Report: Brendan Lemieux asked for trade

Larry Brooks is reporting that the 25 year-old forward through his agent, Claude Lemieux asked for a trade. Brendan was seeking more playing time as he became a staple on the 4th line this season with no opportunity to move up.

The Post has learned that in dealing Brendan Lemieux to the Kings for a fourth-round draft choice last Saturday, the Rangers were also accommodating a request by the left winger’s camp that he be moved to a team on which he might gain a more meaningful role.

Larry Brooks

Brendan Lemieux has yet to play a game for the Kings.

Is there any interest in Tony DeAngelo?

It wasn’t too long ago that Darren Dreger cited four teams were interested in Tony DeAngelo after he was placed on waivers. Furthermore; the expectation was the trade could happen within days. That never came to fruition and since then; DeAngelo has lobbied to be loaned to AHL team. The Rangers were open to it but he wasn’t welcome to play for the Wolf Pack, New York’s AHL affiliate. No other team took him up on the offer.

Now DeAngelo’s name remains on TSN’s Trade Bait Board but it is all the way down at the bottom (30th). When the list debuted on March 1st, he was at #3 overall. There’s been absolutely no word out there as to interest in the defenseman and it is very likely he will be bought out this summer.

Things of course could change as the deadline draws closer; but the Rangers are not willing to eat any of his salary to facilitate a deal.

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Breaking down why the Rangers traded Lemieux

In the team’s first game since the trade, Phil Di Giuseppe was inserted into Lemieux’s spot on the 4th line. Next up will be Brett Howden as he comes off the COVID list. The question will be who would come out for him if he’s inserted into the lineup? Kevin Rooney appears to have cemented the 4th line center spot, and how do you scratch Colin Blackwell after his two goal performance against the Capitals yesterday? Simply put you don’t. I expect Howden to be a healthy scratch when he comes back.

Let’s just quickly summarize why Lemieux was traded:

• Carrying three goalies for fear that Keith Kinkaid will be claimed off waivers
• Players returning from COVID list (Brett Howden, Phil Di Giuseppe)
• The pending move of Vitali Kravtsov from Taxi to Roster (someone was going to have to go through waivers)
• Brendan Lemieux being lost for nothing in the expansion draft

As you can see, this isn’t rocket science and I probably should have analyzed the roster to realize this was coming. The Rangers have 22 of 23 roster spots full and can add Vitali Kravtsov without potentially losing someone to waivers after trading Lemieux.

Need to make room for Morgan Barron

Forever Blueshirts also learned that the Rangers expect tp promote prized prospect Morgan Barron from the AHL to the roster later this season. The 22 year-old winger/center is playing extremely well in Hartford. In 12 games this season he has 7 goals and 10 points with a +5 rating.

Among AHL rookies his 7 goals ties him for second and his four power play goals are tied for fourth among all AHLers. Barron has also been a consistent scorer for the Wolf Pack with points in nine of the 12 games they’ve played so far this season.

With all this under consideration, you can see that regardless of playoff standings the Blueshirts are likely to make more moves before the trade deadline. Defenseman Brendan Smith has also been added to our NHL Trade Bait Tracker. He’s a possible trade to make room for Barron. If the Rangers want to also recall Tarmo Reunanen, expect another move as well.

Rangers vs Flyers: Philadephia responds to Rangers blowouts

What did people expect, that Alain Vigneault would let his team roll over and die again against the Rangers? He had his team prepared but a penalty by Travis Konecny led to another Mika Zibanejad goal. The Blueshirts would skate out the first period with a 1-0 lead after Igor Shesterkin stopped all 17 shots hurled his way.

Unfortunately, the Rangers goalie could not stop two of the final 20 he saw the rest of the way. Nolan Patrick would tie it in the second on the power play and Samuel Morin used a screen in the third for the winner. It wasn’t a spectacular goal since he just threw it at the net with traffic. Shesterkin didn’t see it and that was the game.

“That was a hungry and desperate team obviously,” Zibanejad said. “They came out hot in the beginning. I thought they were throwing pucks on net, they were spreading us in our own zone. … We didn’t do a good enough job to get the pucks behind them and try to outwork them. They were good today, but we didn’t really come up to our level.”

A step back and look at recent Rangers play shows the team is playing very well. They are 5-2-1 in their last 8 games with a home game against the Capitals tomorrow.

Roster jam forces trade of Brendan Lemieux

Brendan Lemieux was traded to the L.A. Kings for a fourth round pick. There’s some whispers that Vitali Kravtsov could make his debut with the club tomorrow, but the Rangers needed to make room for other players too. With Phil Di Giuseppe off the COVID list and Brett Howden soon to follow there’s a log jam.

Forever Blueshirts has also learned that Morgan Barron will eventually get a call up this season. The winger who is also being tried at center is performing very well in Hartford. His time is coming soon.

PRESS RELEASE:

NEW YORK, March 27, 2021 – The New York Rangers announced today that the team has acquired a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Brendan Lemieux. The pick the Blueshirts acquired is Los Angeles’ own fourth-round pick.

The Rangers now have nine picks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, including six picks in the first four rounds and three picks in the fourth round. 

Lemieux skated in 109 games with the Rangers over parts of three seasons (2018-19 – 2020-21), registering 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points, along with 214 penalty minutes.

Related: Rangers trade Brendan Lemieux

Post Game Notes:

• The Rangers were 1-for-4 on the power play in today’s contest. The Blueshirts have recorded at least one power play goal in each of the last three games (6-for-12; 50.0%) and in five of the last six games (8-for-22; 36.4% over the span). 
• Mika Zibanejad tallied a power play goal, drew the penalty that led to the power play goal, tied for the team-high with three shots on goal, registered three blocked shots, and was credited with three hits in 22:58 of ice time.
•  Adam Fox tallied a power play assist, tied for the team-high with three shots on goal, led all skaters with four blocked shots, and drew a penalty while skating in a team-high 25:28 of ice time. Fox extended his assist/point streak to six games (one goal, 11 assists over the span).
• Ryan Strome recorded a power play assist and registered two shots on goal. He extended his point streak to eight games (two goals, 11 assists over the span) and his assist streak to seven games. Strome’s seven-game assist streak is a career-high and his eight-game point streak is tied for his career-high.

Next Game: Tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 28 at Washington (12:00 p.m. ET – TV: NBC)

Notes courtesy NYR

Brendan Lemieux traded to LA

The Rangers may be making room for not only Vitali Kravtsov but also players like Morgan Barron. Lemieux was signed this summer to a two year deal and was possibly going to have to be exposed to the Seattle Kraken in expansion.

Lemieux has 7 points in 30 games on the season. The 25 year-old left wing has 59 penalty minutes and play a rugged but sometimes undisciplined game.

Update: Lemieux for L.A.’s fourth round pick.

For More Read: Roster logjam forces trade of Brendan Lemieux

Playing a heavy game was a key for the Rangers

The Bruins play a heavy style of hockey that combined with their skill and speed, makes them a tough team to play against. On Friday, the Rangers met that level of physicality. They came out with a sense of urgency and delivered some big hits. Most notably, Ryan Lindgren’s hit on David Pastrnak.

The Rangers were credited with 32 hits total for the game. They were able to emerge victorious by a score of 6-2 by playing that heavy game and bringing an intensity level that the Bruins may not have necessarily been expecting.

On Sunday, the Bruins came out with much more energy. The Rangers were unable to match the Bruins’ energy level or the one the Rangers themselves had brought to the previous game. They did not abandon the physical game as they were credited with 37 hits, however it was not enough to match the Bruins’ 43.

While the Bruins were skating and making plays, the Rangers appeared to be almost standing still at times. Lindgren was a target for the Bruins considering the impact he had had during the previous match. A big part of Lindgren’s game is physicality. This was something he was kept from doing as effectively on Sunday.

Additionally, he is always game for a fight but not necessarily the best fighter. The Rangers require a solid fighter for success especially in this shortened season where they see the same teams over and over again. The willingness is there in Lindgren and Brendan Lemieux, however concerns lie in Lindgren’s fighting ability and Lemieux’s size.

The question begs to be asked if there’s someone within the organization better equipped to handle those duties. Also, would it even be worth trying to acquire such a player with the direction of the game today.

A clear difference in defense and the power play

The Rangers’ defense has been an element that has shown great improvement from last year. It along with the penalty kill has been a consistent strength for the team this season. But it seemed to falter a bit against the Bruins on Sunday. It’s true they are without Jacob Trouba, however this was not their first game missing him. They appeared slightly out of position at times which led to chances for the Bruins.

K’Andre Miller has been a particularly exciting player to watch on defense this season. He was beaten twice in the first period. He did improve as the game progressed though, using his size and reach to his advantage.

The Rangers’ power play has struggled overall so far this season, however it was starting to get some life. They scored a power play goal on Friday against the Bruins, going one for four. They were also two for eight in the 4-3 loss against the Flyers on Wednesday.

However, they were held to none on Sunday. The Rangers currently rank 27th in the league on the power play at just 14.9%. Mika Zibanejad has looked somewhat unsure of himself on the power play. He’s missing the net more than usual and even fanning on some shots. He has struggled to score so far this season, so one has to wonder where is his confidence level is at. His play in the defensive and neutral zones has been more like what we’re used to seeing from him though.

Picking up the leadership slack with Trouba and Panarin out

The Rangers have two of their four alternate captains out: Jacob Trouba with an injury and Artemi Panarin taking a leave of absence. After the news broke about the Panarin situation, Chris Kreider was asked about it in a press conference and stated that he would not “try to be Artemi Panarin.” He proceeded to record four goals in the next two games and has six in his last five. But he didn’t do this by trying to be Panarin. He played a solid Chris Kreider style of hockey meaning he got in front of the net and was able to get results. This demonstrates leadership.

With Trouba and Panarin out and Zibanejad not producing, the Rangers need someone to be that voice. Kreider has shown through his statements in press conferences that he can be that voice. He has also been able to set an example on the ice with his effort and recent goal production. However, Kreider was not as prominent against the Bruins on Sunday. An effective leader is a consistent one. Therefore, this remains an inconsistency that needs to be sorted out.

Last night against the Sabres, Kreider was skating hard and noticeable all night. Things appear to be going in the right direction, that’s if they can beat the Devils tomorrow.

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Rangers vs. Bruins: Shesterkin excellent except for one mistake

In the second period, Nick Ritchie stayed with the puck and just chipped it over the pad of Shesterkin who failed to hug the post after the initial stop. The 25 year-old has played strong as of late and stopped 29 of 30.

“I let the puck in, I have to be tighter on the post,” Shesterkin said about the only goal. “I will work on this component in practice.”

Currently, Shesterkin has only let in two goals or less in last 5 appearances. Over that time he’s posted a 1.60 GAA with a .944 SV%. Solid numbers and a clear indication that he’s back on track to the level he showed last season.

A valiant effort by Shesterkin, but another where the Rangers offense sputtered and gave him no support. The Blueshirts mustered 10 shot in the opening stanza and then were snuffed out. New York was met by a Bruins brick wall on defense for the second and third periods and only got off 11 more shots for a total of 21.

“I liked how we stood up. We didn’t back down. We kept playing.”

Coach Quinn’s postgame assessment: pic.twitter.com/Kvoqoscxwe

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 13, 2021

Rangers showed a ton of fight in the game

The game had 58 minutes of penalties and saw lots of chippy play from Bruins super-pest Brad Marchand who somehow only received one penalty after spearing Brett Howden in the chest twice.

Jacob Trouba was particularly in a foul mood and amassed 6 minutes in penalties, mostly from rough stuff. The Rangers threw 31 hits in the contest and were led by Trouba’s 7 as he was engaged all night.

Brendan Lemieux tuned up Trent Frederic after a quick conversation on a face-off. Then Pavel Buchnevich, not known for throwing a punch took on Jeremy Lauzon and did fairly well. These two are scheduled to meet at MSG on 2/26 and 2/28.

Trent Frederic was ready to go at Brendan Lemieux again. Legend. 😂#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/LB1Ys6ibwg

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 13, 2021

Post Game Notes

• Each of the Rangers’ last 11 games, and 11 of the team’s 13 games this season, have been decided by two or fewer goals, and eight of those contests have been decided by one goal.
• New York was 4-for-4 (8:00) on the penalty kill in tonight’s contest and held Boston to only six shots on goal over the Bruins’ four power play opportunities. The Rangers have not allowed a power play goal in each of the last six games (21-for-21) and have successfully killed off 24 of their opponents’ 25 power play opportunities over the last seven games (96.0%).

The Rangers will practice today at 12:00 p.m. at the MSG Training Center and will be off tomorrow.

Another practice is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Monday before they play the NJ Devils on Tuesday, February 16.

(7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network)

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Rangers vs Bruins: Panarin hurting

New York outshot Boston 35-32 but had a hard time beating Rask who stopped point blank chances and several breakaways. In particular, he gave Mika Zibanejad fits on a night David Quinn called “his best of the season.

However, more concerning for the Rangers was their leading scorer Artemi Panarin visibly uncomfortable and moving gingerly from the second period on.

He stayed in the game, but coach David Quinn used him sparingly in the third period and dubbed it a lower-body injury. He finished the contest with just 15:34 of TOI and played just 3 shifts for 2:36 in the final period.

It remains to be seen if he will play Friday against the Bruins. Last year he suffered a similar injury and missed one game.

Rangers 4th line got it done

While the Rangers top players were being robbed by Tuukka Rask left and right, their 4th line picked up the team. New York put 35 shots on net but probably passed up 20 more, including Pavel Buchnevich’s poor choice to pass in OT rather than take the open shot. That led to a chip out and breakaway winner by Brad Marchand.

Julien Gauthier's FIRST NHL GOAL! 🚨#NYR strike first on #WNH.

NBC Sports | @NewAmsterdam pic.twitter.com/S7uG0K8FmO

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) February 11, 2021

Julien Gauthier got the Rangers on the board first with a simple hard-nosed play. After the KZB lined over-passed on the shift prior resulting in turning high danger chances into low ones, Gauthier converted from in front off a hard forecheck by Brendan Lemieux.

Then in the third period, they tied it up on a simple deflection of a point shot with traffic in front. This time it was Kevin Rooney who tapped in an easy goal past Rask. Not pretty, just effective. The top guys need to learn this.

If you were wondering how effective they’ve been, those three players have picked up a point in 4 of the last 5 games and combined for 5 goals in that span.

TIE GAME! 🚨

After review the call on the ice stands. #NYR

📺: NBCSN
💻: https://t.co/3Uo6aVVcyk pic.twitter.com/TLmiJ7HNkK

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) February 11, 2021

David Quinn Post Game Presser

David Quinn commented that he was “pissed off at himself” for not playing the 4th line more and noted that he really likes the way Julien Gauthier played the last three games.

As far a Artemi Panarin, he called it an LBI and said that he seemed “OK” after the third period. More to come today or tomorrow on the matter.

“There’s a lot of good things we can draw from that, but obviously things we’re going to have to get better at.” – Coach Quinn pic.twitter.com/VkxBP98na3

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 11, 2021

Post Game Notes

• The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in five of the last six games, dating back to Jan. 28 at Buffalo.
• New York was 2-for-2 (4:00) on the penalty kill in tonight’s contest, held Boston to only three shots on goal over the Bruins’ two power play opportunities, and also recorded three shots on goal while shorthanded.
• Brendan Lemieux tied single-game career-highs with two assists and two points, was credited with three hits, and posted a plus-one rating. 
• Kevin Rooney tallied a goal, tied for the game-high (and led the Rangers) with five hits, and posted a plus-two rating. He has recorded a point in four of the last five games (three goals, one assist over the span).
• K’Andre Miller was credited with four hits and registered three shots on goal in 22:40 of ice time. He has logged at least 19:58 of ice time in each of the last six games and in eight of the last nine contests.
• Kaapo Kakko tied for the game-high (and led the Rangers) with two takeaways while skating in a single-game season-high 19:21 of ice time.

Rangers have a day off today. Their next game is on Friday, Feb. 12 vs. Boston (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG+).

Post Game Notes courtesy NYR

Bob McKenzie’s update on Tony DeAngelo

Teams are talking with both the Rangers and DeAngelo’s agent, here’s the latest.

Mika Zibanejad fell awkwardly into the boards late in the third period and struggled to make it to the bench. He was visibly shaken and could not return in the final minutes as the Ranger pushed to equalize.

No update as to what may have happened to Mika or if there is a lingering concern.

Rangers fall behind early as Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren struggle

The Rangers were down 32 seconds into the game when Travis Zajac scored on what looked like an innocent play. It was a goal Alexandar Georgiev would’ve like to get back, but it was poor defense to blame as well.

Well that was fast Trav 😈@NJDevils #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/YMimK6bA9P

— Devils on MSG (@DevilsMSGN) January 20, 2021

Overall, it looked like Georgiev struggled to track the puck as he gave up 4 goals on 20 shots. Three of those goals came on 10 shots in the 2nd period. Igor Shesterkin relieved him in the third period and stopped all 8 shots he faced.

Speaking of struggles, the Jacob Trouba / Ryan Lindgren pairing which looked dominate just a game ago had a rough go of it. In particular, Ryan Lindgren looked a little lost at times, but none more so then on Jack Hughes first of the night.

Best #1 overall draft pick in the last 2 years, Jack Hughes #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/Th6gfl3CeP

— Devils on MSG (@DevilsMSGN) January 20, 2021

“We gave the puck up too often in the neutral zone and in dangerous areas,” David Quinn said after the game. “It really slowed us down. We weren’t consistent enough in what we have to do to win.”

Brendan Lemieux elevated his stock with a great game

One of the Rangers stand out players tonight was Brendan Lemieux. He hustled all night and played with speed. In the third period he was stopped on a partial breakaway by Blackwood but drew a penalty.

However, it was during the 2nd period that he answered the bell and blocked two blasts by PK Subban. He could barely move after the first shot and had to crawl back to the bench after the second. Kudos to Lemieux tonight.

Brendan Lemieux. Hockey player. pic.twitter.com/jka4j7WIcx

— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) January 20, 2021

Scoring not an issue for the Rangers

The Rangers scored three times tonight, but should’ve had more. That’s the beauty of hockey. The team with the most shots doesn’t always win and usually it’s the other guy in between the pipes that’s the problem.

On the PP tonight, Adam Fox did a wonderful job moving the puck on point and notched two assists. His pass to Mika Zibanejad was an absolute beauty and shows you just how smart of player Fox is.

Mika's first of the year! pic.twitter.com/5HoLtKBDaf

— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) January 20, 2021

The Rangers brought to one goal in the third period on the sheer will and power of Pavel Buchnevich. It was Filip Chytil who scored the goal, but it was Buchnevich who drove the play.

We see you, Buch. 👀 pic.twitter.com/sXHY7KdMNV

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 20, 2021

It’s time to bring back Tony DeAngelo

Jack Johnson once again wasn’t bad but certainly didn’t make a difference. In particular on the PK, where he was behind his man and failed at trying to lift Miles Wood’s stick before the easy in tap in.

Fans will recall that the primary reason Johnson was brought in was to help the PK. The Devils finished 1 for 2 on the man advantage tonight.

Which leads me to Tony DeAngelo.

It’s time for David Quinn to go with his best lineup and scratch Jack Johnson. Slotting Brendan Smith to the left side with Tony DeAngelo gives the Rangers their best defensive set up. It’s time.

Kreider: “We’re going to continue to learn and grow and I’m sure there’s going to be moments of adversity, but we’ve got to find a way to get points, especially in a game like that tonight.” pic.twitter.com/2c79OYW3zS

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 20, 2021

Post Game Notes:

• The Rangers were 2-for-6 (9:43) on the power play in tonight’s game and registered 16 shots on goal over their six power play opportunities. NY has tallied a power play goal in each of the last two games. The Rangers ranked seventh in the NHL in power play efficiency (22.9%) and ranked fourth in the NHL in power play goals (52) last season.
  
• New York was credited with 25 hits in tonight’s contest. The Rangers have registered 20 or more hits in each of the first three games of the 2020-21 season.
  
• Adam Fox tallied two power play assists, led all skaters and established a single-game career-high with six shots on goal, led the Rangers with four blocked shots, tied for the game-high with two takeaways, and led the Rangers with a single-game career-high 25:31 of ice time.
  
• Artemi Panarin registered two power play assists and recorded four shots on goal in 24:42 of ice time. Panarin has tallied 99 points (34 goals, 65 assists) in 72 games since joining the Rangers prior to the start of the 2019-20 season.
  
• Chris Kreider tallied a power play goal, which was his first goal/point of the 2020-21 season, and registered five shots on goal. Kreider established career-highs in goals per game (0.38) and power play goals (nine) last season, and he also tied his career-high in points per game (0.71) in 2019-20. He is now one point away from tying Mark Pavelich for the third-most points by an American-born player in Rangers history, and he is also now two goals away from tying Cecil Dillon for the second-most goals by an American-born player in Rangers history.

Editor’s Note: Post game notes courtesy New York Rangers.

The Blueshirts will practice at the MSG Training Center tomorrow starting at 12:00 PM ET. Followed by another practice at 11:00 AM ET on Thursday.

Rangers next game is at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, January 22. (TV: MSG + 7:00 PM ET)

In the final game of the series, Brendan Lemieux came back from his two game suspension. For over two periods, he hit every Canes sweater in sight and caused chaos at the goalmouth in the offensive zone.

Rangers give Brendan Lemieux a 2 year deal

There was never really a question about the Rangers letting Lemieux walk. What took so long was his place on the arbitration schedule behind Ryan Strome. In the end, Lemieux signed on for two more years and a fair $1.55 AAV.

Lemieux set career highs on many individual statistics before the NHL pause. The 24 year-old fiery winger had 18 points on the season in 59 games. That surpassed his 17 points in 63 games the year before. When it comes to the stats that really matter for a player like Lemieux, he had 164 hits which was second to only Jacob Trouba’s 173.

The in-your-face Lemieux also amassed a personal best 111 penalty minutes including a team leading 5 fighting majors, and didn’t avoid the league’s heavyweights. That was proven when he went mano-a-mano with Caps bruiser, Tom Wilson earlier in the year.

Brendan’s hockey ability allowed David Quinn to use him on the 2nd PP unit in a similar role to Chris Kreider who attracts traffic in front. This was a player the Rangers had to and wanted to bring back. However, now he will have some more help in the grit department now and in the near future.

Rangers add Jack Johnson and Kevin Rooney in free agency

Jeff Gorton played his tight cap space very wisely this offseason in order to sign his RFAs. He gave out a bunch of one year deals with the objective of adding toughness to the organization.

Two signings in particular will provide immediate help for next season in center Kevin Rooney and defenseman Jack Johnson. Both players will kill penalties for the Rangers and both play the game with a physical toughness.

Rooney clocks in at 6-2′ and has no fear of throwing the hands as Chris Kreider can attest. He will be looked at to play 4th line minutes and make life hell on the forecheck for the opposing defensemen.

Johnson is also very big at 6-1′ and a heavy 227 pounds. At age 33 he is expected to play 3rd pair minutes and even sub out against faster opponents. One thing for certain is that he will be one of the more physical blue-liners the Rangers have when dressed.

Rangers drafted toughness for the near future

The Rangers have known they were easy to play against for a few seasons. They started addressing that when they acquired Lemieux in the Kevin Hayes deal. They also went out and traded for Jacob Trouba and gave Ryan Lindgren a real chance to make the lineup.

Jeff Gorton also realized he needed more and went after it hard this offseason. The first blessing was winning the lottery and drafting Alexis Lafreniere who for all his offensive abilities, plays with a mean edge.

From there, the Rangers traded up to draft meanness and skill on defense with Braden Schneider. That wasn’t enough because Gorton then moved his biggest mistake in Lias Andersson in round two to the L.A. Kings and drafted power forward Will Cuylle.

Rangers trying to balance a contender

There’s no doubt that teams that win Stanley Cups have players that get there’s nose’s dirty. Boston has players like Brad Marchand, Washington has Tom Wilson, while St. Louis played hard and heavy throughout the lineup for their championship.

This season’s Cup champs, the Lightning came to the dance with Pat Maroon (also with the Blues Cup team), and Alex Killorn. So you can see the recipe for a winner is to strike that balance, and it looks like the Rangers are doing just that.

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The importance of Brendan Lemieux

The 24 year-old forward is precisely what the Rangers need which was signaled in this last draft. After getting bounced by Carolina in three games, the Rangers were simply too easy to play against. That prompted them to draft two mean players in Braden Schneider and Will Cuylle.

Lemieux was suspended at the pause and it caused him to miss two of the three games. The Rangers were much tougher in game three for two periods thanks to Lemieux’s rough and tumble play but they still fell.

Rangers sign Strome

Rangers also signed Ryan Strome yesterday and this should wrap up the Rangers off season.