Rangers Daily: Fired-up Blueshirts Faithful; Maple Leafs land prized free agent
New York Rangers fans are fired up. And I love it.
Yes, even when they call me every name in the book on social media, or do the same to my podcast guests, or they attack GM Chris Drury, or simply argue and bicker with one another.
Fired-up fans are ones that haven’t given up nor resigned themselves to a bad outcome. Good for the Blueshirts Faithful that is not the case.
Now, would I prefer someone actually read a story I wrote before jumping to conclusions over a simple headline or quote used on social media? Of course I do!
But “fan” is short for “fanatic,” so I get it the passion. Especially after 30+ years working in this business in the New York market. And I love that passion, which is likely juiced even more after the epic, inspired, and inspiring championship run by the New York Knicks this spring.
In a way, I think that run by the Rangers’ co-tenants at MSG, further woke up the Blueshirt fan base. Some are pissed off that it’s the Knicks not the Rangers receiving all the love these days. Others are hopeful that there’s now a path for the Rangers to crawl out of the darkness here.
Either way, you’re engaged. And you should be. This is a massively critical offseason for the Rangers, and a chance for Drury to shift narrative about himself and the organization. And get this thing back on track for the Rangers.
And I’ll be here to chronicle it all, analyze it, share opinions, do interviews so that other voices are heard — no matter if we agree or not.
Now, it’s back to work.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Let’s start here with Neil Smith’s take that the Rangers “cannot be retooled,” which really fired up Blueshirts Faithful on both sides of the aisle, so to speak.
Viggo Bjorck is a really talented 5-foot-9 center from Sweden, and our Tom Castro makes the case that the Rangers should at least consider him with the No. 5 pick in this year’s NHL Draft.
John Kreiser with an interesting piece, breaking down the Rangers’ three best and three worst drafts in the past 40 years.
James Dolan admitted years of mistakes before finally getting it right with the Knicks winning the 2026 NBA championship.
X: Dennis Bernstein confirms that former Rangers assistant Phil Housley is joining Peter Laviolette’s staff with the Los Angeles Kings next season.
NHL news and rumors
The Athletic ($$): The Toronto Maple Leafs landed the top defenseman on the free-agent market in a sign-and-trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for Darren Raddysh, who gets an eight-year contract worth $8.5 million per.
TSN: Jonathan Toews is expected to announce his retirement at a press conference held by the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Sportsnet: Mark Spector has a must-read take on the NHL gritting its teeth and allowing Mike Babcock to coach again, amid the likelihood that the Edmonton Oilers now will hire him.
Ottawa Citizen: Bruce Garrioch reports that the Ottawa Senators quietly and officially released Alex Formenton last month, not a surprise since the team previously stated that the forward wouldn’t play for them again. The forward, one of five players on the 2018 Canadian world junior team found not guilty of sexual assault last summer, is now a UFA.
Daily Faceoff: Here’s a breakdown of six teams that could be trade destinations for Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish. And, no, the Rangers aren’t listed here.
Florida Hockey Now: George Richards analyzes some big-name options should the Panthers fail to re-sign pending UFA goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
Canucks Army: Pierre LeBrun told an Edmonton radio show that trade talks are on and teams are interested in Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson, and the Canucks may even be willing to retain salary in order to secure a better return.
