There are those who see in Lafreniere a No. 1 overall pick who doesn’t produce nearly enough offense and simply is not a star player, and very likely never will be, and should be traded sooner rather than later.

There are others who see a play-driving force supported by solid underlying statistics, who should remain a top-six mainstay on Broadway for years to come.

Such is the conundrum for Rangers management, who’ve analyzed Lafreniere more than any of us and likely remain up in the air on what the plan is with him moving forward.

So what will the Rangers do with their 24-tear-old forward ahead of the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline, or even into the upcoming offseason? Is he an absolute keeper, someone fully embedded in the core? Or will the Rangers cut bait and move on from the top pick in the 2020 NHL Draft?

“I think there’s an appetite to explore it [a trade],” The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “This isn’t [Artemi] Panarin, making him available, shopping him, but there is a willingness to have those conversations.”

Alexis Lafreniére RIPS a go-ahead goal 🚀 pic.twitter.com/y2gyD6j2lN

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) December 8, 2025

Pagnotta also said, “His name has been out there and there have been exploratory conversations with other teams going back to last summer. There was a little bit of a connection there with Vancouver, when that whole Quinn Hughes discussion was happening League-wide (before the star defenseman was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12).”

Pagnotta’s take makes sense. It doesn’t appear that the Rangers are actively shopping Lafreniere, who has modest stats (222 points; 102 goals, 120 assists) in 433 career NHL games. But it sure makes sense to listen if teams are making offers for him.

It was just last week that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman contended the Rangers may prefer to “fix” Lafreniere than trade him.

“The Rangers can say … we’d rather try and fix him and try to make it work here than sell him for 50 cents on the dollar.,” Friedman stated on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Rangers must ponder if ‘change of scenery make sense’ for Alexis Lafreniere

Lafreniere’s in the first season of a seven-year, $52.15 million contract. That $7.45 million annual salary-cap hit appears hefty for a player sitting on 10 goals and 29 points in 53 games and had a significant drop off in production the past two seasons.

The flip side — remember, we said he’s a polarizing player — is that if Lafreniere reaches his full potential and is consistently the player who scored 28 goals and totaled 57 points in 2023-24, then that cap hit becomes a bargain, especially with the NHL salary cap increasing significantly in coming years.

“With Lafreniere, he’s got his contract, he’s not produced at the level they anticipated he would this season,” Pagnotta explained. “They thought the incline would be happening well in advance of now. Does a change of scenery make sense and what are you getting back?”

Even the argument that Lafreniere is only 24 years old and still approaching his prime is polarizing because he’s already in his sixth NHL season and most often skates on a line with Panarin, one of the best and most productive players in the NHL. Yet, the results, his numbers, are disappointing.

You can see the talent. And the career-best xGF of 54.44 percent is tops among Rangers forwards this season, per Natural Stat Trick. If you’re the Rangers it must be maddening that he doesn’t actually score more.

Will he thrive and produce with a different core around him? Or is this just who he is?

Chris Drury and Co. must feel like damned if you do, damned if you don’t when it comes to potentially trading Lafreniere.

“This isn’t a scenario where you’re moving Lafreniere and bringing back a package,” Pagnotta explained. “This has to be a scenario, a player of his caliber — or at least optically his caliber — that has to be matched with what’s coming back. So, if optically you’re moving out a star player, you’ve got to bring in a star player. And that’s what presents some challenges because obviously his value isn’t the highest, even though a lot of people around the League still believe he’s got a lot of potential left in him and it’s still very, very early in his career.

“So, there’s a runway here for this player. But at the same time, the value is not at its peak or anywhere near that, so it’s a tough path to navigate right now in terms of a deal that makes you better.”

Soucy was held out of the lineup for roster management when the Rangers rallied past the Boston Bruins for a 4-3 overtime victory, and the trade was officially announced after the final buzzer at Madison Square Garden.

Soucy is the first player moved after Rangers general manager Chris Drury released a letter on Jan. 16 announcing the team’s decision to embrace a retool.

It’s only the fourth trade ever made between the Rangers and Islanders, and first since May 2010.

The Rangers acquired Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks last March in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick. New York acquired the pick earlier that same day in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights; it became the first pick of the third round (No. 65 overall) in last year’s draft.

Soucy recorded 11 points (four goals, seven assists) with a plus-six rating in 62 games with the Rangers, spanning the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. He’ll have a chance to make an immediate impact against his former squad when the Rangers and Islanders play a home-and-home set Wednesday and Thursday.

Grading Carson Soucy trade between Rangers and Islanders

New York Rangers: B-

The Rangers didn’t get a haul — nor should they have expected one for a 31-year-old physical defensive defenseman who becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer. All things considered, recouping a third-round pick is the best-case return for Soucy.

The Islanders (28-19-5) sit third in the Metropolitan Division and 13th overall in the NHL. As things currently stand, that third-round draft pick would be No. 84 overall.

That’s a drop of nearly 20 spots from the third-rounder the Blueshirts flipped to the Canucks to get Soucy in the first place. Of course, it’s worth remembering Soucy came at a higher price last season, when he still had a year and a half of term left on his contract. In the grand scheme of things, the Rangers got a one-year rental of Soucy for a third-round pick swap.

Soucy enjoyed a lively start to the 2025-26 season, but his play at both ends of the ice tapered over the last month. With New York’s mission reframed from playoff contention to a roster reset, it was a no-brainer to recoup any possible value for a veteran defenseman on an expiring contract.

The return won’t warrant much excitement, and rightfully so. It’s a short list of third-round picks in the last decade who’ve enjoyed notable NHL success. And even then, the likes of Adam Fox (No. 66 overall 2016), Morgan Geekie (No. 67 overall 2017), and Fabian Zetterlund (No. 63 overall 2017) were each selected early in the third round, much too early for the pick the Rangers received from the Islanders.

That’s not to say hitting on the pick is impossible. The Washington Capitals drafted power forward Aliaksei Protas No. 91 overall in 2019. The Vegas Golden Knights selected talented scoring winger Pavel Dorofeyev No. 71 overall that same year. In 2018, the Anaheim Ducks nabbed starting goalie Lukas Dostal with the No. 85 overall pick. It’s possible to find a gem — albeit not very probable.

At worst, it’s another asset the Rangers can use, either in the draft or in a trade. It’s far from a home run, but that’s to be expected given the circumstances.

New York Islanders: B

File this one as a low-risk upgrade for the Islanders.

Barring a complete second-half collapse, they shouldn’t mourn the loss of a third-round pick. As previously mentioned, the odds of that player becoming an NHL-caliber talent aren’t particularly high.

Soucy may not have a high ceiling — particularly offensively — but he’s a clear upgrade over Adam Boqvist, and he’s more seasoned than the 21-year-old Isaiah George. With Ryan Pulock nursing an upper-body injury, the Islanders need another option to plug into their defensive corps, especially with left-shot defenseman Alexander Romanov possibly out until May after shoulder surgery in late November.

To fit Soucy onto the roster, #Isles have to create a roster spot.

Expecting RHD Ryan Pulock (upper body) to be placed on IR, retroactively to Jan. 21 vs. SEA.

Would have to miss 7 days, making him eligible to return on Thursday, the 2nd of B2B vs. #NYR, if ready.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) January 27, 2026

It hasn’t always been pretty this season. Soucy sports a 46.37 expected-goals-for percentage at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. Then again, that would rank fourth among qualified Islanders defensemen, trailing only Matthew Schaefer, Adam Pelech, and Pulock.

Other models spin a more favorable tale. Soucy, who averaged more than 17 minutes TOI mainly skating on the second defense pair with Will Borgen, ranks in the 83rd percentile defensively on Evolving Hockey. Hockey Stat Cards slots him third in defensive rating among Rangers blue liners. It’s not outlandish to think he’ll be a serviceable bottom-pair defenseman on Long Island.

Carson Soucy, acquired by NYI, is a veteran defensive defenceman. Provides physicality and net-front battling as well as some solid rush defence, but generally a real drag on offence who doesn't handle the puck much and tends to turn it over when he does. #Isles pic.twitter.com/jCpFKXK3UI

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 27, 2026

The Islanders have the makings of a playoff contender, and it never hurts to have a player like Soucy who’s capable of matching that postseason physicality.

In an ideal world for the Islanders, Soucy becomes a fixture on the backend ahead of a potential playoff run. If it doesn’t click, it’s not like general manager Mathieu Darche paid a hefty price. It’s not a flashy move by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s not much of a gamble on the Islanders’ part.

With Hall of Famers Mark Messier and Brian Leetch among those in attendance, rookie defenseman Matthew Robertson’s spectacular goal at 3:52 of overtime lifted the Rangers to a 4-3 win over their Original Six rival.

It was the fourth NHL goal in the 24-year-old’s career — and the first overtime winner. The Rangers’ second-round pick in 2019 is establishing himself as a regular on the blue line and figures to get more time after they finalized a deal sending veteran Carson Soucy to the New York Islanders after the game.

MATTHEW ROBERTSON DOES IT HIMSELF.

RANGERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/o2sElww6c8

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 27, 2026

Robertson carried the puck from just inside the Rangers blue line into the Boston zone and ripped a shot that gave the Rangers just their third win in 14 games — and first victory at the Garden since Dec. 20.

“Honestly, I just blacked out and just smiled,” Robertson said when asked about his emotions on the game-winner. “I was excited. It’s huge for us to get the win.

“I was skating up and I was going to pull back and delay, but then I thought I had a step on the guy. Just tried to take it to the net, and I kind of blacked out from there.”

Asked if that meant he’d go back and look at the replay, he smiled and said, “I probably will, yeah.”

Robertson said he hasn’t forgotten the four years he put in with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford before getting his opportunity to earn a regular NHL job this season.

“I remind myself, honestly as much as I can, just how hard it is to get here and just to keep pushing.” he said. “You can go back to where to where I was easily. You can get sent down at any time.”

Rookies Matthew Robertson, Gabe Perreault fuel OT win

Not surprisingly, Robertson was the game’s First Star. The Second Star was 20-year-old rookie forward Gabe Perreault, whose terrific pass set up J.T. Miller’s goal at 12:35 of the second period. The son of former NHL center Yanic Perreault is beginning to look like he’ll be able to handle the top-six role the Rangers envision for him.

Miller beat Joonas Korpisalo with a one-timer from the right circle after a perfect left-to-right pass from Perreault, who timed the feed perfectly to avoid having either of the two Boston defensemen break up the rush. It’s the kind of play the Rangers are counting on from their first-round pick (No. 23 overall) in the 2023 draft.

“That pass he made to J.T., that’s an elite play,” coach Mike Sullivan said postgame. “There’s a lot of guys that don’t have the vision or the skillset to execute the play. It was a really smart play on his part, just the vision to see it. We’re really excited about the progress he’s made.”

J.T. Miller buries the one-timer off a beautiful feed from Gabe Perreault 🚀 pic.twitter.com/clHfGEqh1J

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 27, 2026

Sullivan is pleased with the development of the two young players in a season that’s been full of disapointments.

“Robby’s been pretty good on the blue line for us,” he said. “He has pretty good offensive instincts also; you could see it on the goal. His mobility is one of his biggest strengths.”

In 43 games this season, Robertson has 10 points (four goals, six assists), including two goals in his past four games

Robertson’s primarily played on the third defense pairing for the Rangers. But with Soucy no longer blocking him on the left side, Robertson very well could take on more responsibility. Against the Bruins, Robertson logged an NHL career-high 22:01 TOI, primarily on the second pairing with Will Borgen.

As for Perreault, who is playing in the top-six forward group and has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 20 games, Sullivan said the more he’s out there, the better he gets.

“I think Gabe has done a great job playing with Mika (Zibanejad) and J.T.,” he said. “You can see his offensive instincts. I think he’s getting more comfortable with the game with each game that he plays and the experience that he gets. He has the instincts to play with those guys, and I think it’s evident.”

Miller agreed with his coach that more playing time will do nothing but benefit Robertson and Perreault.

“I’m happy for them,” he said. “They’re big parts of our team and I’m sure they’re only going to get better with more experience.”

Robertson’s goal gave the Rangers just their sixth win in 23 home games this season and brought some smiles into a locker room where they’ve been scarce in recent weeks. Miller hopes it leads to better things before the NHL Olympic break begins after a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes next Thursday.

“I just think we should try to enjoy this, but also feel hungry going into the next one and not just sit back and realize that we got a win,” Miller said. “It’s important that we carry this momentum into this week before the (Olympic) break. I think we have four more games before the break, so let’s try to end on a good note.”

In a season that’s all but certain to end without a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, improvement by young players like Robertson, Perreault and rookie center Noah Laba is vital. Sullivan is optimistic the youngsters will add some spark to a team that’s expected to be dealing off veterans before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.

“When we can infuse our lineup with youth and energy,” Sullivan said, “I think it bodes well for us moving forward.”

The trade was rumored much of the day, and the Rangers held Soucy out of their lineup against the Boston Bruins for roster management. The Rangers officially announced the trade after their exciting 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Thank you, Souce! pic.twitter.com/QSWSlKehMo

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 27, 2026

The 31-year-old defenseman, who carries a $3.25 million salary cap hit, can become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Considering the circumstances with the free-falling Rangers (22-25-6), who are last in the Eastern Conference, this was not an unexpected outcome with Soucy.

The Rangers acquired Soucy in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on March 6 last season for a third-round draft pick. They viewed Soucy as a veteran bottom-four defenseman who could help stabilize their blue line in 2024-25 and be a lineup regular this season.

It was also part of the equation that if the Rangers were sellers ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, Soucy would be an asset as a rental for another team. That’s exactly how this played out.

Soucy skated most of this season on the second pair with Will Borgen, averaging 17:13 TOI, fifth among Rangers defensemen and ninth among all skaters. He provided some surprising offense earlier in the season and had eight points (three goals, five assists) in 46 games at the time of the trade.

He was third on the Rangers with 66 blocked shots, and led the team by averaging 5.00 blocks/60. His 71 hits were seventh on the Rangers this season.

Soucy brings 411 games of NHL experience to the Islanders, who are his fifth team, after the Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken, Canucks, and Rangers. They needed a reliable veteran to play the left side of their blue line largely because Ryan Pulock and Alexander Romanov are injured.

It’s the first trade between the New York rivals since May 2010, when the Rangers acquired defenseman prospect Jyri Niemi from the Islanders in exchange for a sixth-round pick in that year’s NHL Draft. Niemi spent the next three seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, before he returned to his native Finland to continue his professional career. He never played a game for the Rangers.

What’s next for Rangers after Carson Soucy trade

Blue line shuffle

In the short term, this trade opens up a spot on the left side of the Rangers defense corps, providing an opportunity for frequent scratch Urho Vaakanainen to draw into the lineup. Rookie Matthew Robertson moved up into the second-pair role alongside Borgen on Monday, played 22 minutes and scored the winning goal in overtime. Vaakanainen skated on the third pair with rookie Scott Morrow, and was plus-2 with an assist. Connor Mackey was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League to serve as the seventh defenseman.

MATTHEW ROBERTSON DID IT ALL HIMSELF FOR THE OT WINNER 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/IqOlcEEBX2

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 27, 2026

Assuming no other defenseman is acquired by the Rangers between now and then, the next move on the defense corps comes when Adam Fox is activated from LTIR. The earliest that can happen is Jan. 31, though the Rangers may hold Fox out until after the Olympic break.

Whenever Fox comes back, it makes a lot of sense for Braden Schneider to move off the top pair and to his off (left) side on the second pair, instead of resuming his usual third-pair role on the right side. In that scenario, Robertson drops back to the third pair, Vaakanainen again is the seventh defenseman — and, most important, Morrow remains in the lineup, where the Rangers can best bring him along and evaluate his readiness as an NHL regular.

Basically, the decision comes down to Morrow or Vaakanainen when Fox returns.

First shoe to drop

The Soucy trade is simply the first of several roster moves on the near horizon for the Rangers following general manager Chris Drury’s letter to the fans on Jan. 16. Expect the retooling Rangers to be plenty busy in the coming weeks and months, and perhaps years, depending on how long it takes to rebuild the organization’s depth.

In a way, Soucy was low-hanging fruit for Drury — the easiest player to move, and least surprising, all things considered. We know the Rangers intend to move Artemi Panarin ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. That eventual trade won’t be a surprise when it happens, per se, but it’ll be a much bigger deal, of course — literally and figuratively.

What we don’t know yet is who else is coming and going. Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, Braden Schneider, and Brennan Othmann are among the names most often included in trade rumors — other than Panarin. But it feels like anyone outside of Igor Shesterkin, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Fox are fair game and could be moved for the right package.

Expect the Rangers to target talented younger players — those already in the League and others who are NHL-ready. The Rangers want to get better quickly, though building up their draft capital is also important to help replenish a largely barren prospects pipeline.

Keep in mind, there’s a League-wide roster freeze from Feb. 4-22 during the Olympic break, and then the trade deadline is March 6. The Rangers must move Panarin sometime in that time frame. But, perhaps, other sizeable trades happen during the offseason instead of now.

Let’s see how it all shakes out.

See ya’ Wednesday!

Assuming the Islanders insert Soucy immediately into their lineup, the Rangers will face their former teammate on Wednesday, and then again on Thursday. The Rangers and Islanders play a home-and-home set those two nights, first at UBS Arena then at Madison Square Garden.

This is only the fourth trade ever made between these local rivals since the Islanders entered the NHL in 1972, and we’ll get an up-close look at the early returns in a matter of days.

A side note to this trade, it allows Soucy to stay in the New York area, which is especially important for him and his family after his wife gave birth last week to their third child. Remember a year ago, Soucy talked about the difficulties of moving the family from Vancouver to New York. And that was without a newborn. You know he and his wife must be relieved.

That’s a good outcome for a good guy.

Robertson took a chip pass from goaltender Jonathan Quick back in his own end and went coast-to-coast, picking up speed on his right-wing entry before bulling to the net and finishing with a forehand beauty at 3:53 of overtime.

“Honestly, I just blacked out, and smiled … I was super excited,” Robertson said postgame.

MATTHEW ROBERTSON DID IT ALL HIMSELF FOR THE OT WINNER 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/IqOlcEEBX2

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 27, 2026

It was the rookie defenseman’s fourth goal of the season, and followed the game-tying goal scored by another unlikely source. Veteran defenseman Will Borgen’s third goal of the season tied the game 3-3 at 13:43 of the third period.

The win was the first since Nov. 7 for Quick, who was 0-10-2 in his previous 12 decisions. It was also his 408th career victory, moving him past Hockey Hall of Famer Glenn Hall for 12th in NHL history. He finished with 21 saves.

It was a feel-good win and a bit of retribution for the Rangers (22-25-6), who were embarrassed 10-2 by the Bruins at TD Garden just 16 days earlier. It was just the second win in the past 10 games (2-7-1) for New York, and ended a three-game losing streak.

“You always owe a team when you let in as many as we did,” captain J.T. Miller said after this one.

Miller and Will Cuylle scored New York’s other goals in what was just the sixth home-ice win this season for the Rangers.

David Pastrnak had three assists for the Bruins, the last being his 900th NHL point. Elias Lindholm scored two goals and Morgan Geekie had the other for Boston, and goalie Joonas Korpisalo made 24 saves.

The Rangers jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first period, with all three goals scored in a span of 2:50. Cuylle opened the scoring at 9:45, deflecting Urho Vaakanainen’s shot from the left point past Korpisalo for his 12th goal of the season.

Will Cuylle deflects Urho Vaakanainen's shot into the net! pic.twitter.com/Im6RAumgYW

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 27, 2026

The score remained 1-0 despite prime scoring chances for each team on the next shift. Korpisalo denied Cuylle twice on the doorstep at one end of the ice, and then Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei rang a shot off the post at the other end.

The Bruins did pull even on Lindholm’s first goal of the night at 12:09, though. Pastrnak swung a pass into the middle that deflected off the back-checking Miller; Lindholm collected the puck and beat Quick one on one with a quick snap shot.

Miller and the Rangers answered back 26 seconds later. New York’s captain buried a gorgeous cross-ice feed from Gabe Perreault for his 14th goal at 12:35 to make it 2-1.

Gabe Perreault sets up J.T. Miller's goal 💪 pic.twitter.com/r5ZHFUggBj

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 27, 2026

Quick made sure that lead carried to the intermission when he made a huge skate save on an Alex Steeves breakaway with 22 seconds remaining in the period.

It was a feel-good start and a solid overall period for the struggling Rangers. But they couldn’t carry over the good vibes into the second period, when they allowed a pair of goals and landed in a 3-2 hole after 40 minutes of play.

A terrible giveaway by Miller, who threw a blind pass up the middle of the ice from behind his own goal line, led directly to the game-tying goal by Lindholm. Charlie McAvoy picked off the pass inside the blue line, starting a scrambly sequence in front of Quick’s net that ended with Lindholm scoring his second goal of the game, and 11th of the season, at 3:18.

Three minutes later, with the Rangers already on the power play, McAvoy was whistled for a holding penalty. That gave the Blueshirts 37 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage. They managed one shot on goal, failed to score, then were turned away three more times on the ensuing 5-on-4, and the score remained tied.

But not for long.

Less than a minute after killing off those consecutive power plays, the Bruins scored once again at even strength to take their first lead of the game at 8:52. Geekie wired a sneaky shot from the left circle that beat Quick short side inside the post to make it 3-2.

Pastrnak earned his third primary assist of the night, and milestone 900th NHL point, with a slick behind-the-back pass to set up Geekie’s team-high 29th goal. The Bruins star just missed out on another point at 10:19, when he zipped a shot off the post.

After stacking several good shifts in the offensive zone, the Rangers broke through to tie things up at 13:43 of the third period. Borgen’s shot from right wing deflected off the back of Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke and into the cage. It was a fortunate bounce, as well as the product of hard work being rewarded.

The true reward came when Robertson scored the OT winner on the only shot on goal for either side in the extra period.

Key takeaways after Rangers rally for 4-3 OT win against Bruins

Big night for the kids

Robertson not only made the play of the game with that OT winner, he logged 22:01, second most among Rangers defensemen behind veteran top-pair stalwart Vladislav Gavrikov (26:23). It wasn’t all perfect — he was on ice for two goals-against, as well as two-for — but no doubt was big night for the 24-year-old.

He wasn’t the only kid to shine for the Rangers, and that’s a helluva’ good sign for a team in the early stages of what general manager Chris Drury says is a “retool.”

Perreault had the pretty assist, three shots on goal, and five shot attempts. The 20-year-old also drew a penalty to set up New York’s third power play, showed no fear getting to the net, and routinely was engaged in board play, winning more than his share of puck battles. He’s improving noticeably by the day and looks the part of a top-six winger.

Perhaps the Rangers most effective line Monday was the third line, centered by rookie Noah Laba, with Cuylle and Brennan Othmann on the wings. That line had an expected goal share of 87.68 percent, per Natural Stat Trick, and was a physical menace all night, with the three youngsters combining for 17 hits, exactly half the Rangers total in the game.

Cuylle scored a goal, and won the face-off to set it up. Laba also assisted on that goal.

And rookie defenseman Scott Morrow was plus-2, playing a quietly effective 15:51 TOI.

Rempe returns

Matt Rempe played for the first time since that Jan. 10 disaster up in Boston. He missed six games to nurse his broken thumb, which hadn’t completely healed from earlier in the season, but stepped right in Monday to play a smart, effective game.

The towering forward had two excellent scoring chances, each following strong work down below the dots. Twenty seconds after the Bruins tied the game 2-2 early in the second period, Rempe powered to the net, only to be robbed by Korpisalo, who made a sterling pad save. In the third period, with the Rangers down by one, Rempe came out from behind the net and whipped a shot on net that the Bruins goalie also denied.

Rempe played 12 shifts totaling 8:43 TOI and was credited with two hits. He agitated the Bruins, and also took New York’s only penalty of the night, a holding minor at 10:12 of the second period.

It was good to see the big guy back out there.

Carson Soucy traded to Islanders

Carson Soucy was held out of the lineup due to roster management amid swirling trade rumors throughout the day. After the game concluded, the Rangers officially announced that they traded the 31-year-old defenseman to the Islanders for a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft.

Thank you, Souce! pic.twitter.com/QSWSlKehMo

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 27, 2026

The Rangers acquired Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline in exchange for a third-round draft pick. In essence, they received 62 regular-season games of Soucy spread over two season for a swap of third-round picks.

Soucy rebounded from a down season in 2024-25 to play pretty well on the second defense pair with Borgen this season. He averaged 17:13 TOI, led the Rangers with an average of 5.00 blocked shots/60, and totaled eight points (three goals, five assists).

The Rangers will likely see Soucy twice this week; they play a home-and-home set against the Islanders on Wednesday and Thursday.

If ever this season the Rangers should be fired up to face a specific opponent, it should be this game. Just 16 days ago, the Bruins embarrassed the Rangers 10-2 at TD Garden. In a season full of low points, this was their most lopsided and ugly defeat. So, you’d think that the Rangers will come with their best effort Monday.

Though the revenge angle is real, the bottom line is that this game is far more important to the Bruins than the Rangers. Boston (30-20-2) hold the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, and is one point behind the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres for third place in the competitive Atlantic Division.

The Rangers (21-25-6) are last in the East, and the only team in the conference with a points percentage (.462) below .500. Their goal differential (minus-23) is also worst in the conference, and they’ve only won five games on home ice, tied for fewest in the entire League.

Interestingly, the Rangers and Bruins were equally disappointing over the first three months of the season. Each was a fringe threat in the playoff race; the Bruins had 44 points through the end of December, one more than the Rangers (43).

Since the start of the new year, these Original Six rivals took divergent paths, however. The Bruins are 9-2-0 in January, highlighted by a six-game winning streak which included that romp over the Rangers. They come off a pair of hard-fought 4-3 wins over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Conversely, the Rangers are 2-7-1 in January and lost eight of their past nine (1-7-1) entering play Monday. They were swept on a three-game California road trip last week, that ended with a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Friday. Things are so bad that general manager Chris Dury publicly announced his intention to retool the Rangers roster 10 days ago.

Despite that horrific loss up in Boston, the Rangers have much recent success against the Bruins. They’ve won six of their past eight meetings against the Bruins, including 6-2 at TD Garden on Black Friday in late November.

3 storylines when Rangers host Bruins

1. Rangers must have ‘readiness from drop of the puck’

The past two games — and far too often this season — the Rangers simply don’t match the urgency of the opposition at the start of the first period. From coach Mike Sullivan to captain J.T. Miller on through the rest of the lineup, no one can pinpoint why the Rangers allowed 14 goals in the opening five minutes of a game this season, including seven times in the month of January.

After the Rangers allowed a pair in the opening 3:08 against the Sharks (after giving up one 18 seconds into the game against the Los Angeles Kings earlier in the week), Miller stressed that they were ready to play, but lacked the urgency that their opponent showed.

Sullivan was more pointed in his assessment.

“I think we have to have a readiness from the drop of the puck,” he said Friday. “Lately, we haven’t had the best starts, so I’ve got to do a better job preparing them for it.”

The Rangers are 5-20-4 when allowing the first goal and 4-12-3 when trailing after the first period. Though it should be pointed out that they scored first, shortly after puck drop, in what ended up to be that 10-2 loss in Boston. So, the Rangers are fragile no matter what, it’s safe to say.

2. Pasta is cooking

David Pastrnak is once again among the NHL scoring leaders, currently tied for sixth with 64 points (21 goals, 43 assists) in 47 games. The Bruins’ star forward has nine of those points (two goals, seven assists) during his current six-game point streak.

Pastrnak loves piling up points against the Rangers. He had a career-high six points (all assists) in that most recent game against the Rangers, after missing the first meeting the day after Thanksgiving with an injury.

In 38 games against the Rangers, Pastrnak has 18 goals and 46 points. The 29-year-old is three points shy of 900 in the NHL and his 897 points are one away from tying former Rangers forward Rick Middleton for sixth-most in Bruins history.

3. Back to work after snow day

The Rangers didn’t hold a morning skate Monday with everyone still digging themselves out after the serious snowfall all day Sunday. Since they last played Friday, the Rangers traveled home from San Jose ahead of the storm.

The Bruins headed to New York immediately after their home game Saturday against the Canadiens. So there’s zero issue about them traveling on the day of the game.

Prior to the contest Monday, there’ll be another Centennial Celebration, featuring a pregame ceremony honoring the Legendary Blueshirts from 1991-94. Unfortunately, the Rangers Alumni Classic game, scheduled for Sunday at MSG, was postponed due to the storm.

New York Rangers projected lineup

UPDATE:

I'm hearing #NYR are on the verge of their first move of the retool. A trade that sends Carson Soucy to the #Isles is brewing.

No official announcement yet as they work out the particulars, but expect him to be held out of the lineup tonight for roster management.

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) January 26, 2026

Gabe Perreault — J.T. Miller — Mika Zibanejad

Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafreniere

Brennan Othmann — Noah Laba — Will Cuylle

Jonny Brodzinski — Sam Carrick — Taylor Raddysh

Vladislav Gavrikov — Braden Schneider

Matthew Robertson — Will Borgen

Urho Vaakanainen — Scott Morrow

Jonathan Quick

Spencer Martin

UPDATE: #NYR has recalled defenseman Connor Mackey from the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Additionally, #NYR has assigned forward Anton Blidh to the Wolf Pack. pic.twitter.com/SyYut8lq5j

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) January 26, 2026

Rangers vs. Bruins: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins

When: Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to watch: MSG

At 21-25-6, the Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference, headed to a second straight non-playoff season. They lost all three games on their California trip last week – the last two after continuing an alarming trend of not being ready from the opening face-off. They surrendered a goal 18 seconds into a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday and two goals in the first 3:08 of their 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks three nights later.

In all. the Rangers allowed 14 goals in the first five minutes of games this season. Seven of those goals were in January. Not surprisingly, they are 1-8-1 in their past 10 games after beginning the month with a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in the NHL Winter Classic at Miami on Jan. 2.

The question now as the Rangers prepare for a four-game week is whether Drury will start to make some of the moves he promised while the Blueshirts wait to see if starting goalie Igor Shesterkin and No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox will be able to return to the lineup before the Olympic break begins next week. Thus far, there’s been lots of conjecture in the media but no actual activity.

The Boston Bruins come to Madison Square Garden on Monday, 16 days after routing the Rangers 10-2 before a national TV audience. Two days later, the Rangers begin a home-and-home set on consecutive nights against the New York Islanders, who’ve outscored them 7-0 in winning the first two meetings this season.

Who’s Hot?

J.T. Miller had four straight two-point games before being held off the score sheet in San Jose on Friday.

Who’s Not?

Alexis Lafreniere had zero points in California and saw his ice time drop below 15 minutes in two of the three games. The first player taken in the 2020 NHL Draft looked even worse when San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, scored twice against them on Saturday.

Rangers lookahead this week includes …

Four games in six days, assuming the storm that’s battering the Northeast doesn’t intervene.

Boston Bruins at Rangers (Jan. 26, 7 p.m.; MSG/NHL Network)

You can be sure that the Rangers haven’t forgotten their last meeting with the Bruins on Jan. 10. The Bruins embarrassed them at TD Garden, and Drury issued “The Letter 2.0” less than a week later, telling Blueshirts fans that changes are coming. It hasn’t helped; the Rangers enter their final game of the season against this Original Six rival 1-5-0 in six games since the “Boston Massacre.”

The Bruins enter the new week holding the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. They’ve been on a roll since blasting the Rangers, posting a 6-1-0 record – including consecutive 4-3 home wins against the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens.

Despite the blowout loss, the Rangers are 6-2-0 in their past eight games against the Bruins, including three straight wins at MSG.

Artemi Panarin is a point-a-game player against the Bruins (29 points; 10 goals, 19 assists) in 29 career games. David Pastrnak had six assists in the 10-2 win, giving him 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 38 games against the Rangers.

Rangers at New York Islanders (Jan. 28, 7 p.m.; MSGSN/MSG 2)
New York Islanders at Rangers (Jan. 29, 7 p.m., MSG/MSG 2)

For the first time since Dec. 16-17, 2009, the Rangers and Islanders face off in a home-and-home set on consecutive nights, with the Rangers going to UBS Arena on Wednesday, and hosting the Islanders at MSG on Thursday in the finale of the season series.

The Blueshirts seek their first goal against the Islanders this season. The Isles won 5-0 at the Garden on Nov. 8 and 2-0 at UBS on Dec. 27. Islanders goalies Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich, who figure to alternate starts, each has a shutout against them.

The Islanders enter the week hanging on to third place in the Metropolitan Division, but are 3-4-1 in their past eight games – including an embarrassing 5-0 home loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday that saw coach Patrick Roy bench his top line (Anders Lee, Mat Barzal and Anthony Duclair) for the third period. They’ve struggled to score during the past few weeks and hope the return of center Bo Horvat helps spark them.

Barzal has some big nights against the Rangers in the past, putting up 10 goals and 36 points in 33 games. Rittich is 4-0-0 against them, allowing just three goals in the four wins. Panarin has 18 goals and 47 points in 40 career games against the Islanders.

Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins (Jan. 31, 3:30 p.m.;  ABC)

Things changed a lot since the Rangers whacked the Penguins 6-1 on Oct. 11 in coach Mike Sullivan’s return to PPG Paints Arena — a win that came three nights after the Penguins spoiled their former coach’s debut with the Rangers with a 3-0 season-opening win at the Garden. The first-week split left the Rangers 8-3-0 in their past 11 games against the Penguins.

Though the Rangers fell out of the playoff race since then, the Penguins (26-14-11) are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL, with a solid hold on second place in the Metro after sweeping their four-game swing through Western Canada and Seattle.

At 38, Rangers-killer Sidney Crosby shows no signs of slowing down. He leads the Pens with 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 51 games. Though pointless in two games against the Blueshirts this season, Crosby has 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 90 games against them. Panarin has 19 goals and 46 points in 36 games against the Penguins.

The Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft hasn’t been great with Hartford of the American Hockey League this season, but the 23-year-old goaltender is still held in high regard by some within the organization.

With the last-place Rangers (21-25-6) heading for a second straight season out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and star goalie Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve, there might never be a better time to find out whether Garand has what it takes to be a capable backup in the NHL. Especially since the Rangers raised the white flag and declared themselves in a retool phase last week.

Again, Garand hasn’t exactly earned a callup with his play. The fourth-year pro turned in a solid effort with 21 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Bridgeport Islanders in his most recent start Friday. In his four starts prior to that, however, he gave up 18 goals. Garand is 10-9-2 with a 2.98 goals-against average (30th among qualified AHL goalies) and .896 save percentage in 22 games this season. Pretty pedestrian numbers.

Yet Garand is also coming off a strong 2024-25 season, when he won 20 game for the first time and was an AHL All-Star. Garand finished 20-10-8 with a 2.73 GAA and .913 save percentage with the Wolf Pack last season. Before that, he played to his big-game reputation, posting a .922 save percentage in nine postseason games for Hartford in 2023-24 and a .935 mark in eight playoff contests in 2022-23.

Dylan Garand deserves NHL look during Igor Shesterkin injury absence

Dylan Garand — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

The Rangers are 1-7-1 since Shesterkin went down with a lower-body injury in the first period a 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Jan. 5. They allowed at least three goals in each of those nine games, and 45 total.

Veteran Jonathan Quick and journeyman Spencer Martin simply haven’t been good at all in place of Shesterkin, whose injury coincided with Adam Fox’s lower-body injury which forced the top-pair defenseman to LTIR.

Quick’s Hall of Fame career appears to be coming to an end. He’s struggled mightily with the increased workload. The 40-year-old gave up 31 goals over his past seven starts, two of which he was pulled from, and allowed five or more goals three times.

Martin started three of the past four games, and his results in five games overall are not inspiring, evdienced by an .864 save percentage. It’s clear that the 30-year-old who played for five teams over parts of six NHL seasons is likely an AHL depth piece at best. With the Rangers facing a significant void in goal at the moment, and having lost 11 of their past 13, there’s little downside to giving Garand a handful of starts to see what he can do.

Of course, Garand’s AHL numbers aren’t the best, though it’s possible that playing for a substandard Wolf Pack outfit contributed to that. Hartford sits second-to-last in the Atlantic Division, doesn’t score a lot, has few legit NHL prospects on its roster, and owns a minus-25 goal differential.

The Rangers recalled Garand multiple times over the years, most recently in late November, although he’s yet to make his NHL debut. With Garand set to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent after the season, it would behoove the Rangers to know whether they want to re-sign a prospect who can eventually contribute for them in the NHL, perhaps as soon as next season since Quick very well could retire following this one.

The sinking, goaltending-challenged Rangers have an unexpected window open to do just that. Garand can hardly do worse than Quick or Martin have of late, and he just might impress the Rangers enough to get his career track pointing back toward Broadway.

Nelson was a pending unrestricted free agent, when the Islanders traded the veteran center to the Colorado Avalanche along with forward prospect William Dufour in exchange for a first- and third-round draft pick and top forward prospect Calum Ritchie.

“It sounds like that’s where the Rangers starting point is, with Panarin right now” Elliotte Friedman reported during Saturday Headlines on Sportsnet.

The draft picks are important, of course. But landing Ritchie was key for the Islanders. And you can bet that the Rangers want to land a similar emerging NHL player when they trade Panarin.

Ritchie was Colorado’s top prospect, a 2023 first-round pick, who was on the cusp of becoming an NHL regular at the age of 20. Needing an infusion of talented young NHL-ready talent, the Rangers absolutely must bring back at least one of those players in any Panarin trade, if not more. Let’s just remember that stockpiling all of those first-round picks in the first retool didn’t exactly work out so great for the Rangers.

“Now part of this is will he be willing to sign an extension. Are their places — he has a no-move clause so he controls where he goes — but I think some of the teams are wondering if an extension could be a part of this,” Friedman added.

A contract extension as part of a trade requirement by Panarin an/or his potential new team benefits the Rangers. Though it could complicate some trade talks, in the end the Rangers receive more in return for Panarin if he’s not simply a rental.

So, that’s why the Nelson trade package is viewed as a starting point for the Rangers. Though he eventually signed a three-year contract with the Avalanche in June, there was no extension in place with Nelson when the trade was consummated.

Friedman mentioned the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Washington Capitals as possible destinations for Panarin. Though he added, “I concede that I’m always missing teams that are in on this.”

New York Rangers news and analysis

Without providing any further information or clarity, former Rangers center Filip Chytil dismissed speculation about the number of concussions he’s had. Chytil returned from a three-month injury absence Friday for the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Here’s a closer look at why the Rangers’ lack of urgency in the third period of a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks was so concerning Friday.

Of course, as John Kreiser points out in his key Rangers takeaways after that loss, another brutal start is what really buried the Blueshirts at the Shark Tank.

NHL news and rumors

New York Post: Islanders coach Patrick Roy benched his top line of Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair, and Anders Lee for the entire third period of their 5-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, after Barzal and Duclair failed to give much of an effort trying to stop Tage Thompson’s breakaway goal in the second period.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: So, Evgeni Malkin said earlier in the week he plans to play another season in the NHL. But Dan Kingerski reports that there’s no contract offer from the Penguins on the table, nor is it known what GM Kyle Dubas’ plan is with the future Hall of Famer.

TSN: Coming off a 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs canceled practice Saturday, with coach Craig Berube pointing to a lack of energy by his team — a rest day better than grinding through another day on the ice in this condensed and crushing NHL schedule.

Daily Faceoff: As the trade rumors swirl, here’s a breakdown of where Elias Pettersson could best fit if the Vancouver Canucks decide to move their top center ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.

New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols reports that — not surprisingly — trade talks involving Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton slowed in the wake of teammate Luke Hughes sustaining a separated shoulder.

Florida Hockey Now: Gotta love the Brad Marchand effect on the Panthers. Marchand returned from a seven-game injury absence and scored two goals — including the overtime winner — and assisted on the tying tally, in a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

Sportsnet: What a night for Evan Bouchard. Playing in his 400th NHL game, Bouchard joined Bobby Orr as the only defensemen in NHL history to record six points and eight shots on goal in the same game. Bouchard notched his first career hat trick and added three assists to help the Edmonton Oilers skate to a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

Chytil centered a top-six line with Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor on the wings, when the Vancouver Canucks lost 5-4 to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The 26-year-old didn’t land on the score sheet for the Canucks in his return from an upper-body injury, but did log 18:29 TOI, recorded two shots on goal, and, most importantly, emerged healthy.

“It wasn’t too bad” Chytil explained postgame. “Yeah, I have to look around more now. Of course the last moment from the last game that I played was a big hit, so the first couple shifts were getting my head back to the game and look around more. I think when the game went on, I felt better, even with the puck. But there’s still so much to work on because even if you practice for two months, that’s not a game. I need to feel better with each game.”

FILIP CHYTIL: ACTIVATED❗️

Happy to have you back, 72. pic.twitter.com/iMKHe7LNgG

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 24, 2026

Chytil had three goals in the first six games this season, before he was on the receiving end of a massive open-ice hit by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson on Oct. 19. Not only was Chytil knocked out of the game, he landed on long-term injury reserve and missed the next 44 games.

Neither Chytil nor the Canucks disclosed the exact nature of the injury. But it was feared to be another concussion, of which Chytil’s had more than one during his nine NHL seasons. But before the game Friday, Chytil pushed back on speculation about exactly how many concussions he sustained in his hockey career.

“I’d read all these things in the media or whatever about how many concussions I’d had, like eight, and it’s just not true,” Chytil said Friday morning. “People who don’t know what I’m doing, trying to say what’s going on.

“I’m not gonna say how many concussions I had in my life, but yeah, the number, what people say on internet, is crazy. It’s just I know what kind of injuries those are. And I know what I’m going through, and my closest people here as well knows, so I’m not bothered about anything. And I just want to come back and play.”

Former Rangers center Filip Chytil downplays injury speculation: ‘they think I’m about to die’

There’s no arguing that Chytil’s missed quite a bit of playing time in his career due to injury. It’s widely reported that he’s had concussions, as well as other head and neck issues.

Recently, Chytil played only 10 games with the Rangers in the 2023-24 season after sustaining a head injury in November and then a setback in January. After the Rangers traded him to the Canucks on Jan. 31 a year ago, Chytil didn’t finish the season after he was hit from behind by Jason Dickinson in a March 15 game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

To date, Chytil missed 169 regular-season games with the Rangers and Canucks due to injury.

Filip Chytil and Drew O’Connor make a nice give-and-go play, leading to a great scoring chance.

🎥: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/lLCEZwpVky

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) January 24, 2026

“People just don’t know,” Chytil said about the specifics of his health issues. “It’s like they think I’m about to die.”

What’s not debatable is that it sure was great to see No. 72 back in game action Friday. Not just because the woeful Canucks, who are 17-29-5 and last in the NHL, sorely missed him. But because he’s finally healthy again.