New York Rangers Daily: Massive contract keeps star on Broadway, Senators quiet Brady Tkachuk rumors
Things get busy during the holiday season for the New York Rangers, who begin a five-games-in-eight-days stretch when they host the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.
The Kraken game is the first of a back-to-back at Madison Square Garden, with Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks up next on Monday night. After a quick trip to Buffalo for a game against the Sabres on Wednesday, the Rangers host another Garden matinee Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings and then begin a road trip in St. Louis against the Blues next Sunday.
It’s not an easy stretch, but certainly not a gauntlet of elite opponents either.
To kick things off, here’s our three things to watch for Sunday when the Rangers face-off with the Kraken.
And if you somehow missed it, here’s our three takeaways from the Rangers’ 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
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New York Rangers news
The Rangers made it official Saturday that star goalie Igor Shesterkin agreed to a massive eight-year contract extension, reportedly worth $92 million. That makes him the highest paid goalie in NHL history, averaging $11.5 million annually.
With that piece of business done, and after the Jacob Trouba trade Friday, general manager Chris Drury spoke with reporters Saturday. The main takeaway is that Drury wants the “dust to settle” following the recent upheaval. In other words, another trade isn’t on the horizon. But do not rule out the Rangers swinging another deal at some point, especially with the money they saved by trading their captain.
Speaking of Trouba, here’s a breakdown of what’s next for the Rangers after the big trade.
It was coach Peter Laviolette’s 60th birthday Saturday, and he oversaw a quick optional practice. A bit of calm after the storm of all that activity Friday. Here’s a look at the day after for the Rangers.
Newcomer Urho Vaakanainen practiced with the Rangers for the first time since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks. He’s on IR with an upper-body injury, and Laviolette wasn’t saying when the 25-year-old defenseman may be ready to make his Rangers debut.
NHL news
When the Blackhawks visit the Rangers on Monday, they’ll be without goalie Petr Mrazek, who sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
Despite rumors that Brady Tkachuk could be traded to the Rangers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Ottawa Senators are “very, very confident” their captain will play out the entirety of his contract with them, and won’t be traded anywhere.
Keep an eye on the Boston Bruins. They won their fourth straight game, rallying for a 4-3 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Pavel Zacha’s second OT goal this week.
The Pittsburgh Penguins rebounded nicely from their loss to the Rangers on Friday, with a 5-2 home-ice win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Penguins have won five of their past six games.
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