Rangers Daily: Balancing excitement & reality check; Toronto fires GM
Stick taps to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic for a level-headed take on where the New York Rangers stand, even with the surprising and exciting play by several youngsters lately.
“Any visions the New York Rangers have of executing a quick retool are pure fantasy until they find a way to acquire high-end talent,” he wrote earlier this week. “That will require a couple of years of loading up — and hitting — on draft picks, starting with a selection that’s likely to land in the top five this June, and some savvy maneuvering via trade and other avenues.”
Bang on.
That’s why I’m not getting carried away with the hoopla surrounding Adam Sykora, Jaroslav Chmelar & Co. Don’t get me wrong, I’m as excited as anyone that the dark cloud’s been lifted a bit over the Rangers, and I’m pulling for the extremely likeable duo of Sykora and Chmelar to prove themselves capable NHL players over the long haul — count Drew Fortescue in that mix, too, and don’t overlook Noah Laba and Gabe Perreault, as well.
It’s a fun and somewhat exciting time down the stretch here for the Blueshirts. Perhaps the loudest The Garden’s been all season was when Sykora scored each of his goals, ditto for Chmelar’s first NHL tally. They kids energized an angry and jaded fan base, not to mention their overwrought veteran teammates.
As loyal follower and longtime Rangers fan @damedacia stated in my X notifications: A palette cleanser if you will, with a little hope attached. That’s what Sykora and the kids provide the Rangers and their fans right now.
The rest of the story is what Vince wrote. The Rangers still have tons of work ahead of them, and must hit on draft picks and development at a better rate than they did in the first rebuild.
On a championship team, which is the goal here, Sykora and Chmelar are solid bottom-six forwards, as is Laba. And maybe even Will Cuylle. As for prospects Liam Greentree and Malcolm Spence, time will tell where they best fit in.
But the Rangers need to hit on some stars up front and on the blue line. Big-game difference makers. Perhaps Alexis Lafreniere can still be that. He sure is showing a better version of himself down the stretch here. But the Rangers need more talent, higher-end talent. They already jettisoned the 34-year-old Artemi Panarin. And J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad will play their age-33 seasons in 2026-27.
Young high-end talent is required to push the Rangers back into serious contention, hopefully still in Igor Shesterkin’s (age 30) championship window.
It’s great to see that there’s serious bottom-six options and competition growing in New York’s forward group. That’s a necessary component to build a sustainable winner. But it’s also the easier area to fill.
Rangers news and analysis
Former first-round pick Brennan Othmann spoke publicly for the first time about being traded by the Rangers to the Calgary Flames three weeks ago, and stated that he “never got an opportunity” in the NHL with the Blueshirts.
ICYMI: Top Rangers prospects EJ Emery (North Dakota) and Malcolm Spence (Michigan) are headed to the NCAA Frozen Four on April 9, each playing a vital role for his team. Should each team win next Thursday, Michigan (No. 1 overall) and North Dakota (No. 2) would meet in the NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Game on April 11.
John Kreiser breaks down a busy week at MSG for the Rangers, who play four times on home ice, including hosting their Hudson River rivals, the Devils, on Tuesday.
NHL news and rumors
Forever Blueshirts: Former Rangers coach John Tortorella was upbeat, engaging, and funny during his introductory press conference after the Vegas Golden Knights hired him as their new coach. Here are some takeaways from what Torts said.
The Athletic ($$): Solid job here by Jesse Granger, who dives into the good, not so good, and funny things from Tortorella’s debut behind the Vegas bench, a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
New York Post: Holy Meltdown on Long Island. Playing one of their most important games of the season, the Islanders allowed seven unanswered goals and a season-high eight altogether in a terrible 8-3 loss to the division rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski provides the flip side of the story, detailing the massive win from the Penguins point of view, including a big-time return to the lineup by Sidney Crosby.
Sportsnet: The first shoe dropped on the Toronto Maple Leafs disastrous season. The Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving, with more changes sure to come in the offseason.
TSN: Darren Dreger details who might be in line to replace Treliving as next GM in Toronto.
Philly Hockey Now: William James delves into the Flyers signing top prospect Porter Martone, and what’s next for the young forward, who grew physically and emotionally at Michigan State this season.
TSN: Uh oh. Colorado Avalanche stud defenseman Cale Makar left their 9-2 win over the Calgary Flames with an upper-body injury in the first period and didn’t return. Coach Jared Bednar didn’t have an update postgame.
Daily Faceoff: Cutter Gauthier exited the Anaheim Ducks’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury.
