New York Rangers Daily: Finally the Final at 4 Nations Face-Off; Seth Jones trade talk
After all the hype and WWE-style smack talk, the United States and Canada meet Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston for in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game.
It’s the Final that the NHL wanted all along. And it comes in hot, five days after Team USA won a thrilling and engaging 3-1 prelim game against Canada in Montreal last Saturday.
We’ll see if there’s a spot for Chris Kreider in the U.S. lineup. But Adam Fox, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck will represent the Rangers on Team USA, in what should be an intense contest in front of a pro-U.S. crowd Thursday.
And back in New York, the Rangers will ramp up their practice intensity, two days out from returning to game action against the Buffalo Sabres.
Let’s see if Igor Shesterkin will take part in the full practice or not. That could give us insight as to to whether he’ll start Saturday or remain sidelined with an upper-body injury.
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New York Rangers news
Our Rangers notebook included Igor Shesterkin participating in part of practice and Peter Laviolette not shedding light on Brennan Othmann receiving NHL opportunity any time soon.
Former Rangers general manager Neil Smith told Forever Blueshirts that he’s confident the Blueshirts will make the playoffs this season, but explained why he doesn’t believe they’ll go very far this spring.
Speaking of Neil Smith, he joined the Rink Rap podcast this week to discuss the current state of the Rangers, the NHL Trade Deadline, and the 4 Nations Face-Off. He also shared a bunch of stories, including which trade he’d like a mulligan on from his tenure as Rangers GM.
J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider shared their takes on the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between the United States and Canada.
John Kreiser hands out report cards for each of the six Rangers players who participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off, ahead of the championship game Thursday.
NHL news
Mike Lange, one of the true legends of NHL broadcasters and a true friend of Forever Blueshirts, died Wednesday at 76. Lange called each of the five Stanley Cup championships for the Pittsburgh Penguins over his distinguished 46-year career.
Seth Jones said he has not requested a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks, but the defenseman has discussed the possibility with general manager Kyle Davidson.
Here’s a breakdown of top defensemen who could be dealt prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7.
Brock Boeser spoke with reporters and said there’s no update on contract talks with the Vancouver Canucks nor a possible trade ahead of the deadline.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are hopeful that captain Boone Jenner will be cleared to play his first game of the season Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks after missing the first five months following shoulder surgery. The Blue Jackets could also get top goal scorer Kirill Marchenko and defenseman Dante Fabbro back from injuries, as well.
Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry looks set to return to the lineup Saturday against the St. Louis Blues after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.
Former Rangers center Alex Wennberg declared himself healthy and ready to return for the San Jose Sharks when they play the Calgary Flames on Sunday. He missed the past four games with an upper-body injury.
Penguins center Evgeni Malkin said that he has no plans of playing in Russia once his NHL career ends (his contract runs through 2025-26). He said he plans to retire as a Pittsburgh Penguin.
Brett Pesce of the New Jersey Devils and Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres were invited to Boston by Team USA as possible replacement players if the U.S. falls below the minimum amount of eligible players due to injury or illness for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Canada.
The United States expects each of its three banged up forwards — Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk — to play Thursday against Canada in the 4 Nations Final.
Kevin Weekes reported that the NHL recently met with a group looking to bring an NHL expansion franchise to New Orleans.
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