Rangers Daily: Garden ice prepped for new season; U23 ranks; Carey Price trade rumors
The calendar’s flipped to September and the New York Rangers will play hockey this month. As such, a fresh sheet of ice, complete with the Rangers’ 100th anniversary logo at center ice, was unveiled at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
The Rangers posted photos of the handsome handiwork on their social media accounts. And intrepid reporter Jonny Lazarus apparently was there, as well, for the unveiling.
Hopefully, in his excitement, Jonny didn’t proclaim the Rangers to be sure-bets to win the Stanley Cup this season. If you follow his predictions, you know that Jonny’s not exactly on a heater lately (ever?!). Remember his 100-point prediction for Alexis Lafreniere a year ago?
And his tennis predictions aren’t going over too well either during the U.S. Open!
That’s the same Bublik, who won three games in three sets that same day against Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16 at Flushing Meadows. The straight-sets massacre took just one hour and 21 minutes.
But listen, I know plenty about bad predictions. Despite how terribly they played, I really believed that the Rangers would pull it together last season and make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The field didn’t leave them too far behind in the dust. Plus the Rangers surely were better than that sh** show we all witnessed in November and December.
Go back and listen to all those Rink Rap podcasts thereafter, where I predicted the Rangers would find a way and sneak into the playoffs.
Not so fast, Jim.
Anyway, bad predictions aside, who’s not excited for hockey to start up this month? Rookie camp begins in about a week. Training camps open the middle of the month. Preseason games are soon to follow.
Let’s Go!
Rangers News and Analysis
Well, here’s a bit of a kick in the teeth. Not a single Rangers player nor prospect landed in the top 100 in The Athletic’s ranking of best U23 talent. In fact, Gabe Perreault somehow dropped from No. 52 overall in 2024 to No. 160 this year!
Frank Seravalli dropped a mini bombshell that the playoff salary cap and new LTIR rules negotiated for the new CBA will go into effect immediately, not in 2026-27, as expected. How does this affect the Rangers and their rivals in the NHL?
Former NHL enforcer John Scott (briefly a Blueshirt) raved on his podcast about how Vladislav Gavrikov is a “massive upgrade” on the Rangers blue line this coming season. He also didn’t hold back on their trading the “uncoachable” K’Andre Miller.
Speaking of podcasts — and Jonny Lazarus — Derek Stepan revealed on Morning Cuppa Hockey that Ryan Callahan continues to needle him about Brandon Prust breaking the former Rangers center’s jaw in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final.
In the same interview, Stepan discussed why he was so impressed with how then-rookie J.T. Miller “handled taking sh**” from the Rangers veterans, including Callahan, back in 2013.
The Blueshirts aren’t the only team seeking a major bounce-back season after a shockingly disappointing run in 2024-25. So, who’s got the best chance to get back into the playoffs — the Rangers, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, or Vancouver Canucks? We break it all down.
NHL news and rumors
Sportsnet: Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving defended how the team protects its players in wake of Mitch Marner’s public statements last week about fearing for his own, and his family’s, safety last season.
The Athletic ($$): Here’s the complete breakdown of top NHL players and prospects under the age of 23. Spoiler: Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks is No. 1 on the list.
Sportsnet: The Montreal Canadiens are looking for some “cap flexibility,” per general manager Kent Hughes. So, Carey Price trade rumors are a thing again.
Sportsnaut: After signing No. 3 goalie Dennis Hildeby to a three-year extension, the Maple Leafs are looking to ink their No. 1 goaltender (or 1a, alongside Joseph Woll) Anthony Stolarz to an extension.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Is the sale of the Penguins imminent? Dan Kingerski reports all indications point that way.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Which Devils players have the most to prove in 2025-26, and why? James Nichols breaks it all down.
TSN: Dave Lowry was named an assistant coach under Ryan Huska with the Calgary Flames. Lowry was once a Flames forward and was an assistant for them more than a decade ago.
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