Daily Slice: Rangers wrap; Crosby talk; Young NHL trade targets
A Saturday in mid-July is getting close to lake-house season for the hockey world, but there remains quite a bit of unfinished business. The NHL trade talk now features a couple of young trade targets, including one youngster whose agent went very public with his desire to go. If you missed the week of Rangers news, we’ll catch you up, from former goalies hanging them up to K’Andre Miller’s goodbye. Some blunt talk about the Pittsburgh Penguins trading Sidney Crosby, and the last part of today’s slice is that Canadian media is all over a potential blockbuster for an Erik Karlsson trade up north.
Jim Cerny is on vacation, and we can probably let some of the cat out of the bag. Forever Blueshirts is now closely associated with the Hockey Now network. You may know our new FB colleagues, New Jersey Hockey Now and NYI Hockey Now.
In fact, I’m not only a writer, but I was/am the owner of the Hockey Now franchise while I closely cover the Pittsburgh Penguins. And now we’re all one big happy family. We’ll get into this more over the coming weeks.
New York Rangers
If you’ve missed anything over the last few days, here you go.
Forever Blueshirts: It’s been relatively quiet since K’Andre Miller got the call from general manager Chris Drury that the club (finally) traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes. This week, Miller posted a hearty thank you to all and Rangers fans.
So close to 300 wins, but so far. Jaroslav Halak said he’s made peace with not quite getting to the milestone. It does not quite sound like Halak wanted to retire, but not every player gets the choice. Here’s the retirement story of the former Rangers goalie.
It was schedule week for the NHL. The league released the last 82-game schedule before we go to 84 next season. A few of the Rangers rivals had some fun at their expense in the schedule release videos. Watch the five videos that poked fun at the Rangers.
Here are the 10 can-not-miss games of the Rangers’ schedule and a look at some of the other highlights, including another outdoor game and their longest homestand in five years.
Isn’t it ironic, don’t ya think? The NHL certainly had a sense of humor when they made the schedule, as the Rangers face Pittsburgh on opening night. It will be “ironic” that former NYR assistant Dan Muse will make his NHL coaching debut against the Rangers, but also that the season begins with Mike Sullivan facing his former team.
It’s like rain on your wedding day.
NHL Trade Rumors, News, & Colleagues
TSN Video: Sullivan and Rangers assistant David Quinn couldn’t get the best out of Erik Karlsson last season, and that’s a good part of why Pittsburgh hit the skids. However, Pittsburgh is shopping the 35-year-old Karlsson, and Canadian media are all over it. Could the enigmatic yet dynamic defenseman wind up with the Edmonton Oilers or another loaded Canadian team?
Could Karlsson be the Leetch to McDavid’s Messier?
News and notes: Gabe Vilardi signed a six-year, $45 million extension with the Winnipeg Jets. And RFA goalie Lukas Dostal inked a five-year, $32.5 million contract with the someday mighty Anaheim Ducks.
Sportsnet: The Toronto Maple Leafs swung the big trade this week. “Big” is the keyword, as they snagged Dakota Joshua from the Vancouver Canucks for little more than a song. Luke Fox lays out the important question: why Toronto wanted Joshua.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Blueshirts’ longtime rival has a pair of new trade targets on the scene, including 24-year-old Yegor Chinakhov, whose agent took to X to blast the Columbus Blue Jackets and make public his trade request. That’s only half the story from our colleagues in Pittsburgh. Also, here’s some straight talk from someone (me) who has directly talked to Sidney Crosby about being traded. Here’s the Penguins trade talk.
Florida Hockey Now: It ain’t nothin’ but a good time. How could I resist? The Florida Panthers’ party continued at one of the great bars in South Florida. How about some famous rib rolls and hot wings in the Stanley Cup?
The Athletic ($): Shayna Goldman reopened a topic from the spring. Could another club swipe Mason McTavish from Anaheim with an offer sheet? Goldman lays out a very expensive proposition to get McTavish off the pond.
The two cents here is that an offer sheet is almost impossible — but how about a trade? Anaheim has plenty of cap space to match any offer, but making a good hockey trade is how it gets done.
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