When all was said and done Monday at TD Garden, Vaakanainen and Zibanejad were headed back to New York, their respective countries eliminated from the tournament. The four Rangers on Team USA will play in the 4 Nations Final on Thursday despite a 2-1 loss to Sweden on Monday night. And Canada made sure to punch their ticket to the championship game rematch against the U.S. with a exciting finish and 5-3 win against Finland.

Then there’s the plethora of injuries for the United States. And Canada’s vow to avenge a 3-1 loss to the U.S. during the prelims of the 4 Nations.

No shortage of storylines in this compelling mid-season international tournament.

On Tuesday, NHL players return to their teams ahead of getting back to game action Saturday. That means a whole new round of storylines will crop up. Then there’s the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline 2 1/2 weeks away. Yup, rumors and more storylines.

It’s a super busy time of year. And it’s awesome to see hockey grab the sports spotlight.

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New York Rangers news

No lie, it was pretty cool that Chris Kreider scored 35 seconds into the U.S. game Monday after being a healthy scratch the first two. And to do it at home in Boston in front of so many family and friends? Bravo.

Urho Vaakanainen was minus-3 and Finland was knocked out by Canada 5-3, despite a late surge in the third period threw a scare into the Canadians.

Turning our attention to the upcoming trade deadline, a close look at the difficult Ryan Lindgren decision the Rangers face. Plus, breaking down New York’s options to upgrade the defense corps ahead of the deadline.

In our Hartford Wolf Pack weekly we focus on Ben Harpur’s latest extended injury, and how Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann are taking off playing on the same line together.

NHL news

The Boston Bruins will have an update on defenseman Charlie McAvoy on Tuesday morning. He missed Team USA’s game against Sweden Monday because of an upper-body injury, and reportedly was taken to the hospital for further tests.

Brady Tkachuk left the 2-1 loss for the United States in the first period with an unspecified injury after colliding with the goal post. Team USA coach Mike Sullivan said the forward was held out for “precautionary reasons” and his status is unknown for the Final on Thursday.

Brady’s brother, Matthew, did not play Monday because of a lower-body injury. Joining him in the press box was Auston Matthews, who was out with upper-body soreness.

Canada coach Jon Cooper couldn’t praise Sidney Crosby enough Monday, not only for his big-game performance against Finland, that included a big hit, takeaway and empty-net goal to ice thew win, but for how humble and decent a person he is. “You can see why he arguably is one of the most respected people in this game,” Cooper said.

Despite being eliminated after three games at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Finland believes it set the groundwork for a better result at the 2026 Milano Olympics.

Longtime Montreal Canadiens beat reporter Stu Cowen of the Montreal Gazette believes they are in “hard sell” position ahead of the trade deadline, meaning Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and David Savard should all be in play.

The Utah Hockey Club may not need to make many moves ahead of the trade deadline. That’s because they’re expecting a slew of injured players to return after the 4 Nations break, including center Logan Cooley, defenseman Sean Durzi and goalie Connor Ingram.

Jordan Eberle was recalled by the Seattle Kraken from Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League, where he was on a conditioning loan. The Kraken veteran should be good to go when NHL games resume Saturday. He’s been out months following pelvic surgery.

Matthews has been the NHL’s most prolific goal-scorer since entering the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fall of 2016. But Matthews showed during the United States’ 6-1 win against Finland on Thursday in its tournament opener that he’s more than just a guy who puts the puck in the net.

Finland had the United States on its heels after Henri Jokiharju scored the game’s first goal at 7:31 of the opening period. But Team USA answered in a big way with six unanswered goals, including two within the first 30 seconds of the third period to put the game out of reach. 

Though the Tkachuk brothers stole the show, combining for four goals and an assist (Matthew with two goals, Brady with two goals and an assist), Matthews made his presence felt on the ice — and as a leader.

The line of Matthews between Jake Guentzel and Jack Hughes quickly showed flashes of what to expect the rest of this tournament — must-see TV. Midway through the first period, Hughes hit Matthews with a perfect pass that sent him through the Finnish defense — but Matthews’ shot rang off the crossbar.

Another post hit by Team USA, this time by Auston Matthews#4Nations pic.twitter.com/mMF8193UOr

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 14, 2025

Matthews and his linemates did get on the board 26 seconds into the third period after he intercepted a pass at the USA blue line to set up a quick 3-on-2. Hughes got the puck back to Matthews, who fed Guentzel. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward ripped a wrist shot past Finnish goalie Juuse Saros, extending the USA lead to 4-1. The goal came 11 seconds after Matthew Tkachuk’s power-play goal had given the U.S. a two-goal lead.

Matthews played a solid two-way game while skating in a hostile environment — Montreal fans let the Toronto star hear it during when he was introduced as Team USA’s captain ahead of the Canada-Sweden game, as well as during the game Thursday.

The Montreal crowd tells Auston Matthews exactly how they feel about him 😅 pic.twitter.com/Ipd5rhTm83

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 13, 2025

“I was kind of expecting it, so it’s all good,” Matthews said of his reception. “I take it as a good thing or maybe a sign of respect.”

The boos continued once Matthews hit the ice in Team USA’s first game.

They are BOOING Auston Matthews every time he touches the puck in Montreal 😅 pic.twitter.com/0SsULB2Agm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

He may be a target for fans, but Matthews has complete respect within the Team USA locker room amongst foes around the league.

“You can tell the familiarity he has with the guys here and just someone who’s so respected,” Fox said. “I think he’s never going to really seem like the rah-rah yell at you, at least early in the practice here. But the way he is on the ice, the way he is in the locker room, the way around the hotel and everything, he just commands that respect.

“I think everyone has it for him and the way he plays and the way he handles himself.”

Matthews effectively leads by example on the ice, something that comes naturally in a tournament like this.

“These are moments, game situations that you dream of playing in,” he said.

Watching another leader at work presents a valuable opportunity for Fox. The Rangers have not appointed a new captain since trading Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in early December. They’re the only team in the NHL without a captain, but Fox – one of four alternate captains on the team – has stepped into a more prevalent leadership role in New York.

While fans wait to see who will become the 29th captain in the history of the franchise, Fox will have the opportunity to share the ice with three other captains of NHL teams, and many other alternate captains.

Rangers aim to get on the score sheet in 4 Nations doubleheader

Of the six Rangers taking part in the 4 Nations Face-Off, none recorded a point in the first slate of round. Their next opportunity comes on Saturday when all four teams play in a much anticipated afternoon and night of hockey.

First, Urho Vaakanainen’s Finland squad takes on Mika Zibanejad and Sweden. Each team lost its opening game of the tournament, but Sweden picked up a point in its 4-3 overtime loss to Canada on Wednesday. Still, both teams are in dire need of a victory.

Zibanejad had two shots on goal and was robbed of a potential overtime winner in the loss to Canada; he finished minus-1 but was 12-10 on face-offs. Vaakanainen was minus-2 in Finland’s loss to Team USA.

NHL Morning Skate: #4Nations Face-Off – Feb. 14, 2025

▪️ Tkachuk brothers put on show with 2 goals apiece
▪️ USA’s fast goals propel them into first place
▪️ Rivalries renew Saturday on ABC, ESPN+, SN & TVAS (1 ET: 🇫🇮 vs. 🇸🇪; 8 ET: 🇺🇸 vs. 🇨🇦)#NHLStats: https://t.co/YFv0I9Y7XV pic.twitter.com/97FCxuyX0J

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) February 14, 2025

Following the Sweden-Finland game at 1 p.m. ET, Canada and the United States squads take the ice for a heavyweight battle between the tournament’s two favorites at 8 p.m. ET. ABC will televise both games.

“I think I’ve thought about this game for nine years,” Matthew Tkachuk said after Team USA’s win on Thursday.

“It’s going to be the biggest game that I’ve ever played in my career,” Brady Tkachuk added.

Of the three Rangers who suited up for Team USA – forward Chris Kreider was a healthy scratch – none scored a point. Fox and forwards Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller combined for two shots and six hits. Trocheck and Miller provided a physical presence and did an excellent job on the penalty kill.

Ironically, after so much negativity — which included a terrible 5-4 OT loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday — they ended the first half on a positive note. The Rangers played one of their better all-around games this season, defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in overtime on Sam Carrick’s game-winner. They’re now 3-1-1 in the past five games and creeped closer to NHL .500 (19-20-2).

So, you’re saying there’s a chance? Well, the Rangers remain four points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with five teams ahead of them. They passed the Philadelphia Flyers with the win Thursday. And let’s face it, there’s no great team currently among those five ahead of them.

The Detroit Red Wings have won five in a row and the Pittsburgh Penguins are on a three-game winning streak and have Sidney Crosby still playing at an elite level. But not a single one of those teams scares the Rangers, who are feeling better about themselves after a simply atrocious two-month stretch.

A pretty tough road trip lies ahead for the Blueshirts, starting Saturday night in Vegas against the NHL-best Golden Knights (28-10-3). After that, it’s the Colorado Avalanche (26-16-1), who righted themselves and have the League’s top scorer in Nathan MacKinnon. Then the Utah Hockey Club (17-16-7), who are four points out oft he second wild card in the West.

But, yes, there’s a glimmer of hope that making the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season is not out of the question for the Rangers.

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New York Rangers news

Here are our three takeaways from the big win Thursday, including Rangers’ special teams coming through after long dry spell.

The latest Rangers injury updates were positive, with Filip Chytil back on the ice skating and Igor Shesterkin returning from a four-game absence to start against the Devils.

Our Lou Orlando explains why he believes this is the perfect time for Rangers to give newcomer Arthur Kaliyev a long look.

Our Hartford Wolf Pack weekly features updates on Rangers prospects Dylan Garand and Adam Sykora, plus a preview of their weekend schedule.

And our weekly NCAA Prospects Report highlighted the scoring prowess of Rangers draft pick Brody Lamb, who’s lighting it up at Minnesota.

NHL news

Alex Lyon is day to day for the Detroit Red Wings with an upper-body injury, and they recalled veteran Ville Husso from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League to partner with ex-Rangers goalie Cam Talbot.

Goalie Connor Ingram is back with Utah after an AHL conditioning stint. He’s missed 22 games with an upper-body injury.

Incredibly, Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner each was minus-6 (!) in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, on for each goal against.

Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Edmonton Oilers 5-3. Crosby passed Joe Sakic for ninth on the all-time NHL scoring list with 1,643 points.

The Islanders played one of their best games of the season, riding 30 Ilya Sorokin saves to a 4-0 win against the Rangers’ next opponent, the Golden Knights.

Speaking of shutouts, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen earned his second of the season, leading the Sabres to a 4-0 win against the Ottawa Senators, who were booed off their home ice after the loss.

Senators forward Noah Gregor will be “out a little while” with a lower-body injury sustained in the loss.

The Boston Bruins lost their sixth straight game, 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Watch Brayden Point record his 600th NHL point with a power-play goal in the win against the Bruins.

Fox was one of six players named Friday to play for the United States in the mid-season tournament next season. Sullivan, the Pittsburgh Penguins coach, will be behind the U.S. bench, happy that his division rival will be in his corner for the best-on-best tournament.

“I told him I’m thrilled to have him on my side for once instead of having to figure out how to defend against him,” Sullivan said Friday before the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft here at Sphere.

“I would expect him to be the player that he is and bring what he brings. He’s one of the elite defensemen in the League. He’s one of the best power-play defensemen in the League. We’ve certainly had our challenges trying to defend against him. Playing in the same division, I feel like I know his game really well, because of all the battles we’ve had, we had a playoff series against him a couple years ago (2022). So, to have him on our bench will be comforting.”

The new tournament involving Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States will replace the NHL All-Star Game next season. It features NHL stars representing their respective country, with games being played at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston from Feb. 15-20.

In partnership with the NHLPA, the NHL will shut down to accommodate the best-on-best tournament. This sets the stage for NHL players to return to the Winter Olympics in 2026 in Turin, Italy, after missing the past two Olympics.

Each of the four countries taking part selected the first six players to their roster to promote the event. Fox is joined among the first six U.S. players by defensemen Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Quinn Hughes, the 2024 Norris Trophy winner from the Vancouver Canucks, and forwards Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) and Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers).

“These are the elite of the elite,” Sullivan said. “They guys that we inevitably chose as the first handful of guys, not only are great players, but they’re good leaders and they have a certain pride playing for their nation … We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to name these guys.”

United States general manager Bill Guerin, who’s also the Minnesota Wild GM, added, “We could’ve named 12, 15 guys. There are so many good players. But I think the last spot was the most difficult one to come up with.”

Related: Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad among first players named to play in 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

Adam Fox praised by Rangers rivals after named to U.S. squad

Fox has represented the United States in international competition five times. He helped the U.S. win a gold medal at the 2017 World Junior Championship, a silver medal at the 2014 U17 event and bronze medals at the 2018 WJC and 2016 U18 event. He most recently played for his country in the 2019 World Championship, when the United States failed to medal.

Like others among the first six U.S. players, the 26-year-old Rangers defenseman came through the National Team Development Program, before he attended Harvard University.

“Even back at the NTDP, he was a really good. … I think just the way he plays, the confidence, the poise that he has, he’s kind of had it his whole life,” Matthews said Friday. “He’s a really special player and I’m looking forward to playing with him.”

Hughes and Fox each have won the Norris Trophy as the top NHL defenseman, and Fox now has finished in the top five in voting for the award five consecutive years. They give Sullivan a dynamic pair to start off with as the United States builds its roster.

“Fox is an unbelievable player,” Hughes said. “There’s just so many great players in the League right now and ‘Foxy’ is one of them for sure. He’s had a great career so far and it’ll be great to play with him.”

Fox wasn’t the only Rangers player selected in the first six for his country on Friday. Mika Zibanejad was among Sweden’s first six players named.

A report late yesterday indicated that Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask is contemplating retirement after his latest hip injury. Over in Vegas, Jack Eichel is now remarkably taking a full practice with contact just a few months post neck surgery in November.

Let’s jump into the news.

NHL: Tuukka Rask may retire

According to a new report in The Athletic by Fluto Shinzawa, Rask is expected to end his comeback and possibly retire in the coming days.

“I think that’s for Tuukka to comment on his stature,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said last night. “I was told he wouldn’t practice this week. I don’t think that’s changing at all. So if he has something to say, I think I’ll leave it to him.”

Rask last played against the Anaheim Ducks on January 24 and landed on injured reserve after feeling pain in his surgically repaired hip. If he does end his comeback bid, Rask finishes the season with a record of 2-2, a 2.28 GAA, and an 844 SV%.

Should Rask announce his retirement he will end his career with a record of 308-165-66 with 52 shutouts, a 2.28 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 564 games. All with Boston since making his NHL debut in 2007.

He holds Boston’s franchise record for most games played and wins by a goaltender.

Jack Eichel nears return

Center Jack Eichel practiced in full with the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.

“He’s been cleared for contact,” head coach Peter DeBoer said. “That’s the first day of full contact he’s had, is it 17 or 18 months or something like that? So now it’s a matter of, how does he respond? Do a little bit more the next day, a little bit more the next day. Hope for no setbacks.”

Eichel skated at the beginning of January in Charlotte, N.C. for the first time since his Nov. 12 spinal surgery. He had his first non-contact skate with the Knights on January 11, and DeBoer said he was still a month or two away.

There is still no definitive timetable per the Golden Knights, but we are now in the advanced stages of his eventual return.

The No. 2 overall draft pick in 2015 out of Boston University, Eichel racked up 139 goals and 355 points in 375 games for the Sabres.

Auston Matthews escapes injury

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews felt “pretty good” Tuesday after taking a hit to the head Monday night, coach Sheldon Keefe said.

Matthews fell while battling Carolina Hurricanes forward Nino Niederreiter in the third period and was accidentally kneed in the back of the head by another player.

Keefe said Tuesday was already a scheduled day off for Matthews after he competed in the All-Star Game over the weekend. The Leafs don’t play again until Thursday night at the Calgary Flames.

“He came in today feeling pretty good, so that’s a really good sign obviously for his status in terms of practicing tomorrow,” Keefe said. “We’ll see how he comes in, but today was a very good day.”

NHL Rumors

A look at available Senators players. Maple Leafs trade deadline approach, and a Rangers offer for J.T. Miller? Read more.

-Field Level Media contributed to this article.

The Rangers are returning home after going 3-2-0 on their season-high five-game trip despite being forced to shuffle their lineup due to various players landing in the NHL’s health and safety protocol.

New York fared well on its trip despite Artemi Panarin, Igor Shesterkin, Julien Gauthier, Barclay Goodrow, Alexis Lafreniere and Ryan Reeves, along with coach Gerard Gallant, missing time in the protocol.

New York ended the trip with an impressive third period showing in a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday when Chris Kreider scored the tiebreaking goal with 6:30 left and nearly three minutes after Filip Chytil netted the tiebreaking goal. Mika Zibanejad also scored and has six of his 14 goals during New York’s 6-3-0 surge in the past nine games.

Rangers getting healthier

“We talked about it, and to come out of this trip over .500 would be real good,” Gallant said. “You always want to win every game you play, but there was a lot going on for our team — more so than any other time this year missing all the guys.

Kreider scored four times and Zibanejad scored three times on the trip to help the Rangers withstand various absences. New York should be playing with a more normal roster Wednesday. As of Tuesday’s practice, only Lafreniere remained in the protocol and Goodrow had cleared the protocol.

The Rangers are 5-2-0 in the past seven meetings and the teams traded 2-1 wins in Toronto earlier this season.

The New York Rangers announced on Tuesday that forward Barclay Goodrow had cleared COVID protocol. In addition, Dryden Hunt has come off injured reserve after suffering an upper-body issue against the Golden Knights on January 6.

“They should be fine,” Gallant said of their availability for tomorrow against the Maple Leafs. “(Goodrow) is out of protocol. They both skated today, so I don’t see any issue with them.”

Gallant has yet to decide on lines

As for what lines they will be playing on, the head coach was non-committal and even alluded to some mixing and matching.

The fate of Morgan Barron, Tim Gettinger, and Jonny Brodzinski remains to be seen but it sounded like Gallant will ride the horses that got him here.

“They’re tough (lineup) decisions, but they’re common sense decisions,” Gallant admitted. “I know my team. We’ve been together almost 40 games now, so if those guys are ready to come in, they are going to play.”

Goodrow was on line with Hunt and Gauthier yesterday which is what we should see tonight.

Brodzinski did practice in Ryan Strome’s place, who once again missed the team skate.

“No, no. He’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” Gallant said of Strome. “Another maintenance day. I’d obviously like to see him skate today but he’s ready to go.”

Leafs Matthews looking to tie record

Despite a slew of COVID-19 postponements, the interruptions have hardly stopped Auston Matthews’ ability to score goals — especially in road games.

Matthews can tie an NHL record by scoring in his 11th straight road game Wednesday night when his Toronto Maple Leafs visit the New York Rangers.

Matthews comes to the Big Apple with 25 goals, right behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the league lead.

He has 13 goals on the road and if he scores Wednesday, Matthews will tie the NHL record initially set by Steve Yzerman for the Detroit Red Wings in 1988-89 and matched by Pavel Bure in 1993-94 for the Vancouver Canucks.

Matthews last went scoreless in a road game on Nov. 21 against the New York Islanders and he has scored 12 goals during the road streak. He helped Toronto to a 6-5 win Saturday in St. Louis by scoring a game-tying power-play goal. Five minutes later, Ilya Mikheyev scored the game-winning goal with 3:15 remaining in the third period.

“It’s deadly,” Toronto’s Mitch Marner said of Matthews’ road streak. “It’s something that we love having on our team.”

Matthews and Leafs hot

Matthews’ surge has helped Toronto go 5-1-1 in their past seven games and 6-2-2 in their past 10 road games.

Marner also scored Saturday after missing six games during Matthews’ streak due to COVID-19 and a shoulder injury.

“Hopefully, we can consistently play with each other, practice, in games,” Matthews said. “It would be nice to get in a rhythm and see each other every single day and continue to grow chemistry-wise and hopefully continue to have nights like (against the Blues) where we control the play a lot.”

Matthews is making his first trip to Madison Square Garden since scoring twice on Feb. 5, 2020, and this time the Rangers are among the best teams in the NHL.

Toronto announced Tuesday that defenseman Jake Muzzin will miss the game — and the team’s NYC swing — after being diagnosed with a concussion. Muzzin will remain in Toronto, also missing Saturday’s game at the New York Islanders.

NHL Rumors

Rangers interested in J.T. Miller reunion and Claude Giroux on the move? Read more.

–Field Level Media contributed to this article.

Toronto has a problem, it isn’t a bad one, it’s more a matter of circumstance and a little self-inflicted pain. After being bad for several years the Leafs were able to draft some gems in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. Then they went out and bought UFA John Tavares. That may not have been needed in hindsight, but this is where they are.

Toronto Maple Leafs top heavy salary cap

Matthews makes $11.6 million, followed by Tavares at $11m, then Marner with $10.89m, and finally Nylander at $6.9m against the cap. That’s a lot of moolah.

When you calculate what all four of those players make, it totals $40.4 million. That equates to 49.6% of Toronto’s total cap space to just four players. Albeit superstars, it doesn’t leave much to spread around to the 19 remaining roster spots you need to win a Stanley Cup.

That’s why the Leafs are trying to figure out how to get cap compliant and ensure they have a winning mix for the post-season. It isn’t an easy job for GM Kyle Dubas who is likely on the hot seat.

The New York Rangers are now following a similar path

The New York Rangers are eventually going to find themselves in a similar situation as the Leafs. They went out last summer and landed the top UFA on the market in Artemi Panarin to the tune of $11.6 million.

Mika Zibanejad will be a UFA in two seasons at the age of 29 and he is very likely to get $10-11 million himself for the next 7 years. Panarin’s deal will expire in year five of Mika’s. That will be approximately $22 million on two forwards.

Enter Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko. The #1 pick of the 2020 draft and the #2 pick of the 2019 draft have future stars written all over them. In three seasons Lafreniere’s ELC will expire and Kakko’s will expire in just two. If Alexis is the next generational talent, he could very well command $10 million on his next deal. Kakko would like be similar to Nylander’s $7 million.

And just like that, we are the Toronto Maple Leafs with almost half the cap dedicated to four forwards. Remember this is a good problem to have.

Rangers need to plan for this eventual outcome

The first thing many of you will say is, “just keep bridge dealing Lafreniere and Kakko until Panarin comes off the books!” Yes, that is one approach but you normally don’t low ball your future franchise players. Did Edmonton do that with Connor McDavid? Or Toronto with Matthews? The answer is no. You take care of them immediately.

If Lafreniere is flirting with 80 points by year three, you give him a 10 year deal at around $10 million and call it a day. If Kakko is scoring 30-40 goals when his ELC is set to expire you give him $7-8 million for 8 years and just enjoy the fireworks. You don’t play games with them.

That’s why it is imperative the Rangers be shrewd at every position. Other players like Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller could be the next top defenseman at around $8-9 million. That’s why it was imperative to draft the likes of Matthew Robertson, Braden Schneider, and Zac Jones. They need to keep the pipeline with a decent amount of prospects for longterm success.

It’s another reason why the Rangers were adamant about keeping two top tier goalies in Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev. Long gone are the days where the Blueshirts are going to invest 10-15% of the their cap space on one goalie.

The Rangers are just getting started and need to make sure they can balance a lineup for playoff success. They would love to at one point have four forwards of the same caliber as the Leafs and even pay them over $40,000,000 for it.

They just need to make sure every move they make accounts for it.

Note: This story first published at The Daily Goal Horn.

Back in June, a report appeared in the Toronto Sun outing Maple Leafs star, Auston Matthews for testing positive for COVID-19. The reporter who published the article, was Steve Simmons. It certainly left a bad taste in the mouth of the Leafs and Matthews as well.

Auston Matthews calls out Steve Simmons

At the time of the diagnosis, Matthews was reportedly living at home in Arizona. The 22-year-old center, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, was then put into quarantine. He recovered with no issues and is now with the team playing in the qualifying round.

Last night, after getting shutout by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Matthews spoke with the press. Then this awkward moment took place.

Simmons asked Matthews a question, and the Leafs forward didn’t hold back. “First of all it’s unfortunate that I’m getting a question from you Steve,” Auston began. “I didn’t appreciate the article you wrote on me,” he continued, “and I thought it was unethical.”

Matthews did proceed today answer his question, but he made sure to let Simmons know where he stood.

NHL announced second straight week with zero new cases

The NHL released its weekly COVID-19 testing report today. For two consecutive weeks the league can report no positive cases of the virus. This is a testament to the players as well as the league.

NHL Players Test Positive for COVID-19

According to the NHL, they have tested over 200 players since Phase 2 began on June 8th. All 11 players that are COVID-19 positive are in self isolation following CDC guidelines.

The NHL will provide weekly updates on testing and you can be sure that more positive cases will be reported.

Maple Leafs Release Statement on Auston Matthews

I spoke to one NHL executive that told me teams were aware of the positive tests. Frankly, the exec was surprised it took this long for the information to get out. Still, the leaking of a players name is upsetting and violates Matthews privacy. The Maple Leafs went as far as releasing a statement today that read they will not be “commenting on reports surrounding testing” and that information should be “private”.

Auston Matthews Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Sadly, this news should not shock anyone. With increased testing there was bound to be a significant increase in positive test for the coronavirus. Just recently, the NFL had a star player test positive in Dallas Cowboys RB, Ezekiel Elliott.

Arizona COVID-19 Cases

Today, Arizona reported over 3000 new cases. This is a record spike that is being experienced by several states including Texas and Florida. To make matters worse, the Tampa Bay Lightning had to shut down their entire training facility today because three players and two staffers tested positive. Unlike Matthews name being leaked, it is unlikely we will find out which Lightning players tested positive.