Original post on thehockeywriters.com

Rangers Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Trade Speculation, Injuries, Sullivan Milestone and More The New York Rangers are entering the week in a moment of significant turbulence following...

#New #York #Rangers #Adam #Fox #Igor #Shesterkin #J.T […]

[Original post on thehockeywriters.com]

Sidney Crosby, certified bird-knower YouTube video by What Chaos!

Today on #WhatChaos!

🚨IG Tracker (Endearing)
🚨Sid Gets Loony
🚨Players vs. Robots
🚨Alternate Jersey Rumor

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Comparing the Rangers’ 2025-26 Projected Lineup to the 2024-25 Opening Night Lineup Going into last season, there was so much hope surrounding the New York Rangers and their chances of winning the Stanley Cup. They were coming off a season in which they won the Presidents’ Trophy and a Game 6 loss in the Eastern Conference Final. The majority of the roster was still in place, and they started off the season with a record of 12-4-1. However, after that point in the season, a downward spiral began, and the team could not recover and ended up missing the playoffs. The roster has faced a lot of turnover since the start of last season, and in this piece, we are going to look at the projected lineup for the 2025-26 season and compare it to last season’s opening night lineup. ## The Forward Group For many years now, one of the main holes on the Rangers’ roster has been a top-line right winger who could play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. There have been many names that have come and gone over the years, and last season, the player who was brought in to fill that spot was Reilly Smith. He was coming off a poor season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the team was taking a chance on him bouncing back. With those three filling out the first line, the second line consisted of Alexis Lafreniere, Artemi Panarin, and Vincent Trocheck. They were the best line in the NHL during the 2023-24 season, and the hope was that they could keep up that momentum going into last season. Two of these names are no longer on the team, with Smith being traded at the trade deadline last season and Kreider being moved to the Anaheim Ducks earlier this offseason. The big name that came in last season and who will now be the first line center is J.T. Miller. He was brought back in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks in late January and finished the season with 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games played as a Ranger. He is projected to center a line with Zibanejad now on the right wing and Will Cuylle moving up to play on the left wing. The second line is projected to remain the same as it was, with Panarin, Trocheck, and Lafreniere getting another chance to find that magic they had two seasons ago. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) When it comes to the bottom six forwards, the Rangers arguably had the best third line in the league to start last season, with Cuylle playing with Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko. They played well both offensively and defensively, and at one point were outscoring their opponents 12-0 when they were on the ice. Now, Chytil and Kakko were both traded last season, and Cuylle is likely to be playing higher up in the lineup. If Zibanejad does remain at right wing, the third-line center is likely going to be Juuso Parssinen, who was acquired in a trade last season and signed to a two-year extension. Who plays on his wings is the next question, because they have a few younger players who could step into those roles. The three players to watch are Gabe Perreault, Brett Berard, and Brennan Othmann. Each of these players is 21 years old or younger and played games in the NHL last season. The Rangers are going to need them to take the next step in their development, and that means giving them a chance to play meaningful minutes at the NHL level. The fourth line to start last season was Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick, and Johnny Brodzinski. While that could be the line that starts again this season, Matt Rempe is also going to be fighting for his roster spot and is going to try and be an everyday player for the Rangers. ## The Defensive Core In my last piece, I went over how, despite the changes that have been made this offseason, the Rangers’ defense still isn’t good enough going into this season. I also talked about how much turnover there has been on the defense since the start of last season. Of the seven defensemen who were on the opening night roster, five of them are no longer with the team. To start last season, the top pairing was K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox. While Fox is going to be here for years to come, Miller had himself a poor season and was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this offseason as part of a sign-and-trade. While the Rangers did end up getting a good haul in return, it’s a shame Miller never panned out in New York. The second pairing consisted of Braden Schneider playing with Jacob Trouba. Trouba was moved in December of last season to the Ducks in the first trade that started this retooling the Rangers are going through. The third pair consisted of Zac Jones and rookie Victor Mancini, who was in the lineup due to an injury to Ryan Lindgren that he suffered in the preseason. All three of these players are no longer with the team, with Mancini being traded as part of the Miller trade to the Canucks and Lindgren being traded to the Colorado Avalanche before the deadline. Jones was a restricted free agent this summer, but the Rangers opted not to give him a qualifying offer, which made him an unrestricted free agent, and he signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres. **Related:Gabe Perreault Should be in the Rangers’ Top Six on Opening Night** Going into this season, the Rangers are going to have a very solid top pairing and two questionable pairings after that. The big move this summer was the signing of Vladislav Gavrikov as a free agent to a seven-year deal worth $7 million per season. He is going to be paired with Fox and is going to be the best partner Fox has had so far in his time in the NHL. Gavrikov is one of the best defensive defensemen in the entire league and is going to provide some stability to a defensive core that has been lacking it for years now. After those two, it’s a question of who is going to fill out the last two defensive pairings. It seems as of now, Schneider is going to move to the left side, even though he is a right-handed shot, and is going to be paired with Will Borgen, who the Rangers got as part of the Kakko trade last season. For the third pair, it seems likely that Carson Soucy will get one of those spots, but the other spot could be a toss-up between Urho Vaakanainen and Scott Morrow, who they got back in the Miller trade with the Hurricanes. Morrow seems like the best fit to fill out the third pair because he is right-handed and is going to provide more puck-moving ability and offense than Vaakanainen can. It will be interesting to see how the defense shapes up to start this season. ## The Goalies The only area on this team that remains the same from last season going into this season is the goalie tandem. It will once again be Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick tending the goal, and both of them could benefit from having bounce-back seasons. Shesterkin, who is now entering the first year of his deal that pays him $11.5 million per season, is going to be under the microscope because fans are going to expect him to play like the best goalie in the world every game, because he is now the highest-paid goalie in the league. He is coming off a season in which he had a record of 27-29-5, with a 2.86 goals-against average (GAA) and a .905 save percentage (SV%). Those numbers are going to need to be better this season if the Rangers want any chance of getting back to the playoffs. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) Quick, who had a fantastic first season with the Rangers two years ago, had a season to forget in 2024-25. He had a record of 11-7-2 with a 3.17 GAA and a .893 SV%. Those are numbers you can’t have from a backup goalie in today’s NHL, and now, entering this season at age 39 (he will turn 40 in January), it’s time to ask the question of whether Quick can still be relied upon to play in these games for the Rangers. There is no question that he has had some amazing moments with the team and has come up big more times than not, but they are going to need him to be better this season, and how many games can they truly get out of him at this stage of his career? When looking back on where this team started last season compared to what they are going to look like this season, it’s safe to say that nobody was expecting this much roster turnover over the course of the season. Key players were traded away, and new key players were brought in to replace them. Now, it’s about putting together the best team possible and getting back to the playoffs, because if they don’t, the roster turnover will continue, and who knows what changes could come from that.

Comparing the Rangers’ 2025-26 Projected Lineup to the 2024-25 Opening Night Lineup Going into last season, there was so much hope surrounding the New York Rangers and their chances of winning th...

#New #York #Rangers #Chris #Kreider #Igor #Shesterkin #J.T. #Miller

Origin | Interest | Match

Rangers’ Top-Performing Players From a Disappointing 2024-25 Season After the New York Rangers‘ most recent 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, their playoff chances have gone from slim to virtually none. Given that reality, the mindset has begun to flip from cobbling together an improbable playoff run to the more daunting task of reflecting on this season’s performance and, ultimately, analyzing where to go from here. **Related:** **Rangers Must Learn From Past Mistakes as They Enter a Retooling Phase** On the whole, the 2024-25 season has undeniably been a massive disappointment. Coming off a 114-point campaign in which they won the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers currently sit at just 79 points in 77 games. The story of the season has been underperformance from several players that played pivotal roles on last season’s team, headlined by Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Alexis Lafreniere. But lost in the denigration of this team and its litany of underperforming players is the fact that several Rangers have had strong seasons. To properly chart a path forward for the 2025-26 season, it can be beneficial to first look at what went well and which players can be part of the solution moving forward. This article will detail the accomplishments of four Rangers who have had productive seasons . ## Artemi Panarin While Artemi Panarin is slightly off last season’s 120-point pace, he currently leads the Rangers in scoring with a very respectable 34 goals, 49 assists, and 83 points in 75 games thus far. Of note is the massive gap between Panarin’s production and the rest of the team’s; Adam Fox sits second on the Rangers with 56 points. Despite massive drop offs in performance and production from many of his linemates, Panarin has continued to produce at a high level and looks as crafty, skilled, and explosive as he has in each season of his Rangers tenure. Panarin is under contract for the 2025-26 season and then becomes an unrestricted free agent, so while his status for the Rangers long-term remains murky, he will almost certainly be a critical part of the team for next season. ## Will Cuylle Still just 23 years old, Will Cuylle has blossomed into one of the Rangers’ most consistent and dependable players. His point totals have nearly doubled from last season, and perhaps most telling is the fact that his ice time has jumped from 11:08 last season to 15:04 this one. He has earned a spot on the power play and has essentially forced head coach Peter Laviolette to increase his ice time given how much better his five-on-five advanced stats are than players like Zibanejad and Kreider. Additionally, he sits fifth in the NHL with 285 hits and has been a dependable penalty killer. His high work ethic, motor, and consistent physicality have made him a culture setting player for the Rangers despite his relative inexperience. Cuylle is a pending restricted free agent as he is currently on the last year of his entry-level contract. It is unclear whether the Rangers plan to offer him a bridge deal or a longer team contract. Regardless, Ranger fans certainly hope to see Cuylle be a part of the Rangers’ future. ## Igor Shesterkin Igor Shesterkin’s large contract combined with a drop in his save percentage (SV%) and goals against average (GAA) have made him a scapegoat for many of the Rangers’ struggles this season. On the surface, Shesterkin’s .903 SV% and 2.89 GAA are drastically below his career averages. But a deeper dive into the statistics reveals how much the Rangers have relied on Shesterkin this year and just how much they have left him out to dry. For one, Shesterkin has a 19.5 Goals Saved Above Expected, a number which ranks him sixth among all goalies this season. He has also played in 58 games, tied for third best in the league, and has faced a league high 1,652 shots. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) Shesterkin’s contract expires after the 2027-28 season, and while the value provided by such a hefty contract is debatable (he is owed $11.5 million in each of the next three years), Shesterkin’s status as a top-10 goalie in the league remains cemented. ## J.T. Miller Acquired midseason, J.T. Miller has only dressed in 27 games for the Rangers. But in those 27 games, he has amassed an impressive 10 goals and 17 assists. He is a big, physical center who adds value on the defensive end with his intelligence, positioning, and his 59.0% faceoff percentage. While his arrival to the Rangers has not necessarily translated into wins, he has looked rejuvenated since landing in New York and has been a positive player overall. Miller’s contract expires after the 2027-28 season. While there are questions about how Miller, currently 32 years old, will look in the back half of that contract, his performance this season can make Rangers fans at least reasonably confident he will be a productive, point-per-game player next season. ## Rangers Should Appreciate Top Performers Amidst Disappointment The Rangers are in a predicament moving forward given their many underperforming players, particularly Kreider and Zibanejad, are under contract for several more seasons and are on the wrong side of the age curve for peak performance. But the Rangers can take some solace in the fact that the players listed above have had solid, productive seasons despite what has been a difficult one for the team overall.

Rangers’ Top-Performing Players From a Disappointing 2024-25 Season After the New York Rangers...

thehockeywriters.com/rangers-top-performing-p...

#New #York #Rangers #Artemi #Panarin #Igor #Shesterkin #J.T. #Miller #Will #Cuylle

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New York Rangers Wild Card Playoff Chances and Postseason Pathway The New York Rangers are fighti...

lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2025/04/03/wild-c...

#Hockey #New #York #Rangers #NHL #Gabe #Perreault #Igor #Shesterkin #New #York

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30 savings Shesterkin did not save Rangers from the defeat of Los Angeles in NHL 08:58 New York R...

https://socialbites.ca/sports/786303.html

#Sports #Andrey #Kuzmenko #Angeles #defeat #Igor #Shesterkin #jay #miller #Los #Los

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Rangers Recap: Stolen points on Sam Rosen day On Sam Rosen day, the Rangers stole a game the only...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/23/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Brennan #Othmann #Igor #Shesterkin #Jonny #Brodzinski #Rangers #Recap #Sam

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Rangers Recap: Stolen points on Sam Rosen day On Sam Rosen day, the Rangers stole a game the only...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/23/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Brennan #Othmann #Igor #Shesterkin #Jonny #Brodzinski #Rangers #Recap #Sam

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Rangers Recap: Wild Fire I am having a very hard time trying to remain calm after watching that a...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/19/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Igor #Shesterkin #Pathetic #Rangers #Recap

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Rangers Recap: Wild Fire I am having a very hard time trying to remain calm after watching that a...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/19/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Igor #Shesterkin #Pathetic #Rangers #Recap

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Rangers Recap: Wild Fire I am having a very hard time trying to remain calm after watching that a...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/19/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Igor #Shesterkin #Pathetic #Rangers #Recap

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The boys face another of the leagues top tenders tonight. Skinner draws in to face Shesterkin. This will go one of two ways . . .

#letsgooilers #Skinner #Shesterkin

Rangers Recap: Igor and pals For the first time all season, the Rangers had a must win in regulat...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/16/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Artemi #Panarin #Igor #Shesterkin #Mika #Zibanejad #Rangers #Recap

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Rangers Recap: Igor and pals For the first time all season, the Rangers had a must win in regulat...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/16/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Artemi #Panarin #Igor #Shesterkin #Mika #Zibanejad #Rangers #Recap

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Rangers Recap: Call to the Wild Just when you think the Rangers are dead in the water, they find ...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/14/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Braden #Schneider #Igor #Shesterkin #Jonny #Brodzinski #Rangers #Recap

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Jets Defeat Rangers 2-1 in Tight, Playoff-Style Matchup The Winnipeg Jets defeated the New York Rangers 2-1 at Canada Life Centre Tuesday evening in a game that had an air of playoff intensity. Gabriel Vilardi’s second period power-play goal stood up as the game winner for the Jets, who improved to 45-17-4 with the win. The Rangers, who are desperate to stay in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, fell to 31-28-6. ## jets & Rangers Trade Goals in First The Jets got off to a fast start by opening the scoring at 5:18 when Vladislav Namestnikov banged a puck in to finish off a nice three-way passing play between he, Cole Perfetti, and Nikolaj Ehlers. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin came way out his crease to challenge Perfetti, leaving the net wide open for Namestnikov after Perfetti passed instead of shot. The Rangers tied it up on the power play at 11:00 with Nino Niederreiter in the box for removing K’Andre Miller’s helmet. Mika Zibanejad, corralling an errant J.T. Miller pass in the slot, wired in his 15th of the season past Connor Hellebuyck after 55 seconds straight of zone time. ## Jets Retake Lead in Second The Jets responded in the second period with a power-play goal of their own to retake their lead when Vilardi scored his 12th man-advantage tally of the season and 27th overall. The goal unsurprisingly came from his net-front office after another nice Perfetti pass. > Park it in front and put it HOME 💪 pic.twitter.com/UCRvtqmooJ > > — Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) March 12, 2025 The Jets had a few breakaway opportunities after Vilardi’s goal, but Shesterkin stood tall to keep his team’s deficit at one heading into the final frame. ## Jets Have Goal Disallowed in Third, But Hang On To Win Anyway The Jets appeared to extend the lead to 3-1 early in the third period when Dylan DeMelo one-timed in a Niederreiter pass. However, the Rangers challenged for goalie interference because Morgan Barron was in the crease and after review, the goal was disallowed. A few minutes later, DeMelo took a high-sticking penalty but the Jets killed it off. The disallowed goal didn’t end up impacting the final result because the Jets hung on from there to seal the 2-1 victory. The Rangers pulled Shesterkin for an extra attacker but could not find the equalizer despite some good pressure. ## Notes & Observations Defenseman Luke Schenn made his Jets debut after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins at last Friday’s trade deadline. The hard-hitting veteran skated on the third pairing with Haydn Fleury and logged 16:01 while registering one shot, five hits, and five blocked shots. **Related:Get to Know Jets’ Trade Deadline Additions Luke Schenn & Brandon Tanev** Two Jets defenseman reached games-played milestones, with Fleury playing in his 300th-career NHL game and Dylan Samberg playing in his 200th. Cole Perfetti was the only player in the game to register multiple points (two assists.) Cole Perfetti had two assists in the win. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) The shots were 24-22 in favour of the Jets. The Jets’ power play went one for four, while the Rangers went one for three. The Rangers are back in action Thursday in Minnesota as they face the Wild in the second game of their three-game road trip. The Jets are back in action Friday when they host the Dallas Stars to close out a quick two-game home stand.

Jets Defeat Rangers 2-1 in Tight, Playoff-Style Matchup The Winnipeg Jets defeated the New York R...

thehockeywriters.com/jets-defeat-rangers-reca...

#New #York #Rangers #Winnipeg #Jets #Cole #Perfetti #Gabriel #Vilardi #Igor #Shesterkin

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“Like on stage”: Ovechkin repeated Gretzki’s unique record Ovchkin, Gretski’s record 03/0...

https://socialbites.ca/sports/771019.html

#Sports #Alexander #ovalkin #ARMY #PANARINE #goals #Gretskis #Gretzkis #Igor #Shesterkin #John

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Rangers Recap: The Great Point Robbery Last night’s overtime loss was about as hard a point thi...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/06/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Igor #Shesterkin #Matt #Rempe #Rangers #Recap #Ride #The #Wave

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Rangers Recap: The Great Point Robbery Last night’s overtime loss was about as hard a point thi...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/06/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Igor #Shesterkin #Matt #Rempe #Rangers #Recap #Ride #The #Wave

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Rangers Recap: Where there’s a Will, there’s a way Two nights, two 4-0 wins, and a little dej...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/03/04/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Adam #Fox #Igor #Shesterkin #Rangers #Recap #Will #Cuylle #Zac

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Rangers Recap: Ride the wave For the first time in a while, the New York Rangers played a pretty ...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/02/26/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Brennan #Othmann #Igor #Shesterkin #Jonny #Brodzinski #JT #Miller #Matt

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Rangers Recap: You just 8-2 See It From best-on-best international hockey to whatever that Ranger...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/02/23/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Chris #Kreider #Igor #Shesterkin #Rangers #Recap

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Rangers Recap: You just 8-2 See It From best-on-best international hockey to whatever that Ranger...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/02/23/rangers-recap...

#Game #Wrap-ups #Chris #Kreider #Igor #Shesterkin #Rangers #Recap

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Igor Shesterkin out 1-2 weeks; Dylan Garand recalled The hits keep coming for the Rangers. Igor S...

blueseatblogs.com/2025/02/08/igor-shesterk...

#Injuries #Roster #Moves #Dylan #Garand #Igor #Shesterkin

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Panarin’s aim, Rangers Colorado 01/26/2025, 23:49 against NHL match did not save the defeat New...

https://socialbites.ca/sports/738812.html

#Sports #aim #ARMY #PANARINE #Colorado #defeat #Igor #Shesterkin #match #new #York

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Imagine the chaos if Shesterkin and Tkachuk actually dropped the gloves here. 🤯 How much fun would that have been?! 🥊🔥 #NHL #Shesterkin #Tkachuk #Sens #LGR