Rangers Daily: Overlooked Taylor Raddysh hat trick; NHL trade rumors
You know what got lost amid all the negative fallout from the New York Rangers’ unacceptable 6-5 overtime loss to the lowly San Jose Sharks on Thursday night? Taylor Raddysh had his Welcome to New York moment.
The 27-year-old forward recorded the second hat trick of his NHL career. For a team desperately seeking scoring production, it was a welcome boost for the Rangers. Yet they wasted his breakout performance, which was pretty much overlooked because of the loss and the five-point explosion by Sharks wonderkid Macklin Celebrini.
But it was a big deal for the Rangers, who signed Raddysh to a two-year, $3 million contract this past offseason. That signing has been derided by a large swath of Rangers fans since before the ink even dried on the contract. Their critique grew louder the first couple weeks of the regular season, when Raddysh saw limited ice time and did little to stand out.
Though quietly effective as a penalty killer, Raddysh found little traction through the first eight game, scoring one goal playing on a bottom-six line centered by rookie Noah Laba. With the Rangers struggling in the season’s first month, Raddysh quickly turned into a target for unhappy fans.
And then Thursday happened.
Raddysh scored on each of his three shots — he hadn’t even recorded a single shot on goal the previous four games — and did so in electrifying fashion. Playing with speed and confidence, Raddysh looked off Mika Zibanejad and wired a left-wing shot off the rush past Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic for a short-handed goal midway through the second period.
Then in the third period, with the Rangers trailing 5-4, Raddysh hopped off the bench to join a rush into the offensive end. J.T. Miller found him with a cross-ice pass and Raddysh absolutely drilled a slap shot into the net to complete his hat trick. Without that goal, the Rangers don’t get a point Thursday and are even more pissed heading into their four-game road trip this weekend.
To Mike Sullivan’s credit, the Rangers coach rode the hot hand and rewarded Raddysh with shifts in the top six and a season-high 15:21 TOI.
That ability to be an offensive force didn’t quite come out of nowhere — Raddysh did score 20 goals with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23. But he’s also the same guy who dropped to five goals with them the next season, then scored seven in 80 games in a bottom-six role with the Washington Capitals last season.
But will Raddysh get a chance to start in the top six Sunday in Calgary, when the Rangers visit the Flames? Maybe swap spots with Conor Sheary? It’s worth considering after what we saw Thursday, even if only as a short-term solution.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Here’s a breakdown of what’s next for the Rangers after Matt Rempe’s injury and the recall of Brennan Othmann from the minors.
Part of the fallout in that loss to the Sharks is Sullivan stating that the Rangers “have to learn how to win,” which is fairly damning commentary considering the talent on the roster.
ICYMI: Our Jennifer O’Regan caught up with Laba’s college coach Kris Mayotte to get the lowdown on why he believes the rookie will be a Rangers standard bearer for years to come.
NHL news and rumors
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reported on Insider Trading that the Toronto Maple Leafs are among a number of NHL teams showing interest in trading for disgruntled Columbus Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov.
TSN: LeBrun also confirmed that Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy is working the phones, desperately trying to find a way to land scoring help for his struggling team. Chinakhov is an option for them as well.
Vegas Hockey Now: The Golden Knights converted Carter Hart’s PTO into a standard NHL contract, as expected. The deal is for two years and $4 million total. The goalie is practicing with the Golden Knights but ineligible to play until Dec. 1.
NHL.com: Alex Ovechkin plays his 1,500th NHL game Saturday when the Washington Capitals host the Ottawa Senators. He could make it a double-milestone night since he’s one goal shy of becoming the first player in League history with 900, after he scored No. 899 on Friday in a 5-1 road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Sportsnet: The Toronto Maple Leafs could be without forward William Nylander when they try to end a three-game skid Saturday. Their leading scorer left with an undisclosed injury in the third period of their 5-3 road loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. The teams face off at Scotiabank Arena in a rematch Saturday.
Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks finally pulled the plug on disappointing former first-round pick Lukas Reichel, trading the forward to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Salt Lake Tribune: Alex Kerfoot had core-muscle surgery and is out 8-10 weeks for the Utah Mammoth.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Before the Devils won their seventh straight game, 3-1 over the San Jose Sharks, there was good news and bad news with the latest injury updates.
Daily Faceoff: The Islanders will host the 2027 NHL All-Star Game at UBS Arena after a pre-Olympics event scheduled there in February was ditched by the League.
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