Gallant, who coached the Rangers from 2021-23 with Kelly as one of his assistants, has two of his former players back with him — center Greg McKegg (2019-20 and 2021-22) and defenseman Ben Harpur (2022-23). The other ex-Rangers are defenseman Adam Clendening (2016-17) and center Ryan Spooner (2018). Harpur signed with Shanghai this week, and McKegg joined the team in early October and was scoreless Tuesday in his first game, a 7-6 shootout loss to Spartak.

Despite the loss, the Dragons are off to a good start, espite playing thousands of miles from their ostensible home city. The franchise, which entered the KHL as Kunlun Red Star in 2016, hasn’t played in China since 2019-20 due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in that country. The Dragons play their home games in St. Petersburg, Russia, this season but plan to return to Shanghai for 2026-27.

The Dragons sure know how to make a head coach announcement in style pic.twitter.com/4Y1EY3UXaY

— Uggg (@Uggg_uggg) August 13, 2025

It’s been a whirlwind couple of months for the 62-year-old coach. Gallant went to the KHL after he failed to draw any interest from NHL teams. He is 369-262-70 with four ties in an NHL career that has seen him coach the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, as well as the Rangers. He won the Jack Adams Award as the top NHL coach in 2017-18, when he guided the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season.

“I’ve been out for two years … and nothing’s happened yet,” Gallant said in August on TSN 1050 in Toronto. “Am I a little pissed off? Yeah. But that’s the way it goes and you wait for your turn and your opportunities.

“So, I took this job. I’m going to Russia, going to St. Petersburg. I have a two-year contract and I’m going to honor that contract.”

Gallant’s .662 points percentage in his two full seasons is second-best in Rangers history, behind only Mike Keenan (.667), who coached them to the Stanley Cup championship in 1993-94, his lone season in New York. Keenan, who turned 76 on Tuesday, is also the first man to coach a Stanley Cup champion and a Gagarin Cup winner in the KHL (with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2014).

In mid-August, Gallant agreed to a two-year contract, tasked with filling out a roster in less than six weeks and running a franchise that hasn’t made the Gagarin Cup Playoffs in eight years.

So far, so good. Despite the shootout loss to Spartak, the Dragons have won nine of their first 16 games and are tied for second in the Tarasov Division of the Western Conference. They are four points behind first-place Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, which has played two more games, and even with Severstal, which has played one more game but has 10 regulation wins to seven for Shanghai. The Dragons play their next game at Dinamo Minsk on Friday.

Rangers reunion takes place in KHL

Clendening has been the most impactful of the former Rangers. He is tied for third in scoring among defensemen with 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 16 games and averages 22:54 TOI.

This is his second season with the Dragons franchise; he had 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) for Kunlun last season. Clendening played 31 games for the Rangers in 2016-17, his only season in New York, finishing with 11 points (two goals, nine assists).

The Rangers, who signed him as a free agent, didn’t re-sign him. He had brief stints with the Arizona Coyotes in 2017-18 and Blues Jackets in 2018-19, then played with four AHL teams before joining Ilves of Liiga in Finland for the 2023-24 season and switching to the KHL last season.

Spooner, a 33-year-old center, was part of the package the Rangers received when they traded Rick Nash to the Boston Bruins on Feb. 20, 2018. He had 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) for the Rangers in the 20 remaining games that season. But after a slow start in 2018-19, Sponner was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for center Ryan Strome on Nov. 16, 2018.

He’s played with four teams since coming to the KHL in 2020. Spooner has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 15 games this season.

The Rangers signed Harpur as a free agent on Oct. 27, 2022, and he had six points (one goal, five assists) in 42 regular-season games with them. He did not dress in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and was injured much of the past two seasons with Hartford of the American Hockey League.

New York was also the last NHL stop for the 33-year-old McKegg, who had five points (two goals, three assists) in 43 games during his second stint with the Blueshirts in 2021-22. He also had five goals and nine points in 53 games in 2019-20 before signing with the Bruins as a free agent.

The Rangers did not re-sign him after his second stint on Broadway ended in the summer of 2023. He joined the Edmonton Oilers but spent the next two seasons with their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield before sitting out last season.

The seventh-place Wolf Pack (20-23-5-1, 46 points) are five points behind sixth-place Springfield for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Wolf Pack are in striking distance since they secured points in three of four games (2-1-1-0).

Related: Ryan Lindgren decision, Rangers options on defense ahead of NHL Trade Deadline

Hartford Wolf Pack news-n-notes

Ben Harpur – Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

Ben Harpur out long term, impacts defense corps

Ben Harpur has battled injuries the past two two seasons, and now the 30-year-old defenseman will be out month to month. Originally listed as day-to-day since Jan. 24, Harpur’s upper-body injury appears to be a bigger concern. This is a big blow to the defense corps, who will once again miss the veteran’s rugged presence and leadership on the blue line. In addition, Hartford coach Grant Potulny must find stability in the defense pairings, which have gone through changes because of injuries and much roster movement.

HERE WE GO! Ben Harpur and Dylan Peterson drop the gloves, and Harpur lays the Smackdown on the T-Bird forward!

They’ll head off with five each for fighting. It’s Harpur’s second straight game with a fight.#HFDvsSPR | #NYR pic.twitter.com/D0kLbH3Hb1

— Keegan Jarvis (@TheKeeganJarvis) December 31, 2024

Harpur has 48 penalty minutes and five points (one goal, four assists) in 29 games this season. He missed all but seven games last season due to injury.

Brett Berard heats up

Brett Berard – Photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

Since returning to the lineup from injury on Feb. 7, Brett Berard is heating up. The 22-year-old forward has six points (one goal, five assists) in four games. Despite playing 19 games with the Rangers, Berard is tied for third on Hartford with 23 points and is third with 14 assists.

COUNT IT pic.twitter.com/HFIf89LEwq

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) February 16, 2025

Berard is currently thriving on a line with Brennan Othmann and Jake Leschyshyn. He and Othmann have combined for 11 points (five goals, six assists) in four games, which must make Rangers brass happy. Either or both could be call-ups down the stretch this season.

Number 9 on the season for number 9 👀 pic.twitter.com/RHv18AnfUs

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) February 9, 2025

Othmann is fourth on the Wolf Pack with 12 goals despite missing more than two months this season with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old has scored nine goals in his past 11 games, including four in his past three.

Othmann on his OT GWG: [Berard] with a blocked shot, I think that’s his first blocked shot in his career. It had a nice bounce to me, and I just saw an opportunity to shoot the puck. #NYR

— Keegan Jarvis (@TheKeeganJarvis) February 13, 2025

Wolf Pack must commit to their identity

The Wolf Pack were known to outwork their opponents in the past two seasons. This identity must be reinforced by Potulny. This season’s struggles stem from lack of consistency. For instance, in the Wolf Pack’s win against Bridgeport, they outworked the Islanders, outshot them 25-7 in the third period, remained disciplined, and won puck battles. 

Shifting to their last two losses, Hartford recorded a season low of 18 shots in each defeat and were outworked by Charlotte. In fact, they were outshot 74-36. Taking eight penalties limits the offensive zone time and cause for a momentum shift. The lack of playing to their identity is a downfall this season. As a result, they dug a hole they need to get out of if they want to make the playoffs. They need a more consistent effort the final 23 games.

Upcoming Games

All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.

Wednesday, February 19 vs Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis) at 7:05pm, MassMutual Center

• This is the ninth of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-6-0-0.
• Springfield is 23-19-2-3 for 51 points. They are sixth in the Atlantic Division and tied for 10th (with Syracuse) in the Eastern Conference. The Thunderbirds are 6-2-0-2 in their past 10 games. However, they lost two straight in regulation.
• Matthew Peca leads the Thunderbirds with 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) and is tied for 18th in the AHL. Next is Matt Luff with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists).

Friday, February 21 vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7pm, XL Center

• This is the fourth of six meetings this season. Hartford is 0-3-0-0.
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 27-12-5-1 for 60 points. They are second in the Atlantic Division and tied for fourth (with Cleveland) in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins are 6-2-1-1 in their past 10 games.
• Emil Bemstrom leads the Penguins with 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) and is tied for third in the AHL. Next is Ville Koivunen with 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists).

Saturday, February 22 vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 6pm, XL Center

• This is the seventh of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-4-0-0.
• Providence is 27-16-4-1 for 59 points. They are tied for third in the Atlantic Division and tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference (both with Charlotte). The Bruins are 6-3-1-0 in their past 10 games.
• Georgii Merkulov leads the Bruins with 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) and is tied for 13th in the AHL. Next is Vinni Lettieri with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists).

Hartford collected two out of six points (1-2-0-0) last week and lost two weekend games to remain winless on the road (0-4-1-1). The Wolf Pack begin a six game homestand this week, which benefits them since they are 5-1-0-0 at the XL Center.

Head Coach Grant Potulny will attempt to right the ship since it feels the season is at an early critical moment.

Related: Rangers NCAA prospects report: Gabe Perreault extends point streak to 8 games

Wolf Pack news-n-notes

Ben Harpur – photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack

Ben Harpur suspended four games

Hartford defenseman Ben Harpur was suspended four games for his charging incident against Rochester Americans goalie Felix Sandstrom in a game played Friday. The 29-year-old who played 42 games with the Rangers in 2022-23 is eligible to return on Nov. 23. Harpur received a major and game misconduct for charging Sandstrom.

AHL’s Player Safety Committee just announced Wolf Pack defenseman Ben Harpur has been suspended for four games for this charging incident in Rochester last night… #NYR pic.twitter.com/P7uNt0EkAC

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) November 9, 2024

Providing context, Sandstrom was involved in Harpur’s season-ending injury in 2023-24, when the goalie played for Lehigh Valley. Harpur rushed the net and scored, then was injured. Sandstrom was attempting to stop the defenseman and there was a brief collision. Considering the blatant charge by Harpur, this appears to be retaliation against Sandstrom.

Ben Harpur is out for the season due to pectoral surgery. He fell really hard on his shoulder after scoring this goal. Happen on Nov 3rd and didn't play a game since. #NYR pic.twitter.com/5pOzApsDJK

— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) November 20, 2023

Defensive breakdowns persist

Through 12 games, Hartford’s goal against is 43 (25th in league) and goals for is 33 (18th in league) for a deficit of 10. While there were improvements as they gave up three goals or fewer in four straight, Hartford was unable to keep that up this past weekend, losing to Rochester 6-3 and 4-2 to Providence. The 10 goals surrendered was a combination of power play goals against and defensive errors, especially when the Bruins recorded a goal on a three-on-zero as two Wolf Pack players collided leading to a goal against. Furthermore, the Wolf Pack struggle the most in second periods as they are outscored seven to 19. Diving into the stats from last week, Rochester registered three goals in the middle frame, followed by Providence recorded two. Hartford gave up 38 shots on goal in two games (18-6 against Rochester, 20-7 against Providence).  The second periods have made or break games for the Wolf Pack. In fact, Hartford lost 2-1 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with the Penguins recording both goals in the second. The lack of consistency from the defensive core has hurt the Wolf Pack.

McLaughlin extends the lead 🚨 pic.twitter.com/XrcYR9Z7Y2

— Providence Bruins (@AHLBruins) November 10, 2024

Special teams struggle

Focusing on the power play, Hartford has yet to score since Brennan Othmann’s injury on Oct. 19. The Wolf Pack had 10 opportunities in their past three games and are now 0-for-31 with Othmann out. The Wolf Pack have yet to look lethal with the man advantage, and at times play defensively as the play falls apart leading to an opportunity the other way. The unit will need to find a spark as the power play is ranked 26th in the league, operating at 11.8 percent (51 opportunities).

The penalty kill ties into Hartford’s defensive struggles. The Wolf Pack are ranked 31st in the league down a man, operating at 72.3 percent. They’ registered 15 goals against for the units’ve allowed 15 power-play goals, second most in the AHL. Addressing this is critical since the Wolf Pack gave up five power play-goals this past weekend alone. The Wolf Pack got off to a rough start with Rochester, when the Americans recorded two power-play goals within the first 11 minutes of the game. Each of Providence’s two power-play goals gave them the lead.

Notes

• Veteran goalie Louis Domingue lost his past four starts. He played one game last week and struggled once again (allowed six goals on 35 shots). Domingue is 1-4-1 with a 4.14 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. He’s allowed three or more goals in five of six games.
• The Wolf Pack have a new captain. Casey Fitzgerald received the “C” prior to the game against Syracuse on Wednesday. Alex Belzile and Anton Blidh are the alternate captains.
• Bryce McConnell-Barker recorded his first pro goal in Hartford’s 2-1 win over Syracuse.

Upcoming Games

All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.

Friday, November 15th vs Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 7pm, XL Center

• This is the first of eight meetings in the season series. The clubs met in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season in the first round, when the Wolf Pack defeated the Checkers 2-1 in a best-of-three series.
• Entering the week, Charlotte is 7-2-0-1 for 15 points. They are third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Checkers are 3-0-0-1 on the road.
• Forward Kyle Criscuolo leads the Checkers with 13 points (five goals, eight assists). Aidan McDonough is second with 12 points (nine goals, three assists).

Saturday, November 16th vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 6pm, XL Center

• This is the second of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford dropped the first decision by a score of 4-2 last Sunday.
• Entering the week, Providence is 6-6-0-0 for 12 points. They are fifth in the Atlantic Division and tenth in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins won three straight and are 3-2 in the last five games.
• Forwards Vinni Lettieri (seven goals, four assists) and Georgii Merkulov (two goals, nine assists) are tied for the team lead in points with 11 apiece. Former Rangers and Wolf Pack forward Tyler Pitlick has one goal and one assist against Hartford this season.

The Rangers also assigned goalie Talyn Boyko to Hartford on Friday.

The moves leave the Rangers with 43 players in training camp entering their final three preseason games. They visit the New Jersey Devils on Monday night in the opener of a home-and-home series that concludes Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, then close their preseason with a game against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Friday.

The Rangers begin the regular season on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 9.

Harpur might be the most familiar name — and perhaps biggest surprise — of those players placed on waivers and sent down. The 29-year-old defenseman has played parts of seven seasons in the NHL and skated in 42 games with New York in 2022-23, finishing with six points (one goal, five assists), while averaging 14:04 of ice time in a bottom-pair role after joining the team as a free agent in October 2022.

Harpur missed almost all of last season with a pectoral muscle injury that required surgery, playing just seven games for Hartford. The Rangers recalled him from Hartford during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he did not see action.

He dressed for one of the Rangers’ three preseason games, playing 20:33 and finishing minus-1 in the 6-4 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

This move is a bit of a surprise considering the Rangers are deciding how to fill the void on their defense corps created by the lower-body injury sustained by Ryan Lindgren against the Islanders. Harpur has NHL experience and is a left shot like Lindgren. This moves leaves lefty Connor Mackey and right-hand shots Chad Ruhwedel and Victor Mancini as the the main candidates remaining in camp.

In all, Harpur has 21 points (two goals, 19 assists) in 198 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators and the Rangers.

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from 5-2 preseason win against Bruins

Rangers place Harpur, Leschyshyn, Belzile on waivers

Leschyshyn, son of longtime NHL defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn, played one game with the Rangers last season, seeing 6:28 of ice time against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 11, 2024. That was one year to the day after he was claimed by the Rangers on waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights, who selected him in the second round (No. 62) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He spent the rest of the season with Hartford, finishing with 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 47 games. He also led the Wolf Pack with five goals in 10 Calder Cup Playoff games.

The 25-year-old was scoreless, averaged 10:55 of ice time and went minus-3 in two preseason games for the Rangers; he didn’t dress for their 5-2 win against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

Leschyshyn has six points (two goals, four assists) in 77 NHL games with Vegas and New York; all of his points came in 2021-22, his first NHL season, when he played 41 games for the Golden Knights.

Belzile, an undrafted free agent who spent three seasons shuttling between the Montreal Canadiens and their AHL affiliate in Laval, Quebec, before signing with the Rangers as a free agent on July 1, 2023, led Hartford in scoring last season with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) in 61 games. He had three points (one goal, two assists) in 10 playoff games.

The 33-year-old had the game-winning goal in the Rangers’ preseason opener, a 3-2 road win against the Bruins on Sunday.

Belzile is a testament to the power of never giving up – he was in his ninth season in the minor leagues before making his NHL debut with the Canadiens in 2020-21. All of his NHL scoring totals (14 points; six goals, eight assists) came in 2022-23, when he played 31 of his 44 NHL games.

Boyko, the Rangers’ fourth-round choice (No. 112) in the 2021 draft, turned pro last year and spent the 2023-24 season with Cincinnati of the ECHL, going 13-9-1 with a 3.42 goals-against average and a save percentage of .888.

Breakdown of the 43 remaining players in Rangers camp

Forwards (26): Brett Berard, Anton Blidh, Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, Jaroslav Chmelar, Filip Chytil, Will Cuylle, Adam Edstrom, Adam Erne, Bo Groulx, Kaapo Kakko, Ryder Korczak, Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafreniere, Bryce McConnell-Barker, Riley Nash, Brennan Othmann, Artemi Panarin, Matt Rempe, Dylan Roobroeck, Reilly Smith, Nate Sucese, Adam Sykora, Vincent Trocheck, Jimmy Vesey, Mika Zibanejad

Defensemen (13): Madison Bowey, Casey Fitzgerald, Adam Fox, Zac Jones, Ryan Lindgren, Connor Mackey, Victor Mancini, K’Andre Miller, Matthew Robertson, Chad Ruhwedel, Brandon Scanlin, Braden Schneider, Jacob Trouba

Goaltenders (4): Louis Domingue, Dylan Garand, Jonathan Quick, Igor Shesterkin

Lindgren was hurt during a first-period fight with New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield in the Rangers’ 6-4 preseason win Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. It’s not known what exactly the injury is. But he left the ice immediately after the fight and did not return.

The 26-year-old defenseman engaged in the fight after Mayfield leveled Rangers center Filip Chytil with a massive open-ice hit less than six minutes into the first period. Lindgren received 17 minutes in penalties — two minutes for instigating, a five-minute major for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct.

“Nobody wants to lose players. It’s never OK,” coach Petter Laviolette said Wednesday. “He’s an important piece to our team, our core, our leadership group. The way he plays the game on the ice, he’s an important part. Those pieces are hard to replace”

Chytil appeared injured on the play and was helped off the ice, favoring his left leg. However, the 25-year-old returned later in the first period and then scored a power-play goal in the third.

“I saw him coming, maybe I could’ve made a better move,” Chytil told reporters. “But I saw him coming, I was ready for the hit, but I was not ready for his knee coming into my leg. This is a hockey play. I didn’t think about anything at all on the ice, even in the locker room and then I saw everything’s better. So I went back and played.”

While thankful Chytil wasn’t injured, the Rangers weren’t so lucky with Lindgren. Nor with Artemi Panarin, who exited the game in the third period with a lower-body injury. He is day to day with the injury.

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from 6-4 preseason win against Islanders

Rangers lose valuable defenseman Ryan Lindgren for ‘at least a few weeks’

The Rangers have two weeks until their regular-season opener in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Oct. 9. In that time, they must figure out how to replace Lindgren on the top defense pairing with his longtime partner Adam Fox. And they’ll have to decide who slides into the starting six and who will be the extra defenseman.

Lindgren, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract this summer and can be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, is a tough and reliable defender, and a top penalty killer. He’s hard to replace because of his grit, his ability and willingness to block shots and to take out opposing forwards.

He blocked 103 shots last season and finished with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 76 games. Lindgren had three assists in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including two in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers.

“It’s training camp right now, so everybody’s an option,” Laviolette explained. “Like the regular season, when one guy goes down, even when it’s not training camp, players in Hartford are doing what they need to do to be the guy that gets their name mentioned.”

Related: Mika Zibanejad ‘excited’ to have Reilly Smith as Rangers linemate

Defenseman options for Rangers

Let’s break down the Rangers options to replace Lindgren next to Fox and in the lineup.

Chad Ruhwedel

Expected to be the seventh defenseman this season, the 34-year-old has 364 games of NHL experience and helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2017. He’s a right-hand shot — Lindgren’s a lefty — but has played the left side before.

Ruhwedel could move into the bottom pairing, with Zac Jones moving up to the second pair and K’Andre Miller graduating to the No. 1 pair with Fox.

If this is how the Rangers go, they wouldn’t be replacing Lindgren in the lineup with a similar gritty defender. That’s not quite Ruhwedel’s game, though Miller surely could be an exciting fit with Fox. It would also be asking a lot for Jones, who’s coming off a three-point (two goals, one assist) game Tuesday against the Islanders but has never been an NHL regular before this season.

At practice Wednesday, Ruhwedel played the left side and paired with Braden Schneider.

If Ruhwedel makes the team as the extra defenseman, that leaves several options to jump into the lineup.

Connor Mackey

If the Rangers want a similar player to Lindgren, Mackey has a good chance to land a lineup spot. The 28-year-old is 6-foot-3, 204 pounds and rugged. He has 75 penalty minutes in 40 NHL games, and got into a rousing fight in his only game with the Rangers on Jan. 27 last season against the Ottawa Senators.

Mackey paired with Fox at practice Wednesday, but is considered a journeyman. Though on the top pair Wednesday, the left-hand shot could slot in any of the three pairs, or make the team as the extra d-man.

Ben Harpur

Just two seasons ago, Harpur was a regular on New York’s third defense pairing — that is until the trade deadline, when Niko Mikkola arrived and took his spot in the lineup. Last season was a lost one for the 29-year-old, who played seven AHL games with Hartford before having season-ending pectoral surgery.

If he makes the team, it’s likely on the third pair or as the seventh defenseman.

He looked rusty against the Islanders but will get a look here the rest of the preseason.

Victor Mancini

The 22-year-old is a rookie pro, likely ticketed to start at Hartford. Yet, he’s turned heads — first at rookie camp and then in the preseason opener, a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins when he played 23+ minutes and had a goal and an assist.

Mancini is big (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and can skate. He’s simply a very good two-way defenseman.

However, he’s right-hand shot. Could he play the left side? Or perhaps break camp as an extra until Lindgren is healthy? We’ll see. He was paired with the left-handed Jones on Wednesday.

Matthew Robertson

He’s a long shot, especially since a lower-body injury has sidelined Robertson day to day. But assuming the 2019 second-round pick can get into some games here in the preseason, he’ll get a look too.

It appears the 23-year-old’s game is coming along and he could be ready to contribute in the NHL finally in his fourth pro season.

He must get healthy first to join this conversation.

Jones was the extra defenseman on the Blueshirts roster last season, but the 23-year-old is expected to move up the pecking order and on to the third pairing in 2024-25 now that Erik Gustafsson left for a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings this offseason.

As things stand, Ben Harpur is in line to challenge Jones to be in the opening-night lineup on the third pair. The 29-year-old had surgery for a torn pectoral muscle last season and played only seven games with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League. The 6-foot-6 defender does have 198 games of NHL experience, though, including 42 with the Rangers in 2022-23.

Schmidt would have been a great option on the back end for the Rangers, but he elected for a very cheap $800,000 one-year deal with the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Brannstrom took a similar route, signing a one-year deal worth $900,000 with the Colorado Avalanche after his contract was bought out by the Ottawa Senators.

Each was an affordable left-shot option to play on New York’s third pair. Schmidt, 32, is far more experienced with 661 NHL games on his resume and could’ve played up in the lineup or on the right side if there was injury or other reasons to do so. Brannstrom is 24, with 266 games of NHL experience — a year older but with significantly more games played than Jones.

It’s unknown if the Rangers engaged with either free agent, or even someone like Adam Boqvist, the 23-year-old defenseman and former No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft who also signed with the Panthers. He was bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets after another injury-marred season but is a slick offensive defenseman, who, like Jones, is still very young.

WATCH: Mollie Walker breaks down the Rangers 2024 offseason in Forever Blueshirts interview

Zac Jones expected to get Rangers opportunity next season

Instead of adding a defenseman, the Rangers are banking heavily on Jones to take the next step and finally become a mainstay on the third pair. While he showed signs of improvement when called on in limited action last season, he has never played in the capacity of a full 82-game season, plus Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Last season, Jones played an NHL career-high 31 games, had two goals and seven assists, and averaged 14:37 of ice time per game. He performed exceptionally well filling in when Adam Fox was injured early in the season and then again later in March when injuries kayoed Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and Gustafsson.

Leaving Jones with no competition would not benefit him nor his game. He needs at least one more player to compete with to ensure that he is really pushing for that sixth spot. That is what will benefit his game the most.

Another thing to consider is injury. If the Rangers lose just one defenseman, Harpur slots into the lineup. If they lose more, who comes next? Do the Rangers call up Connor Mackey or Matthew Robertson? As of right now, this is not a sustainable approach.

“They are so, so thin on D,” New York Post beat reporter Mollie Walker told Forever Blueshirts in a podcast interview this week. “The fact that they qualified Matthew Robertson is all you need to know about how thin they are at D. They don’t have a choice. The kid hasn’t even sniffed an NHL opportunity.”

The list of viable free-agent defenseman is very depleted, topped by Oliver Kylington who likely would be seeking a multi-year deal and more than a League minimum salary, plus a top-four role, after successfully returning from battling mental health issues.

So that means if Rangers general manager Chris Drury wants to provide some competition for Jones, it is going to have to be via a trade. As things stand, the Rangers have roughly $8.1 million in cap space, and still need to re-sign Lindgren, who filed for salary arbitration, and Braden Schneider.

With this in mind, and the rumors surrounding Trouba, the look of New York’s blue line is still very much unknown. While Jones is in a great spot, and primed to take the position of sixth defenseman, the Rangers still need more depth at the position.

When compared to the Jacob Trouba trade/no trade saga or the quest to find a right wing to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, these other question marks at the bottom of the defense corps are relatively minor.

In fact, when considering just their group of defensemen, the Trouba situation is at the top of Rangers concerns. That’s followed by working out a contract with restricted free agent defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who filed for salary arbitration Friday. Next on the list is hammering out an easier deal with restricted free agent defenseman Braden Schneider, who should land an affordable bridge contract.

Then there’s filling Gustafsson’s spot in the lineup on the third pair and on the roster. Though it was pretty much a given that the Rangers would let Gustafsson walk after this past season, it should be noted that the Rangers got their money’s worth out of the 32-year-old.

Gustafsson signed a one-year contract last offseason to reunite with his former coach Peter Laviolette, this time in New York. At $825,00, Gustafsson had 31 points (six goals, 25 assists) averaging 17:23 in ice time over 76 regular-season games last season. He then played all 16 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and had three assists.

Erik Gustafsson makes it two ✌️ pic.twitter.com/J2IQR3R2tn

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 12, 2024

There’s no doubt his production slipped as the season progressed. In fact, Gustafsson was at his best when he moved up the lineup to replace the injured Adam Fox for 10 games in November. He had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in those 10 games, playing on the top pair and No. 1 power-play unit.

Still, Gustafsson was a solid value signing for New York.

But it’d appear the Rangers had an in-house candidate in mind to replace him on the bottom pair next season, though his roster spot will be up for grabs at training camp.

Related: Former Rangers forwards reunite with Red Wings

Rangers options to replace Erik Gustafsson after defenseman signs with Red Wings

Let’s take a look at how the Rangers can replace Gustafsson in the lineup and on the roster in 2024-25.

Zac Jones

The Rangers have a young third-pair option in place to take Gustafsson’s lineup spot next season. Zac Jones appears ready for the opportunity and certainly is champing at the bit for consistent playing time.

The 23-year-old did play in an NHL career-high 31 games last season, spending the entire year on the Rangers roster. He played well early in the season when Fox missed 10 games but really excelled in March when his playing time spiked when Trouba, Lindgren and Gustafsson were injured.

Jones is not big (5-foot-10, 176 pounds) but he moves the puck quickly and efficiently, and is a smart player. He had two goals and nine points in 2023-24 and would appear to have much more upside offensively.

The youngster needs work in the defensive end and it’s fair to question how he would’ve handled the heavy forecheck from the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, for example.

But he’s the clear favorite to replace Gustafsson in the lineup and get his first opportunity for consistent playing time in the NHL. Especially after the Rangers did not sign an affordable, more experienced defenseman (Nate Schmidt, Erik Brannstrom for example) to compete with Jones for playing time in camp and once the season starts.

Ben Harpur

It’s easy to forget that Ben Harpur remains in the Rangers organization after the veteran defenseman missed most of last season with a pectoral injury that required surgery in November.

The 29-year-old has one season remaining on his contract with a salary-cap hit of only $787,500. So, that right away makes him an intriguing fit to fill the 6th/7th defenseman role in New York. Plus his size (6-foot-6, 230 pounds) and experience (198 NHL games) makes him an option to battle Jones for playing time.

There is a world where Jones and Harpur make the Rangers out of camp, with the youngster getting more playing time and Harpur stepping in as needed, particularly against more rugged opposition.

Harpur played 42 games for the Rangers in 2022-23 and held his own playing regularly from mid-December on, especially when Lindgren was sidelined for an extended stretch with an upper-body injury. He doesn’t do anything fancy but a healthy Harpur could capably fill the 6th/7th defenseman role next season.

Casey Fitzgerald

The Rangers did sign one free-agent defenseman so far this summer. Casey Fitzgerald comes to New York on a two-year contract that carries a $775,000 cap hit. The 27-year-old also brings 63 games of NHL experience with the Buffalo Sabres and Panthers, and did play two games for Florida during the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

#NYR have agreed to terms with defenseman Casey Fitzgerald on a two-year contract and with forward Bo Groulx on a one-year deal.

Full details: https://t.co/i2WQ2apLlI pic.twitter.com/XNcS8yKrU4

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 2, 2024

The son of New Jersey Devils general manager, and former NHL forward, Tom Fitzgerald isn’t big (5-foot-11, 183 pounds) and is a right shot, so he might not be the perfect fit for the 6th/7th role. But he was signed to compete for that spot, so this will be an important training camp for him.

At worst, the Rangers added a good defenseman that can lead youngsters like Victor Mancini and Matthew Robertson at Hartford in the American Hockey League.

Connor Mackey and Brandon Scanlin

Grouping Connor Mackey and Brandon Scanlin makes sense since each played one game for the Rangers last season and also were important defensemen in Hartford.

Mackey is older (27 to 25) and has 40 games of NHL experience with the Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and Rangers. Scanlin made his NHL debut with the Rangers on March 26 against the Philadelphia Flyers and was solid in Hartford, with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) and a plus-4 in 64 games.

Connor Mackey vs Brady Tkachuk from the New York Rangers at Ottawa Senators game on Jan 27, 2024https://t.co/eYzJRkDcL0

— HockeyFights.com (@hockeyfights) January 28, 2024

Each defenseman is big — Mackey is 6-foot-3, 204 pounds and Scanlin is 6-4, 218 — and a left shot, making them good fits behind Jones. It would likely take a lot to happen for one of these blueliners to crack the opening-night roster with the Blueshirts, but they’ll be in the mix during training camp.

Adam Boqvist

Adam Boqvist remains an unrestricted free agent after the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t extend him a qualifying offer. The 23-year-old has 209 games of NHL experience and was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.

The rub here is that Boqvist always seems to be injured, including last season when he was limited to 35 games. But he has skill, producing 22 points in 52 games in the 2021-22 season and 24 points in 46 games the following season.

He’s a right-hand shot but could be worth taking a flyer on if the Rangers are convinced he’s healthy and would sign a contract under $1 million for next season.

Since joining the lineup on December 15, he’s been a steady partner for Braden Schneider and someone head coach Gerard Gallant trusts to put out there.

“He’s a big guy and makes people think when he’s on the ice,” Gallant said. “He’s earned a well deserved contract. He’s playing safe, smart, hard, and not flashy. I think our team’s played really well since he’s been in our lineup. I’m not putting that all on him but the make up with a guy like that on the backend, he’s physical when he has to be.”

Gallant is right to say that Harpur isn’t the main reason why the Rangers have turned it around, but a little credit is deserved. The Blueshirts are 11-4-3 and have allowed the third fewest goals against per game (2.23) since he took over the third pair left defense spot.

Ben Harpur’s extension and Rangers plans

The best part about Harpur’s extension is that it’s a complete low-risk and high-reward deal. If his game regresses, the Rangers can bury his entire cap hit in the minors without issue. In the near term, it lessens the need for the Rangers to ship out valuable assets for a rental defenseman.

There was plenty of speculation that the Rangers were targeting Blue Jackets left defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, especially since his cap hit is only $2.7M AAV. However, per Elliotte Friedman he believes Columbus wants a first and third-round pick for him. That’s way too much, and GM Chris Drury would be better suited using one of their two first-round pick on either top six forward Patrick Kane or Vladimir Tarasenko.

Prior to Harpur signing his extension, a trusted source told me that his play reduced the Rangers need to address that hole at the deadline but that doesn’t mean they won’t add a depth piece. Last season, they went out and acquired Justin Braun for that purpose. This year, they are likely to go after someone similar. Possible targets include Nick Holden from the Senators or Nathan Beaulieu of the Ducks.

How Ben Harpur impacts the longterm future

One of the perceived drawbacks of Harpur’s extension is that he’s blocking the path of more talented prospects. That’s not really the case.

Matter of fact, I’d argue that Harpur’s contract is even more important to the future of the Rangers blue-line than you can imagine. Especially when you realize that K’ Andre Miller needs a new contract this summer.

Per Cap Friendly, the Rangers defense currently amounts to $23.9M against the cap. Next season, assuming Miller nets an AAV of around $5M, it will be close to $29M.

2023-24 NYR Defense

• Adam Fox $9.5M
• Jacob Trouba $8M
• K’ Andre Miller $5M (projected new contract)
• Ryan Lindgren $3M
• Braden Schneider $925K
• Ben Harpur $787.5K
• Matthew Robertson $797.5K (projected to make team)

Just to provide some context, the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche blue-line is near $30M this season.

Of course, from a development standpoint it would’ve been nice to see Zac Jones claim that role. Unfortunately, he was often indecisive leading to far too many zone coverage issues and turnovers. Same can be said for Libor Hajek, who’s been unable to carve out a steady role since being included in the Ryan McDonagh trade in 2018.

Both those players are pending restricted free agents, and will be made available at the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline on March 3. Jones was just named to the AHL All-Star Game and should be a fairly sought after commodity.

Ultimately, the Rangers have always been hopeful that Matthew Robertson would eventually assume the role as Schneider’s partner for years to come. The 21 year-old was taken in the second-round of the 2019 Draft and is still on his ELC for next season.

The plan is for him to compete with Harpur in training camp for that spot and be given every opportunity to take it. Should he falter, the Rangers are in good hands with the 28 year-old veteran.

“Being under contract for the next two-years is nice,” Harpur said. “I’m super happy to be here. The guys have made it real easy. For the [Rangers] to reach out and want to get something done speaks to their future plans.”

NHL News and Rumors

NHL Recaps. All the latest scores here.

Devils serious players for Timo Meier trade. Read more.

Ryan O’Reilly open to discount to stay with Blues. Read more.

Gary Bettman claims there’s no tanking in the NHL. Read more.

Update: Per CapFriendly AAV is $787,500.

Harpur, 28, has meshed nicely with sophomore defenseman Braden Schneider while registering three points in 18 games since being called up from the Wolf Pack. Per the Rangers press release, New York is 11-4-3 and have allowed the third fewest goals against per game (2.23) since he debuted on December 15.

The 6-6, 231 pound defender was taken by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth-round of the 2013 Draft. He played parts of six seasons with the Sens and the Nashville Predators before joining the Rangers organization on a PTO this season.

Rangers extend Ben Harpur

From the moment Harpur took to the ice with the Rangers, he’s done nothing but impress.

“Steady, steady, steady,” Gallant said. “Comes up, he’s a big-bodied guy with a good stick and he’s played really well.”

You know who else on the #NYR is earning himself an extension? Ben Harpur. Low key great addition.

— Forever Blueshirts (@4EverBlueshirts) January 4, 2023

Prior to his call up, he played in 17 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL and registered 5 points. More importantly, Harpur earned high praise from his coaches leading to his quick rise up the depth charts.

The veteran defenseman’s journey to this extension is an interesting one considering he spurned the Blueshirts for the Columbus Blue Jackets to sign a PTO back in September. He was cut and took a second chance by signing a PTO with the Wolf Pack.

Harpur then put his head down and went to work earning today’s payoff.

“Yeah, I’m happy to be here, and hopefully I can get settled and get a place and get out of the hotel,’’ Harpur told Newsday earlier this month. “I’ve pretty much lived in a hotel since September, since I went to camp in Columbus. It’s tough living that way.’’

NHL News and Rumors

NHL Recaps. All the latest scores here.

Ryan O’Reilly open to discount to stay with Blues. Read more.

Gary Bettman claims there’s no tanking in the NHL. Read more.

NHL Rumors: Tarasenko, Karlsson, and Meier. Read more.

Facing a Boston Bruins team that played the night before, the Rangers had a coverage lapse less than two minutes in which had them chasing the rest of the game.

“I thought we played a good game for 55 out of the 60,” Gerard Gallant lamented. “Then we played real bad and gave up goals that shouldn’t happen… Again, we give up those easy goals and you can’t do that. And they’re not goaltending easy goals, they’re defensive zone and odd man rushes.”

New York Rangers fall to Bruins

This was certainly a better effort than the 5-2 loss against the Bruins at the Garden on November 3. At the time, the Rangers were meandering around .500 to start the season, but coming into this contest they’ve been on a good roll with 14 wins since December 3.

Boston got on the board just 79 seconds into the game after a turnover led to David Pastrnak’s point shot being deflected by an uncovered Pavel Zacha.

The goal immediately changed the mood for the home crowd, but an impressive 5 on 3 penalty kill got them back into. Unfortunately, the Rangers failed to build off the momentum and struggled to generate many high danger chances as the Bruins kept them to the outside.

In the second period, another Rangers turnover near the the offensive blue line started an odd man rush the other way. Brad Marchand connected with Patrice Bergeron, who snapped a wrist shot over Igor Shesterkin for a 2-0 lead.

Again, the Rangers power play failed them with an 0-3 night. When they did get a great opportunity, Jeremy Swayman was there to make the big saves.

Any hopes of a comeback were dashed 28 seconds into the third period. Marchand capitalized on yet another odd man rush by finding Connor Clifton near the net for an easy goal.

“They’re a good team and play a good game,” Jacob Trouba said. “They don’t cheat the game.”

Defenseman Ben Harpur broke the shutout with 4:23 remaining by whipping a shot from the boards as Filip Chytil provided the screen.

FIRST GOAL as a RANGER!! HARPUR!! 

NYR down 3-1 pic.twitter.com/v3YrkSEq8A

— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) January 20, 2023

Shesterkin made 24 saves in the losing effort as the Rangers are now 14-4-2 in their last 20 games.

“We could probably learn a thing or two from what they did,” Mika Zibanejad said. “We’ll learn from this and move on… We’ve got to keep playing our game and progressing every day.”

The Rangers are now off for three days before taking on the Florida Panthers at the Garden on Monday night.

NHL News and Rumors

NHL Recaps. All the latest scores here.

NHL Rumors: Metro Division Buyers and Sellers. Read more.

NHL Rumors: Central Division Buyers and Sellers. Read more.

NHL Rumors: Atlantic Division Buyers and Sellers. Read more.