In this latest edition of New York Rangers News & Rumors, Rangers winger Blake Wheeler finally broke the ice and posted his first point of the season against the Minnesota Wild. Meanwhile, although the Rangers’ blew a three-goal lead and lost in the shootout to the Wild, the blame is not on Jonathan Quick. In
Erik Gustafsson
The New York Rangers entered free agency with limited cap space to work with. Taking that into consideration, the club was unlikely to make any significant additions, but instead brought in some depth players who are in the mix for playing time. Here’s a look at four notable additions who are in a position to
For a few years, the New York Rangers have struggled to find a reliable third defense pair. Last season, young blueliner Braden Schneider played well for them on the right side and Niko Mikkola, whom the team acquired at the trade deadline, gave them stability and solid defensive play. However, he left in free agency
You know what they say… second time’s the charm, right? Okay, maybe that’s not quite right, but hopefully that’ll be the case for the Winnipeg Jets as they face the Washington Capitals this Friday (Dec. 23) for the second time this season. The Jets who are coming off a 3-2 loss against the Boston Bruins
Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times: The Chicago Blackhawks will start mapping out their front office rebuild soon. ‘‘ really start road-mapping, white-boarding it out,’’ he said Friday in Tampa. ‘‘ just bouncing ideas around and maybe talking about structures and different departments and builds we want to look at.’’ They’ll need to make a
The Montreal Canadiens added more depth on defence as they traded a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenceman Erik Gustafsson. The Flyers retained 50% of Gustafsson’s salary. The Canadiens also added defenceman Jon Merrill from the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. Montreal occupies the fourth and final playoff spot in the North
The Philadelphia Flyers made a series of moves on Tuesday prior to the NHL trade deadline, confirming their position as deadline sellers concentrated on future organizational development beyond the 2020-21 season. General manager Chuck Fletcher completed two trades sending veteran players away for draft compensation. First, defenseman Erik Gustafsson was traded to the Montreal Canadiens
Despite wanting to just focus on the remainder of this season, the Calgary Flames have some interesting decisions to make this coming offseason. Many of those decisions will be made depending on how the team performs in the playoffs, assuming they are able to keep their current pace and get in. One intriguing decision will
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on the asking price from the New York Rangers for Chris Kreider, reasons why the Winnipeg Jets haven’t terminated Dustin Byfuglien’s contract yet, and speculation there’s a team keenly interested in Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry. Finally, are the Golden Knights looking to do more after adding
Is Josh Anderson a case of buyer beware? Conor Ryan of Boston Sports Journal: While Anderson dishes out much punishment, his scoring this season has evaporated. He tallied just one goal and four points in 26 games before an injury occurred. Anderson remains out since mid-December. While he expects to return soon, one must wonder
Trade deadline notes on the Blackhawks, Penguins, rentals, Senators, and Rangers Emily Kaplan of ESPN: If the Chicago Blackhawks are in a good position at the trade deadline, don’t expect them to do much. GM Stan Bowman would likely hold onto both Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford. Bowman could listen to offers on Erik Gustafsson.
Byfuglien decision could be coming soon Elliotte Friedman: There was word Saturday night that a decision for the status of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien for the rest of this season is getting closer. It sounds like he hasn’t started skating and that he “most likely” won’t be playing this season. His status for next
Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline John Dietz of The Daily Herald (mailbag): The Chicago Blackhawks remain three points out of a playoff spot with lots of teams to hop. Chicago’s plan is not to mortgage to buy. Would they take a bad contract with a sweetener? That appears more likely than straight buying. Also,
The Pittsburgh Penguins have long been one of the NHL’s most active teams at the trade deadline. This season should be no different, as the Penguins are in the thick of another wild race for the Metropolitan Division title. Ultimately, however, there is only goal: to win the Stanley Cup. Their 2016 and 2017 Stanley
Kreider on trade rumors Dennis Bernstein: New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider on trade rumors: ”I have no preference (on destination if I was traded), I’m a Ranger until they tell me I’m not.” Laura Albanese: Kreider added that he’s not thinking about trade opportunities as he still believes the Rangers have a playoff chance.
Do the Maple Leafs use their depth at forward to improve their blue line? What are other areas of need and what are their options? Jonas Seigel of The Athletic: If the Toronto Maple Leafs miss the playoffs, GM Kyle Dubas could be on the hot seat. If the Maple Leafs don’t think they can
Is Jeff Carter a possible Philadelphia Flyers target? Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia: As Jeff Carter and the Los Angeles Kings played in Philadelphia last week, the question inevitably got asked. Would the winger like to return to the Flyers? Carter remains on pace to score 23 goals this season and Philadelphia could use
Zajac wants to stay Steve Cangialosi: New Jersey Devils forward Travis Zajac will likely have his name in the rumor mill leading up to the February 24th trade deadline. Zajac does hold a full no-trade clause. Zajac a few days ago. “I’ve thought about the situation a lot. This is where I want to be.”