That actually sets the Rangers up to be pretty settled with their lineup before others teams that are still scrambling ahead of Friday. They looked the part the past two games (shutout wins against the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders), even following the trade of veterans Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche.

Reilly Smith has been scratched the past two games for roster management reasons. The veteran pending UFA will be dealt before the deadline arrives. If there’s more up general manager Chris Drury’s sleeve, it’d be a surprise.

So, the Rangers are pretty set and now in a pretty, pretty good place as far as the Eastern Conference playoff race stands. The Detroit Red Wings lost their third straight game on Tuesday, 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. That means the Rangers, tied in points with the Red Wings (66) but with one more win (31-30) and three more ROW (30-37), are now the second wild card in the East.

A win against the first-place Washington Capitals at MSG on Wednesday would tie the Rangers in points with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the first wild card, though Columbus will have a game in hand.

Heady stuff for a team that seemed all but out of the race in late December. And you can thank their roster shake up — four significant trades made during the season — for playing a major role in their rebound after the New Year.

Our exclusive one-on-one with former Rangers goalie Martin Biron posts today on You Tube. Subscribe to the Rink Rap podcast at the Forever Blueshirts YouTube page

New York Rangers news

It appears more and more that the reformed Rangers are “buying in” to a new winning formula.

Of course, a big part of that is the impact J.T. Miller has made on the Rangers since being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31.

In case you missed it, here are our three Rangers takeaways from the 4-0 win against the Islanders on Monday, including a block party in front of Igor Shesterkin.

And our new postgame feature listing winners and losers from that Rangers victory over the Islanders

In our weekly look at the Hartford Wolf Pack, we feature insight into two Rangers forward prospects: Jaroslav Chmelar and Dylan Roobroeck. Plus a look at a busy week ahead for Hartford.

NHL news and rumors

Trent Frederic might be injured but that didn’t stop the Edmonton Oilers from dealing for the rugged forward in a swap with the Boston Bruins ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday.

The Bruins just might be toast in the Eastern Conference playoff chase anyway. Captain Brad Marchand is week to week with a lower-body injury and then they lost again Tuesday, 6-3 to the lowly Nashville Predators.

Jake Evans was removed from the trade market ahead of the deadline when he signed a four-year contract worth $2.85 million annually to remain with the Montreal Canadiens.

Attention all contenders seeking a solid two-way center with a Stanley Cup pedigree, the Seattle Kraken activated Yanni Gourde off IR, three days before the trade deadline. He’d been out since Jan. 2 following sports hernia surgery.

The Kraken reportedly are willing to retain up to 50 percent of forward Brandon Tanev’s cap hit ($3.5 million) to facilitate a trade before Friday, with numerous teams interested in the gritty forward.

According to reports, pending UFA Brock Boeser won’t receive a contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the trade deadline but he likely won’t be dealt away either.

Also not likely to be traded is Canucks forward Pius Suter, a UFA whos’ expected to be in the lineup Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks.

One last Canucks note: struggling star center Elias Pettersson said Tuesday he’s not going to “dwell” on his disappointing play this season and instead focus on a strong finish over the final 22 games. He, too, is not expected to be traded before Friday.

Just another brutal night for the freefalling New Jersey Devils. Already playing without injured star Jack Hughes, the Devils lost their top defenseman Dougie Hamilton to a lower-body injury in the first period against the Dallas Stars. To cap it all off, the Devils lost 4-3 when Thomas Harley scored with five seconds remaining in regulation for Dallas.

Watch Harley’s clutch late goal for the Stars.

Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reported that the Islanders began serious trade talks Monday, likely involving veteran forwards Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. Reportedly, the Los Angeles Kings are very interested in Palmieri.

Each forward was in the lineup Tuesday when the Islanders stunned the League-leading Winnipeg Jets 2-1, handing the Jets their third straight defeat.

Victor Hedman and Jake Guentzel each had two goals and an assist to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 6-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who had their four-game winning streak end.

Former Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello had a goal and assist to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 win over the Kraken.

Ryan Lindgren made his debut with the Colorado Avalanche after being traded by the Rangers on Saturday and the defenseman helped lead his new team to a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Guess what, New York Rangers? Nobody in the NHL cares about your issues.

Sympathy? Yeah, right. Not getting any. Not outside the hand-wringing from a rightfully jittery a fan base, that is.

Just look at the teams they’re battling with for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Bruins have missed stud defenseman Hampus Lindholm pretty much all season and he’s not likely to return. Charlie McAvoy has now joined Lindholm on the sidelines. The Ottawa Senators? They haven’t made the playoffs the past seven seasons and are without three key forwards, including dynamic captain Brady Tkachuk. It’s been eight straight years out of the postseason for the Detroit Red Wings, who just lost key depth forward Andrew Copp for the rest of the season.

And listen, there’s always the Columbus Blue Jackets. Until the other night, they played all season without captain Boone Jenner and for a long stretch without Sean Monahan and some without Kirill Marchenko. All of this after Johnny Gaudreau was tragically killed in a biking accident last summer.

So, no, no one around the League really cares that the Rangers are scrambling a bit here ahead of the March 7 trade deadline because they could be missing their top two defensemen — sub-optimal for any team, much less a defensively challenged one like the Blueshirts.

Time for Zac Jones to prove he’s worth the opportunity that presents itself. Time for Chris Drury to fortify the roster if there’s a long-term issue here that needs to be addressed with the Fox and Miller absences. Time for the Rangers to actually compete for 60 minutes every night, even with a depleted lineup — something they’ve failed to do even when completely healthy much of this season.

A Miller update should come Thursday, along with practice. Then the Rangers host the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. It’s time to see what these Rangers are made of.

Subscribe to the Rink Rap podcast at the Forever Blueshirts YouTube page

New York Rangers news

Here’s the latest about Fox being placed on IR by the Rangers, and Matthew Robertson recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League.

No matter the injury status of Fox and Miller, our Tom Castro contends that the Rangers should approach the NHL Trade Deadline with an eye focused on the near future and not so much hoping on a Stanley Cup run this spring.

Here are our three Rangers takeaways from the 5-1 win against the Islanders on Tuesday, including solid contributions from the new look fourth line of Jonny Brodzinski, Matt Rempe and Brennan Othmann.

Speaking of the fourth line, they drew praise for playing a “smart game” for the Rangers on Tuesday.

NHL news

The Islanders expect that top defenseman Noah Dobson will return Thursday against the Boston Bruins after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury.

Brock Boeser called contract negotiations with the Vancouver Canucks “frustrating.” The pending UFA forward could be traded ahead of the March 7 deadline.

Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill shot down rumors that they would trade for Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Speaking of the spiraling Penguins, they placed veteran forward Matt Nieto on waivers.

Travis Dermott is back with the Edmonton Oilers. They claimed him off waivers from the Minnesota Wild, after losing him the same way to the Wild earlier in the season.

Chris Tanev likely won’t play against the Rangers on Friday. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman is day to day with an upper-body injury.

Roman Josi is not expected to play Thursday when the Nashville Predators face off against the Winnipeg Jets. The Predators’ captain is day to day with an upper-body injury sustained when checked from behind by Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

The Jets extended their franchise-record winning streak to 11 games, defeating the Ottawa Senators 4-1. Ottawa has lost five in a row.

Valeri Nichushkin had five shots on goal and logged 17:46 TOI for the Colorado Avalanche, playing his first game in two months after a lower-body injury. The Avalanche hammered the New Jersey Devils 5-1.

Quinn Hughes returned from injury and had an assist on the game-winning goal when the Canucks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in overtime.

Watch Conor Garland score at 4:26 of OT to lift the Canucks to a much-needed win.

It’s the Final that the NHL wanted all along. And it comes in hot, five days after Team USA won a thrilling and engaging 3-1 prelim game against Canada in Montreal last Saturday.

We’ll see if there’s a spot for Chris Kreider in the U.S. lineup. But Adam Fox, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck will represent the Rangers on Team USA, in what should be an intense contest in front of a pro-U.S. crowd Thursday.

And back in New York, the Rangers will ramp up their practice intensity, two days out from returning to game action against the Buffalo Sabres.

Let’s see if Igor Shesterkin will take part in the full practice or not. That could give us insight as to to whether he’ll start Saturday or remain sidelined with an upper-body injury.

Subscribe to the Rink Rap podcast at the Forever Blueshirts YouTube page

New York Rangers news

Our Rangers notebook included Igor Shesterkin participating in part of practice and Peter Laviolette not shedding light on Brennan Othmann receiving NHL opportunity any time soon.

Former Rangers general manager Neil Smith told Forever Blueshirts that he’s confident the Blueshirts will make the playoffs this season, but explained why he doesn’t believe they’ll go very far this spring.

Speaking of Neil Smith, he joined the Rink Rap podcast this week to discuss the current state of the Rangers, the NHL Trade Deadline, and the 4 Nations Face-Off. He also shared a bunch of stories, including which trade he’d like a mulligan on from his tenure as Rangers GM.

J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider shared their takes on the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off championship game between the United States and Canada.

John Kreiser hands out report cards for each of the six Rangers players who participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off, ahead of the championship game Thursday.

NHL news

Mike Lange, one of the true legends of NHL broadcasters and a true friend of Forever Blueshirts, died Wednesday at 76. Lange called each of the five Stanley Cup championships for the Pittsburgh Penguins over his distinguished 46-year career.

Seth Jones said he has not requested a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks, but the defenseman has discussed the possibility with general manager Kyle Davidson.

Here’s a breakdown of top defensemen who could be dealt prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7.

Brock Boeser spoke with reporters and said there’s no update on contract talks with the Vancouver Canucks nor a possible trade ahead of the deadline.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are hopeful that captain Boone Jenner will be cleared to play his first game of the season Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks after missing the first five months following shoulder surgery. The Blue Jackets could also get top goal scorer Kirill Marchenko and defenseman Dante Fabbro back from injuries, as well.

Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry looks set to return to the lineup Saturday against the St. Louis Blues after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.

Former Rangers center Alex Wennberg declared himself healthy and ready to return for the San Jose Sharks when they play the Calgary Flames on Sunday. He missed the past four games with an upper-body injury.

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin said that he has no plans of playing in Russia once his NHL career ends (his contract runs through 2025-26). He said he plans to retire as a Pittsburgh Penguin.

Brett Pesce of the New Jersey Devils and Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres were invited to Boston by Team USA as possible replacement players if the U.S. falls below the minimum amount of eligible players due to injury or illness for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Canada.

The United States expects each of its three banged up forwards — Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk — to play Thursday against Canada in the 4 Nations Final.

Kevin Weekes reported that the NHL recently met with a group looking to bring an NHL expansion franchise to New Orleans.

The Rangers return to game action Saturday against the Sabres in Buffalo and then are right back at it Sunday, traveling to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins. That means at least four Rangers –and maximum five — will participate in the 4 Nations championship game Thursday, rejoin the Blueshirts Friday and then jump right back into the NHL schedule with back-to-back games on the weekend.

Those players could bring the high-level and intensity from this tournament into their Rangers return, or they could have somewhat of a letdown. Either way, it bears watching. Coming out of the gates against two lesser teams in the Eastern Conference doesn’t hurt, but guarantees nothing for the Rangers.

Heading into Monday’s clash against the United States, Mika Zibanejad has had an impactful tournament for Sweden. He’s been one of their top players and probably should have more goals than just one so far.

It’s been a pretty quiet first two games for Adam Fox with Team USA. He hasn’t been a standout, though good defensively on a talented U.S. squad. J.T. Miller hasn’t recorded a point but has excelled all over the ice and been a physical force. Vincent Trocheck’s been quietly effective, so far, for the U.S. Chris Kreider hasn’t played yet, but likely will Monday against Sweden.

Urho Vaakanainen’s played some important minutes on Finland’s blue line.

As long as each comes back to the Rangers healthy, it’s hard to call this tournament anything but a success from the Blueshirts point of view.

But let’s see what transpires Monday. Finland skates against Canada in the afternoon, and Team USA plays Sweden at night, as the tournament shifts to TD Garden in Boston. We will know after Monday, which country will play the United States in the Final and which two are headed home.

Subscribe to the Rink Rap podcast at the Forever Blueshirts YouTube page

New York Rangers news

After being a healthy scratch the first two games, here’s why Chris Kreider will very likely make his 4 Nations debut for the United States on Monday.

So, it appears J.T. Miller and the Tkachuk brothers strategized about how to ambush Canada and set the tone for the United States in a 3-1 win Saturday.

Good for ex-Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko, who played a strong game for Finland in an overtime win against Sweden after being a healthy scratch in their 4 Nations opener.

The NHL announced its quarter century team for the United States, and it featured Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and goalie Jonathan Quick — though Quick was selected almost exclusively for his body of work with the Los Angeles Kings.

NHL news

Cale Makar vowed to do everything in his power to play for Canada on Monday against Finland. He missed the loss to Team USA because of an illness.

Coming off an overtime win Saturday, Finland will once again start Kevin Lankinen in goal. Juuse Saros allowed six goals in their first game, a 6-1 loss to the United States.

Canada coach Jon Cooper has not publicly said who will start in goal for Canada on Monday, though it’s expected Jordan Binnington will make his third straight start. The other options are Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault.

Matthew Tkachuk was still being evaluated Sunday for a lower-body injury sustained in the win against Canada. All signs point to him not playing Monday, giving Chris Kreider a chance to get into a game.

From the LOL department: former NHL star Keith Tkachuk says his sons Matthew and Brady are “lunatics,” only in the most loving way, of course.

Apparently it’s not sitting well with some that the Vancouver Canucks signed defenseman Marcus Pettersson to a long-term extension shortly after acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but have yet to sign pending UFA Brock Boeser.

It’s possible the Penguins could try to extend defenseman Matt Grzelcyk instead of trading the pending UFA ahead of the March 7 deadline.

OK, yes, it’s the Islanders, but a good job by their social media team asking several players — like captain Anders Lee, veteran Brock Nelson and Long Island native Kyle Palmieri — so show off their best Long Island accents!

Just last weekend we heard two names come up in Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks. It didn’t take long for one rumor to be outright dismissed.

Canucks GM, Jim Benning shoots down Boeser rumors

The Canucks kicked off training camp on July 13th like every other NHL team. The only difference was that after practice concluded, Jim Benning was the only GM who had to field a trade rumor question. His response was a clear as it could be on Boeser. “That’s not true,” he exclaimed. “Somebody made that up.”

Where did the Brock Boeser rumor come from?

Brock Boeser is just 23 years-old and has shown tremendous chemistry on the Canucks top six. The Vancouver Canucks are believed to be seeking some cap wiggle room, and were said to be looking to trade Brock Boeser. This came from Matt Sekeres of TSN 1040 in Vancouver and it had many people scratching their heads.

Well now we have it straight from the GM’s mouth. Brock Boeser isn’t available. So there’s no more need to create any more dandruff. Head scratching is over.

Why trade Brock Boeser?

The NHL announced the ratification of the new CBA and Return to Play plan just this past Friday. Since then, two big names have turned up in hockey’s rumor mill.

Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and now Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks are being discussed in trade rumors. I mean neither team has even opened training camp yet but here we are. You have to love hockey.

So why explore trading Boeser, who is just 23 years-old and has shown tremendous chemistry on the Canucks top six? There are surely other ways to create cap space, but moving Boeser could help Vancouver financially and improve weaker areas of the team. The Canucks are said to be looking for a top four defenseman which are never easy to find or cheap to obtain.

Brock Boeser and the Vancouver Canucks finances

The Canucks were hard hit by the NHL pause, and coupled with a weak Canadian dollar had to cut operating costs. They will also have to pay Boeser a $3.5 million signing bonus along with his base salary of $3.125 million next season and $7.5 million in the third and final year of his deal. This was a back loaded contract that he inked back in September of 2019.

Boeser was only paid $4 million this season with a $700,000 base and a $3.3 million signing bonus. So this idea of trading him appears to have some financial aspects to it that aren’t simply cap related. Boeser’s cap hit is just $5.875M AAV which many teams will be able to fit without too much difficulty.

Brock Boeser, a perfect fit for the Rangers?

At 6’1″ and 210 lbs, Boeser isn’t a big point getter but goes to tough places to score goals. He already has 75 goals in 197 games in his young career, including a career high 29 tallies in 2017-18 at just 20 years of age.

The Blueshirts are often criticized for being too much of an East/West team. They don’t have many North/South players like leftwing, Chris Kreider to compliment and balance the lines. Boeser is just that type of goal scorer on the right side the Rangers need.

Now imagine Brock Boeser on a line with Artemiy Panarin and Ryan Strome. No offense to Jesper Fast who helps defensively with that line, but he doesn’t have the scoring ability of Boeser in front of the net. Boeser addition could give the Rangers two incredible lines for the next campaign set to start on December 1.

What would a Rangers trade for Boeser look like?

The Rangers trading for Boeser means the end of Tony DeAngelo in NY. That’s because the Rangers are very loaded on the right side defense with Nils Lundkvist pencilled in for a spot in the 2021-22 season.

Financially, DeAngelo who is a restricted free agent this off-season is going to command a cap hit similar to Boeser. Still this about more than money for the Rangers, and they are overloaded on rightwing too.

What does Jeff Gorton do with Pavel Buchnevich is my first thought. We all know Kaapo Kakko will eventually claim the #1 RW spot in this lineup. Or what about Vitali Kravtsov? Could he make the move to LW? These any many questions needed to be answered.

Bottom line, if Brock Boeser is really available the Rangers should at least kick the tires and find out the cost. If it is too high, then there is no need for Gorton to rack his brain about anything else.

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