Rangers Roundup: Ranking Calder candidates, Adam Fox waivers update, Lundqvist recovering from open heart surgery, and more
The Dallas Stars have just had their season postponed due to COVID-19 and the Columbus Blue Jackets could be next. This should be a stark reminder what a challenge this NHL season will be to pull off.
To happier news, if the season does get going and can be completed, the Rangers have the top two candidates to win Rookie of the Year.
Top 5 Rookie of the Year Candidates
Scott Wheeler over at the Athletic ranked this season’s top candidates to win rookie of the year. Here are the top 5:
- Alexis Lafrenier
- Igor Shesterkin
- Kirill Kaprizov
- Ilya Sorokin
- Tim Stuetzle
When it comes to why Lafreniere is number one, he writes:
Lafrenière’s biggest challenge is going to be a roster one. He’s a natural left-wing and he’s not going to change positions, which means he’s going to play behind Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider (it sounds like he’ll start with Filip Chytil and Julien Gauthier, which is a line that has a little bit of everything). His power-play time will ultimately dictate whether his season is more of a “Calder conversation” season or a “Calder winner” season. But I think Lafrenière’s floor is a good season and his ceiling is a great one, whereas most rookies have a “sent back to junior after a five-game audition” floor and a good season as their ceiling.
Adam Fox waivers update
Adam Fox is just 5 games away from becoming waivers eligible if the Rangers want to send him down (or move him to the taxi-squad). Of course, there is no reason for the Rangers to do that, but it is good information to be aware of for the season.
Henrik Lundqvist has successful heart surgery
Henrik Lundqvist posted a message about his heart surgery along with a drawing from his daughter to update fans about his condition.
“Surgery went really well,” he said. “About 5 hours to get it all taken care of. Really appreciate the great staff here at the Clevland Clinic. Last few days has been pretty crazy but feel like I’m in really good hands. Every day is a step in the right direction.”
Great news after Lundqvist had to opt out of playing this season. Speedy recovery.
The Latest Podcast is available! Check it out!
The latest podcast is out and it is fully loaded for die-hard hockey fans. It’s a jam packed show as we talk about the World Junior Championship with Steve Kournianos. Then we dive deep into the latest NHL news with Luke Fox from Sportsnet. Here’s a sample:
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