goals and five assists at Michigan as a freshman. The fourth round pick is Mikkel Eriksen, who plays in Sweden.
Before hiring Sullivan, Drury doubled down by signing Parssinen to a two-year contract. After posting two goals and an assist in 14 games under Sullivan, Parssinen passes through waivers where he is sent to Hartford. Following one game, he suffers an injury and hasn’t played since.
For reasons only known to him, Drury signs Taylor Raddysh for two years with a $1.5 million cap hit. After a hot start highlighted by a hat trick, Raddysh falls out of favor before he posts two goals and an assist in a win over his former team in Washington on Dec. 23. Since then, he hasn’t registered a point in nine games while playing mostly on the fourth line. But his 7-4-11 is still ranked 10th in team scoring due to the lack of talent.
Drury’s first draft pick Brennan Othmann remains without a goal in 33 NHL games. Taken 16th in 2021 ahead of Wyatt Johnston and Josh Doan, he’s yet to establish himself. After going back and forth in Hartford where he’s produced better results, Othmann is being given another chance to play on the third line with promising 2022 fourth round pick Noah Laba, who looks like a top nine player.
Before the 100-Year Anniversary, Drury signs Conor Sheary to a one-year, two-way deal for $775,000. The 33-year-old veteran who was a member of back-to-back Stanley Cups under Sullivan in Pittsburgh, becomes a permanent fixture in the top nine. He’s often miscast in a top six role due to Sullivan’s preference of having defensive-minded vets. Despite giving an honest effort, unlike many teammates, Sheary manages only one goal with eight assists in 37 games before being placed on LTIR on Jan. 1.
In a recent game due to injuries, both Anton Blidh and Justin Dowling are recalled. Each plays in two games before being sent back down to Hartford.
Due to spending close to the max, Drury is forced to send down younger players to remain cap compliant. A roller-coaster that hasn’t helped with roster stability during an embarrassing centennial anniversary highlighted by the team having only five wins at MSG in mid-January.
On Jan. 16, Drury releases a statement that acknowledges the disappointments of a roster that lacks any guts or soul. A passionless roster that he created. Of course, he doesn’t apologize to the fans who have called for his head in recent home games by chanting, “Fire Drury!!!” Instead, it’s a cowardly letter where he doesn’t have to answer a single question, adding further insult to a forgettable season
Counting Down Until It’s Over
Most fans are counting down until it’s over. The Rangers have 34 games remaining on the schedule, including a four-game road trip that begins tomorrow at Philadelphia for another nationally televised game. What will they do for an encore?
To be blunt, it’s 34 days of waste for a fan base that’s sick of Drury, who’s replaced Glen Sather as Dolan’s new personal favorite. But remember, he’s a winner who hates losing. Drury won a stacked Avalanche in 2000-01. They shouldn’t have even won that year. The Devils and Martin Brodeur blew that series in Game 6 with a no-show.
Drury had a good career, highlighted by his game-tying goal late in regulation in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Rangers in 2007. Maxim Afinogenov scored the overtime winner to rescue the Sabres to a 2-1 victory. Buffalo advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Senators.
As a GM, Drury has been a failure. Even though he’s right about there being successes with runs in 2022 and 2024 thanks to the roster Gorton and former team president John Davidson built, he’s changed coaches three times, and turned a good roster into one of the NHL’s worst. The Rangers are unwatchable.
Last season was pretty bad. This one feels even worse due to how poorly they’ve performed under Sullivan. It was Drury’s choice to bring in his buddy. It was also their decision to make Miller captain of this sinking ship. What happened to No More BS? Miller couldn’t even find the words to explain away a 10-2 humiliation in the Boston Massacre on Jan. 10.
The only Ranger who’s been accountable has been Zibanejad. He’s played hard and is close to matching his 2024-25 goal total (20) due to putting in a honest effort. Win or lose, he’s available in the locker room to answer questions. He never sounds lost as to why they aren’t winning. That’s your runaway Steven McDonald winner.
When the Olympic break comes in February, it’ll serve as a vacation for the fans. The only thing to look forward to is whether or not Panarin agrees to a trade, and which players move in March.
There’s nothing left. What a way to honor the past Rangers legends and fan favorites.
Vincent Trocheck summed up the feeling in the locker room following a 10-2 drubbing the Rangers suffered against the Bruins this afternoon in a Boston Massacre that would’ve made Paul Revere proud.
“We should be embarrassed right now and I think we are.” Mollie Walker, NY Post.
Despite getting the game’s first goal from Mika Zibanejad (5 goals over the last 4), who was nicely set up by assist machine Artemi Panarin, they were pitiful defensively by committing 20 turnovers in a one-sided match, which told the story. They made an abundance of mistakes in coverage to turn a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 deficit by the conclusion of the first period.
It was a comedy of errors from defensemen that allowed the Bruins to do whatever they wanted in a lopsided period. The Rangers seemed to be stuck in quiksand against Boston’s relentless forecheck that wreaked havoc. The Bruins took advantage by outskating and outhustling a disjointed team who looked like their heads were elsewhere.
Talk about turning on the jets 💨
Marat Khusnutdinov blows past the defender to tie the game early here in the opening frame!
Marat Khusnutdinov scored the first of four goals in a memorable performance for the 23-year-old forward. He went completely around an out of position Braden Schneider and beat Jonathan Quick with a wrist shot that tied the game. Following Schneider’s horrible coverage, Will Borgen fell down to allow Pavel Zacha a clean look for his first goal of three on the day. Two Bruins recorded their first career hat tricks, with Khusnutdinov and Zacha combining for seven of the 10 goals.
HAVE AN AFTERNOON, PAVEL ZACHA 🐻
He's got his first career hat trick, and we're just barely over halfway through the game! pic.twitter.com/AfYmcV543Y
The Rangers spent way too much time in their zone defending. They had trouble on breakouts due to bad passes that wound up on Bruin sticks for scoring chances, which Quick turned away. That included stopping consecutive breakaways. He kept his team in it for as long as possible until the roof caved in completely.
With Zibanejad already off for tripping Casey Mittelstadt, J.T. Miller took a very undisciplined slashing minor on Charlie McAvoy to give the Bruins a two-man advantage late in the period. After Quick made a couple of great saves, including two on David Pastrnak from point blank range, play continued after another close call on another attempt.
What a BIZARRE ending to the first period…
The Bruins and Rangers both left the ice but turns out the puck crossed the line with 30 seconds left so both teams had to come back out of the locker room to finish the period 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zcIkDJQtLU
Following Quick committing highway robbery on Morgan Geekie, time expired. But with the Rangers already off for the locker room, they were called back due to a video review confirming that Zacha had his rebound completely cross the goal line before Schneider had kept it out. With ABC already in an intermission segment, they went back to Ray Ferraro who provided an update on what happened. The refs put 32.9 seconds back on the clock. The score remained 3-1 with the Bruins still on the power play to start the second.
A couple of minutes after Pastrnak just missed on the five-on-four, Fraser Minten finished off a Viktor Arvidsson pass to make it 4-1. Borgen was again the culprit on the goal. It was part of a rough afternoon for him and Matthew Robertson, who were victimized on three goals. Head coach Mike Sullivan’s move to team them up didn’t have positive results, eventually leading to him going back to Carson Soucy and Borgen while Robertson shifted down to play with Scott Morrow. Nothing worked. It was a nightmare.
Trailing by three, Trocheck got behind the Boston defense for a breakaway before getting slashed from behind by McAvoy to lead to a penalty shot. However, he was unable to convert with Jeremy Swayman able to get his right pad on Trocheck’s attempt to keep his team ahead by three.
Shortly after, the Bruins top line skated circles around the Rangers fourth line, leading to Pastrnak setting up Khusnutdinov for his second of the game. Schneider and Vladislav Gavrikov were caught behind the net, leaving Matt Rempe in front. He was too late on the coverage, allowing Khusnutdinov to make it 5-1.
Demonstrating how futile the effort was, Tanner Jeannot hit the goalpost on the next shift. In between all the scoring, the Bruins’ toughest players went at the Rangers during scrums, which included Nikita Zadorov having words with Miller. He also said something to Rempe at the end of another shift. Nothing materialized.
Using Morrow as a screen, Zacha completed the hat trick by zipping one past Quick to increase the Boston lead to 6-1. That ended Quick’s day. He was replaced by Spencer Martin.
Following a delay due to all the hats on the ice, Sam Carrick had enough and challenged the bigger Mark Kastelic at center ice. A scrappy player who never backs down, he took a big right at the end of the fight from Kastelic, who looked like he wanted more. If more players had Carrick’s heart, maybe the Rangers wouldn’t be where they are. A flat out soulless team without any identity. Similar to the 75th-year anniversary, they’ve disgraced the jersey in their 100th year.
Miller made it 6-2 on the power play. He took a Zibanejad feed in front and beat Swayman for his 11th goal. Trocheck drew the secondary helper.
Rather than build on it, Will Cuylle was unable to hit the net from directly in front. Instead, his miss led directly to another defenseless sequence that resulted in McAvoy being left wide open to bury a Pastrnak feed that made it 7-2. He got behind Panarin for an easy goal.
The third period was basically a glorified exhibition. Khusnutdinov was given too much time and space in the middle of the ice to tip in a Pastrnak shot pass for the hat trick. Frustration boiled over with Carrick going after Andrew Peeke, who got an additional roughing minor that put the Rangers on a power play.
Pastrnak later set up another goal when he pulled up on Trocheck and found a cutting Minten to make it 9-2. Borgen didn’t pay attention and was victimized. Equally as bad was seeing Alexis Lafreniere lose his balance. Like many teammates, he was a complete no-show, finishing minus-4. All 18 Rangers skaters were a minus in the game, managing to outdo the Devils in their 9-0 shutout loss to the Islanders.
With fans urging on the Bruins by chanting, “We Want 10!”, Khusnutdinov rewarded them with his fourth of the day.
Sean Kuraly went after Cuylle for a hit from behind on Arvidsson a few minutes earlier. Cuylle ate some rights from Kuraly, who stood up for his teammate. The Bruins not only dominated the Rangers. They humiliated them in every possible fashion.
If this wasn’t an eye-opener for Chris Drury and James Dolan, there’s no hope. It was one of the worst losses they’ve had. As bad as the teams were in the Dark Ages (1997-04), they usually pushed back in bad losses. The 2025-26 Rangers are gutless. Changes need to be made now. But will they come Monday? The cap limits what they can do. Don’t expect anything.
Laba Returns
After missing the past two games, Noah Laba returned to center the third line. He played with Gabe Perreault and Taylor Raddysh. They actually were the best line due to only being on for one goal against.
In 19 shifts (14:48), Laba had a shot, three attempts, and went 5-for-11 on faceoffs. He, Perreault, and Raddysh spent more time in the offensive zone. Considering how bad the rest of the forwards played, keeping them together for the next game makes sense when the Kraken visit MSG on Monday.
Before last night’s game, the Rangers held a pregame ceremony that honored fan favorites in their 100-year history. Among the notables included Nick Fotiu, Don Maloney, Jan Erixon, George McPhee, Pierre Larouche, Tony Granato, Chris Nilan, Tie Domi, Darren Langdon, Jeff Beukeboom, Colton Orr, Brandon Prust, Sean Avery, Ryan Callahan, Adam Graves, and Henrik Lundqvist. They all received a warm welcome with the loudest ovation reserved for Lundqvist.
When it comes to recognizing their illustrious past, the Rangers have done a phenomenal job in their centennial season. Unfortunately, the current roster has disrespected the alumni by continuing to lose in bad fashion on such nights. In the latest embarrassment on home ice, they fell to the Sabres 5-2, dropping to a dismal 5-11-4 at MSG.
It’s inexplicable how poorly they’ve played in front of passionate fans who tried to get behind them during a strong third period. Despite outshooting the Sabres 14-3, they managed to get outscored 2-1 in a mind-numbing loss that summed up their season. Outskated by a faster opponent that built a 3-1 lead through two periods, the Rangers had the momentum when Vincent Trocheck had his shot beat Colten Ellis from a bad angle to cut the deficit to one just 51 seconds into the third.
From that point, they continued to attack the Sabres, who were more vulnerable in their end. The relentless forecheck from every line including a very noticeable Matt Rempe (game-high six hits) got the crowd into it with “Let’s Go Rangers” chants. But after he gave up a soft goal to Trocheck, Ellis steadied in net for the Sabres by making 13 saves in a busy third.
If there was a play that really typified what’s gone wrong in the centennial anniversary, it happened with over five minutes remaining in the game. Upset all night due to Braden Schneider catching him with a clean hit that bloodied his nose, Peyton Krebs took an undisciplined double minor for high-sticking Trocheck, who got underneath his skin. That put the Rangers on a four-minute power play with a good chance to tie it.
Instead, disaster struck when a bad turnover from Alexis Lafreniere inside the blue line led directly to Mattias Samuelsson scoring a crushing shorthanded goal to give the Sabres the cushion they needed with 5:22 left in regulation. It was such a poor decision from Lafreniere that he heard boos when head coach Mike Sullivan put him back out for his next shift. It was well-deserved for a career underachiever who’s never lived up to the hype that made him the number one pick in 2020.
Only this team. Only this group of guys can dominate a period like that, earn a double minor late in the game, with a chance to tie the game, and give up a goal like that.
What made it worse was that after he forced a pass that had no chance of reaching Vladislav Gavrikov, Lafreniere coasted instead of hustling back. For a player who once was considered a future star by both the media and scouts, it was pretty damming. More often than not, he doesn’t seem to have a high hockey IQ and looks checked out half the time.
Ever since team president and general manager Chris Drury signed him to that seven-year contract extension with a $7.45 million cap hit on Oct. 25, 2024, Lafreniere hasn’t come close to earning it. The 2023-24 breakout season in which he put up 28 goals and 29 assists for a career-high 57 points feels like so long ago, which can also be echoed for the eight goals and 14 points he had that postseason. There’s zero fire and no intensity.
It’s astonishing how bad he’s been since Drury gave him the big contract. After starting last season with seven points (4-3-7) in his first seven games between Oct. 9-24, the 24-year-old has had a significant drop-off in production. It didn’t start until late November. He was still scoring and setting up goals with 16 points (8-8-16) in 19 games. Following that, he only had 29 (9-20-29) over the remaining 63 games. Counting the inconsistency this season, Lafreniere has managed just 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points in his last 108 games.
When it comes to his contract, Lafreniere doesn’t have any trade restrictions until July 2027. There’s nothing stopping Drury from exploring the market to see what’s available. At this point, it would probably have to be an equally disappointing player with a similar deal.
Unless there’s a team with cap space that thinks they can fix him. He looks like a disinterested player who can use a change of scenery. Even in a top six role along with increased power play time, he doesn’t seem like a player they should keep. Unless things turn around dramatically, his time on Broadway could be coming to an end.
Alexis Lafrenière has gotten first power play and top six minutes like fans wanted and it has not got him going.
Lafreniere’s inconsistent play isn’t the only issue with the Rangers, who fell to 1-6 when wearing their centennial jerseys. It’s no secret that they’re an aging team built around Artemi Panarin, who continued to produce by setting up both goals including a Mika Zibanejad one-timer that made it 2-1 in the second period. Zibanejad has been on fire lately with eight points in the last three games, highlighted by his Winter Classic hat trick and two assists on Jan. 2.
With two helpers on Thursday, Panarin reached a milestone with his 600th career assist. For the seventh consecutive season, he seems destined to lead the Blueshirts in scoring with his 48 points pacing them. Zibanejad is second with 38 points. Unless he agrees to waive his no-movement clause before the March 6 trade deadline, Panarin could play out the final year of his contract. As the Olympic break draws nearer, the Rangers should have a better idea of what their plans might be moving forward.
In his first start since the injury to Igor Shesterkin (lower leg), Jonathan Quick didn’t play well enough to win. He allowed four goals on 20 shots. At least two were ones he could’ve had, including Samuelsson’s shorthanded goal that went short side, catching him leaning. He also was unlucky on the Sabres’ third goal scored by Jason Zucker when a Rasmus Dahlin shot went off Quick and Zucker’s shoulder to make it 3-1.
Even though they were limited to 19 shots before the empty netter from Ryan McLeod, the Sabres created several dangerous opportunities in the slot. The Rangers were guilty of backing in, which exposed the middle of the ice. That was evident on a goal Alex Tuch scored that put the Sabres up 2-0 in the second. Both Schneider and Gavrikov backed in while no forwards were in the vicinity on Tuch’s wrist shot that went top shelf.
If there was a plus, the Rangers played more physical by taking the body whenever they could. They outhit the Sabres 32-26. Some of the havoc caused by Rempe created some looks for Sam Carrick. But as has been the case through this point of another season headed nowhere, he didn’t bury his chances. The lack of secondary scoring continues to plague them.
They played without Noah Laba for the second straight game. A positive development is that he could be nearing a return after taking line rushes at Friday’s morning skate. The Rangers will visit Boston on Saturday afternoon.
Considering how bad they are, it’s hard not to wonder what the conversation was between former players who watched another ugly display after being introduced by legendary MSG television voice Sam Rosen. To be a fly on the wall to hear what Avery or Callahan thought. Gritty players who actually bled for the jersey.
We know that Fotiu, McPhee, Nilan (Knuckles), Domi, Langdon, Orr, and Prust all weren’t shy about throwing ’em. Beukeboom was as tough as they come on the blue line. When Graves wasn’t riding shotgun for Mark Messier, “Beuke” was doing it for Brian Leetch or any teammate. That was their mentality.
Gone are the days when players had each others backs. To be perfectly blunt, today’s roster remains far too soft. There’s too many players okay with Shesterkin or Quick being run. There was no response to the Brandon Hagel hit that caused Adam Fox to miss 14 games. Even if it was clean, there should’ve been something. The Rangers don’t see the Lightning again until April when they’ll be eliminated.
If you don’t believe it, then you’re as blind a bat. There isn’t enough character, heart, or resiliency. The only player willing to answer the bell is Carrick, who even went with undisputed heavyweight champion Mathieu Oliver in Columbus. Rempe can’t due to his thumb recovering from surgery.
Through 45 games, the Rangers have 46 points and only 13 regulation wins. The sad aspect is that even with all the teams in front of them winning last night, they’re still a few points back. Even with Miller picking up an assist in his return, there wasn’t enough from a vanilla group. If they gave more of an honest effort like the inspired third period, maybe I’d give them more of a chance.
Does anyone feel optimistic about their chances against the Bruins, who haven’t been playing well? Gabe Perreault remains on the third line and looks like he’ll be sent down. It’s probably the right thing to do for his development.
Scott Morrow returned yesterday. He had a shot hit the goalpost late with the Rangers trailing by two. Sullivan has changed the defensive pairs for tomorrow by having Carson Soucy with Morrow. Will Borgen and Matthew Robertson will work together on the second pair.
There isn’t much to look forward to. At least it’s wildcard weekend.
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