New York Rangers Daily: Epic 4 Nations comes with price; Mikko Rantanen’s next contract breakdown
The 4 Nations Face-Off championship game was an instant classic, as we all hoped it would be. It certainly lived up to the hype, with Canada and the United States each meeting and exceeding great expectations.
Of course, there can only be one winner, and that’s Canada, still the team to beat in best-on-best international play. And it was Connor McDavid with his signature moment on the big stage that capped a simply terrific night for the sport when he scored 8:18 into overtime, lifting Canada to a thrilling 3-2 victory.
The tournament was amazing theater filled with great hockey by the best players in the world. It’s a tasty appetizer for the NHL as the League prepares to participate in the 2026 Milan Olympics.
Now, it’s time to turn the page. Quickly. And get back to the stretch run of the NHL season, where there’s a pretty wild chase for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers know all about that, sitting 11th in the East, three points out of the second wild card.
But there’s a stiff price to be paid from the 4 Nations Face-Off.
That playoff race could be somewhat compromised, as could the long-term chances for serious Stanley Cup contenders. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported Thursday night that there were many players grinding through the 4 Nations Final with injuries that could keep them out of the lineup with their respective NHL teams moving forward.
We already know about Matthew Tkachuk, who was unable to finish the championship game with an unspecified injury. Auston Matthews was playing through an upper-body injury. Brady Tkachuk had a lower-body issue. Then there’s Charlie McAvoy, who’s possibly out the rest of the season following a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery for an infection. Shea Theodore is week to week after he was hurt in the first game of the tournament.
How about Vincent Trocheck of the Rangers? He appeared to injure his hand/wrist in the 2-1 loss to Sweden on Monday. Trocheck played against Canada but was largely ineffective. The tell-tale sign could be that he only took four face-offs — his specialty — and lost each one Thursday. He logged just 10 minutes of ice time.
Let’s see where it all settles when the four Rangers from Team USA rejoin their NHL teammates in Buffalo. The Rangers resume their season Saturday in Buffalo against the Sabres with a quick follow Sunday in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.
As coach Peter Laviolette said Thursday, “It comes at you fast.” Twenty-seven games may sound like a lot, but they’ll be gone before you know it — and the Rangers hope to be among the eight teams still standing in the East when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in April.
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New York Rangers news
After the morning skate Thursday, President Trump spoke with Team USA and wished them well in their game against Canada. Rangers forward J.T. Miller was among those thrilled to hear from the President of the United States.
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said prior to the game that the 4 Nations Face-Off championship contest was “the biggest game I’ve been a part of.”
Back in New York, Igor Shesterkin participated in an entire practice and should be good to go for the Rangers this weekend after sustaining an upper-body injury Feb. 7.
The Rink Rap podcast is posted with this week’s special guest, former Rangers general manager Neil Smith. You can watch the entire interview on YouTube or listen to the audio here.
NHL news
Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game and was named MVP of the tournament after pacing all skaters with four goals in four games.
There could have been a different result in that 4 Nations final if not for the brilliant play of Canada goalie Jordan Binnington, who made three sensational saves against Matthews and one on Brady Tkachuk in overtime, when he stopped all six shots he faced before McDavid’s heroics.
Canada forward Brad Marchand, one of the all-time pests in NHL history, called out the Tkachuk brothers postgame for shooting their mouths off to the media prior to the championship clash — “they got a little bit ahead of themselves.”
The Calgary Flames placed defenseman Tyson Barrie on waivers.
Max Pacioretty is likely out this weekend for the Toronto Maple Leafs after tweaking something in practice Wednesday.
Mikko Rantanen just may be the most attractive player available on the free-agent market this offseason. Here’s a breakdown from the former Carolina Hurricanes capologist as to what his next deal could look like.
Frank Seravalli reports that teams aren’t breaking down the Chicago Blackhawks door to trade for expensive defenseman Seth Jones, despite Chicago’s desire to move him.
With Ryan Pulock set to return from injury this weekend, the Islanders placed defenseman Dennis Cholowski on waivers.
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