The Rangers made four trades in the final week ahead of the deadline, the last coming Friday when they acquired forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel from the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Erik Brannstrom. It’s a depth trade involving a pair of guys who have NHL experience but are in the American Hockey League right now.

Overall, the Rangers made seven trades during the season, the biggest being their acquisition of J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31. Along the way, they shipped out former captain Jacob Trouba, popular younger forwards Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil, rookie defenseman Victor Mancini and three veteran pending UFAs they were not going to re-sign — Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey and Reilly Smith.

Along with Miller, the Rangers added defensemen Carson Soucy, Will Borgen, Urho Vaakanainen and Calvin de Haan, center Juuso Parssinen, forwards Brendan Brisson and Aube-Kubel, and a slew of draft picks.

“Just trying to thread the needle, trying to make sure we got some assets back for the future, while trying to show the group I still believe in them, which I do,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said Friday.

That belief gets put to the test Saturday, when the Rangers visit the Ottawa Senators in a crucial matinee matchup. The teams are tied with 67 points apiece, but the Senators are percentage points ahead for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference because they’ve played one fewer game.

Right ahead of the Rangers and Senators are the Columbus Blue Jackets, whom the Rangers host Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Columbus is the first wild card, one point ahead of the Rangers and Senators. And don’t forget that the Rangers trail the listing New Jersey Devils by five points for third place in the Metropolitan Division and have two games in hand.

Yeah, this is getting fun. Game on!

WATCH Exclusive 1-on-1 interview with former Rangers goalie Marty Biron on the RINK RAP podcast

New York Rangers news

Here are three things to watch for when the Rangers visit the Senators on Saturday, including the end of the bromance between J.T. Miller and Brady Tkachuk.

Urho Vaakanainen landed a two-year contract with the Rangers, likely the biggest deadline day news for the Blueshirts.

Here are the latest Rangers injury updates ahead of the Senators game and whether to expect newcomer Carson Soucy to be in the lineup.

Speaking of Soucy, the Forever Blueshirts staff handed out trade grades following the Rangers acquisition of the big, physical defenseman from the Canucks.

Our Dane Walsh breaks down how the Mikko Rantanen trade from the Carolina Hurricanes — and some other factors — benefit the Rangers playoff push.

Here’s why the Rangers are “super impressed” with everyone’s favorite fourth-line center Sam Carrick.

NHL news and rumors

To get the lowdown on every NHL trade, not only from the deadline but the entire 2024-25 season, check out the official trade tracker on NHL dot com.

Our John Kreiser assesses the Islanders trading Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche for a pretty decent haul.

Here’s why trading for and extending Mikko Rantanen was an opportunity the Dallas Stars “couldn’t pass up.”

Not only did the Stars land Rantanen, but they signed forward Wyatt Johnston to a five-year, $42 million contract.

There was plenty of emotional reaction after the Boston Bruins traded captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers in a deadline-day blockbuster.

Here’s why the surging Montreal Canadiens didn’t make any noise ahead of the trade deadline.

The League’s top team, the Winnipeg Jets, made one significant move Friday, reacquiring gritty forward Brandon Tanev.

Ahead of their game against the Rangers, the Senators landed center Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres in a four-player trade that included Josh Norris.

You may have missed this during the flurry of trades Friday, but the Edmonton Oilers announced that forward Evander Kane is out for the season.

James Nichols from New Jersey Hockey Now is spot on with his column stating that the trade deadline was a complete fail for the Devils.

On top of failing to land significant help to their struggling lineup, the Devils learned that top defenseman Dougie Hamilton “will be out for an extended time” with a lower-body injury and that defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler won’t play the rest of the regular season. All this on top of Jack Hughes’ season-ending shoulder surgery.

But wait, there’s more! The Devils were trashed by the Jets, 6-1 at The Rock.

The Detroit Red Wings continue to show they may not be up to competing in the Eastern Conference playoff race as they lost their fifth straight game, 5-2 to the Washington Capitals.

Elias Pettersson lives! The beleaguered center scored his first goal in 16 games to help the Canucks defeat the Minnesota Wild 3-1.

Former Rangers forward was held off the score-sheet but the Vegas Golden Knights easily handled the woeful Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0.

Watch Connor Bedard score the OT winner in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-3 win over the Utah Hockey Club

Isles GM Lou Lamoriello threw in the towel on his team’s slim playoff hopes late Thursday, trading the much sought-after center and minor-league forward William Dufour to the Colorado Avalanche for 20-year-old forward Calum Ritchie, a first-round selection in the 2026 or 2027 NHL Draft, a conditional third-round pick in the 2028 draft, and defenseman Oliver Kylington. The Islanders quickly wheeled Kylington to the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations.

New York reportedly retained 50 percent of Nelson’s cap hit. The 33-year-old is in the final season of a five-year contract that has an average annual value of $6 million and can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Reports say he turned down a three-year contract with an AAV of more than $7.5 million, spurring the move.

The Islanders (28-26-7) began Friday four points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. But unlike last season, when a late-season surge carried them into the playoffs because so many teams in the East were dreadful, this time there are four clubs, including the Rangers, between the Islanders and that last playoff berth. The Islanders, who begin a three-game California trip against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, are also without their most dynamic forward, Mathew Barzal, who hasn’t played since Feb. 1 and recently had surgery on his left kneecap.

The Rangers (31-26-5) and Ottawa Senators (31-25-5) are tied in points for the second wild card with 67 entering their showdown at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday afternoon; however, the Senators have a game in hand.

The Islanders’ first-round pick (No. 30) of the 2010 draft, has been the subject of trade rumors for weeks before Lamoriello pulled the trigger. However, the Hall of Fame GM opted to keep two other players widely regarded as trade possibilities — impending UFA forward Kyle Palmieri and center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is signed through 2025-26.

Nelson is fourth in Islanders history with 901 games played and fifth with 295 goals. He has 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) this season despite a 17-game goal drought after three straight seasons of 34+ goals and should fit in well with Colorado’s highly skilled top-six forward group — likely as the No. 2 center behind NHL scoring leader Nathan MacKinnon. He can also play wing, as he did for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off last month.

“On most of the trade boards I watched, he was the top guy available,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday. “Centers are hard to find, and he’s a real good one.”

Brock Nelson joins two former Rangers looking to help Avalanche win Stanley Cup

Nelson was the First Star on Tuesday, when the Islanders defeated the League-leading Winnipeg Jets 3-2 at UBS Arena. The 12-year veteran got teary-eyed in a post-game interview when asked what playing on Long Island meant to him. As it turned out, that was his last game in blue and orange.

An emotional first star Brock Nelson discusses his @nyislanders big win over the league leading Jets and what it’s meant to wear an Islander jersey his entire career. #Isles | @Shannon_Hogan pic.twitter.com/hr3DyFhYgE

— Isles on MSGSN (@IslesMSGN) March 5, 2025

“I’ve had conversations with Lou [Lamoriello] and I’ve been honest,” Nelson said after that game. “I really, truly, have been worried about here and playing and doing everything we can to win.”

Nelson is a reliable player at both ends of the ice, a trait that Bednar is delighted to add to his team, which owns the first wild card in the Western Conference and is even in points with the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division after a 7-3 win against San Jose at Ball Arena on Thursday. He’s expected to make his debut with the Avs (37-24-2) when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

“He’s always been a trusted 200-foot player,” Bednar said. “If you look at his history, he’s scoring 30+ goals most years, too. To get a player of that caliber is hard to do — and yeah, I think it’s an amazing add for our team.”

Just this past Saturday, the Avalanche made a trade with the Rangers to acquire two other veterans on expiring contracts, pending UFA defenseman Ryan Lindgren and forward Jimmy Vesey. Lindgren drew praise from Bednar after his Avalanche debut on Tuesday.

Lindgren is averaging just under 21 minutes TOI in two games with Colorado. Vesey made his Avalanche debut in the win against the Sharks on Thursday and was minus-1 playing a bit more than 13 minutes.

Though first-round picks are nice to have, especially for a team that looks like it’s starting a rebuild, the key to the deal for the Islanders may be Ritchie, a big (6-foot-2, 190 pounds), skilled, smart center who’s on course for his second straight 80-point season in the Ontario Hockey League. He scored one goal – against the Islanders on Oct. 14 – in seven games at the start of the season before being returned to Oshawa of the OHL, where he has a team-leading 67 points (14 goals, 53 assists) and is plus-33 in 41 games.

He is known for his hockey IQ, playmaking ability, on-ice vision, and footwork — and he’s still filling out physically.

Ritchie, an alternate captain for Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship, was Colorado’s first-round pick (No. 27) in the 2023 draft and was regarded as the top Avalanche prospect. He could eventually end up paired with Cole Eiserman, the Isles’ top pick in the 2024 draft, who has 19 goals in 32 games as a freshman for Boston University and helped Team USA win the World Juniors.

For now, Ritchie is likely to stay with Oshawa, which has already clinched an OHL playoff berth. But expect him to contend for a spot on the Islanders at training camp this fall.

The Rangers are navigating a difficult plan, trying to thread the needle of improving the team for this season’s playoff push, setting themselves up to be major players in free agency this coming offseason and deepening their draft capital to help build a better future.

So far, so good. Of course, the Rangers got a head start on this multiple-faceted plan, making a pair of big trades before the New Year and then their biggest trade Jan. 31, when they acquired J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. Three trades have been made in the final week ahead of the deadline, including two on Thursday.

It’s been a well-thought-out plan and execution by Chris Drury and Co. And the Rangers may not be done yet. They’ve been linked to Buffalo Sabres forward J..J. Peterka among others, and after yesterday have a glut of NHL defensemen on the roster. So, the Rangers don’t appear to be done after their latest moves.

Since the Jacob Trouba trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6, the Rangers have acquired Miller, defensemen Carson Soucy, Will Borgen, Urho Vaakanainen and Calvin de Haan, center Juuso Parssinen and forward prospect Brendan Brisson, plus several draft picks, one of which was flipped to the Canucks to acquire Soucy on Thursday.

In the process, the Rangers moved out the disgruntled Trouba, a pair of former young core players in Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, young defenseman Victor Mancini and three pending UFAs they had no plans to re-sign this summer — Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey and Reilly Smith.

They’re improving in the here and now, but most definitely with an eye on the future. Miller and Soucy each have term left on their contracts. Borgen was a pending UFA but signed a five-year contract to stay with the Rangers. Vaakanainen and Parssinen are restricted free agents at the end of the season. Only de Haan is a pending UFA.

The Rangers are also bigger and tougher today than they were a couple months ago, another priority for Drury.

Let’s see what Friday. We’ll have all the latest news and analysis right here at Forever Blueshirts.

WATCH: Marty Biron talks Rangers moves, NHL Trade Deadline and memories of being Henrik Lundqvist’s goalie partner on RINK RAP podcast

New York Rangers news

The Rangers acquired a big, physical defenseman when they landed Soucy from the Canucks.

Earlier Thursday, the Rangers traded Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights for Brisson and a third-round pick that they in turn shipped to the Canucks to land Soucy.

ICYMI: Here are our three Rangers takeaways from the 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

Also, we have the winners and losers breakdown from the Rangers’ OT defeat.

Rangers prospects Brody Lamb and Ty Henricks helped their respective teams capture regular-season championships in the NCAA this season.

NHL news and rumors

Late-night reports that the Carolina Hurricanes were trading Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars were dispelled by Darren Dreger on Friday morning. He reported that there is no deal in place and that Rantanen has not agreed to a contract extension with the Stars, which is a must for a deal to go down. Rantanen is a pending UFA at season’s end, who already turned down contract offers from the Hurricanes.

Pierre LeBrun reports that Ryan Donato and the Chicago Blackhawks are trying to hammer out a new contract for the pending UFA. If not, he’s one of the bigger names expected to be traded Friday.

The Islanders finally pulled the trigger and traded veteran center Brock Nelson along with prospect William Dufour to the Colorado Avalanche for a package that includes prized center prospect Calum Ritchie, a first-round draft pick in either 2026 or 2027 and defenseman Oliver Kylington, who was then shipped to the Ducks for future considerations.

The Edmonton Oilers landed defenseman Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks, notably trading away a conditional 2026 first-round pick.

Justin Brazeau was traded by the Boston Bruins to the Minnesota Wild.

Perhaps Nick Bjugstad won’t be traded before the deadline. The veteran center was placed on IR with an upper-body injury by the Utah Hockey Club.

Some brutal injury news for the St. Louis Blues, who lost defenseman Colton Parayko for at least six weeks following a procedure on his knee.

Former Rangers forward Ryan Reaves was placed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the trade deadline.

Victor Hedman sustained an injury that forced him out of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. An update could come Friday.

Jake Guentzel had a hat trick and Oliver Bjorkstrad scored in his first game after arriving a trade with the Seattle Kraken to lead the Lightning to a wild 6-5 win against the Sabres.

Evan Bouchard scored in overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers past the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. The Canadiens picked up a point in the standings and are one behind the Rangers in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Cale Makar set a Colorado Avalanche franchise record for defensemen by recording six points (two goals, four assists) in their 7-3 win over the Sharks.

The Columbus Blue Jackets failed to gain any separation as the top wild card in the East when the were shut out by the Florida Panthers 3-0.

Earlier in the day, the Panthers acquired forward Nico Sturm from the Sharks.

More good news for the Rangers in their playoff hunt, the Detroit Red Wings lost their fourth straight game, 4-2 to the Kraken.

And the Boston Bruins continue to be a big disappointment, this time losing 3-2 to the Hurricanes, when Seth Jarvis scored in the final seconds of regulation.

Each will enter the game Tuesday at UBS Arena on the outside looking in when it comes to a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers will be playing their third game in four nights after splitting a pair of road contests over the weekend – they were demolished 8-2 by the Sabres in Buffalo before being badly outplayed most of Sunday in Pittsburgh before somehow defeating the Penguins 5-3.

The Islanders playoff hopes looked all but dead in mid-January. But they got back in the hunt with seven straight wins, including victories at Vegas and Tampa Bay, before losing four of their next five – including a 4-3 home loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday that saw them on the wrong end of a couple of controversial officiating calls.

After Tuesday, each team will play two games before they face off again at Madison Square Garden on March 3.

The Rangers (28-25-4) come to UBS 11th in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card in the East. They are three points ahead of the 12th-place Islanders (25-24-7). The difference between them is the Rangers’ 5-2 win at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 3 – reverse the outcome and the Rangers would be looking up at the Isles, instead of the current scenario.

As big as the two games are for the Rangers, they might be even bigger for the Islanders. General manager Lou Lamoriello has one of the League’s oldest rosters, and one that’s been plagued by injuries. All six regular defensemen have missed chunks of time this season. Their most dynamic forward, Mathew Barzal – who has more points against the Rangers (35) than any other team – has been out since Feb. 1 with a left kneecap injury after missing 23 games earlier in the season with an upper-body injury. His absence has been a big blow to an already-ailing offense, and he may not play again this season.

Ex-Rangers forward Anthony Duclair missed two months earlier in the season with a lower-body injury and has yet to find his scoring touch since returning.

Related: Rangers recall Brennan Othmann from AHL Hartford amid Chris Kreider injury concern

Islanders storylines heading into crucial games against Rangers

Here are three storylines as the Islanders prepare for their two meetings with the Rangers:

To buy or to sell

Unlike the Rangers, who’ve made three major trades already this season, the Islanders are heading for the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7 not having made a big deal. Waiver claims for defenseman Tony DeAngelo and Adam Boqvist don’t count, nor does getting D-man Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues for a fifth-round pick.

The Islanders have a number of older players that could bring them younger assets in return as the deadline nears — or they could hang onto their older guys, try to add around the edges and scrape their way into a playoff berth, as they’ve done in each of the past two seasons. The latter is more in keeping with Lamoriello’s past practices.

But two losses to the Rangers could induce Lamoriello to part with players such as center Brock Nelson, a 33-year-old pending unrestricted free agent who’s scored at least 34 goals in each of the past three seasons but has 17 this season. Nelson is No. 1 on many trade boards as the deadline nears.

Nelson’s linemate, 34-year-old pending UFA forward Kyle Palmieri, could also attract interest if the wheels fall off the Islanders’ drive for the playoffs. He has 17 goals and 38 points in 56 games, a 25-goal,  56-point pace over a whole season. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, a fine two-way center who’s 32 and has a year left on his contract, would also draw interest if the Isles make him available.

If the Rangers win twice, the lineup they’ll face when they visit UBS Arena on April 10 could look a lot different.

Getting healthier on blue line

Few teams have been battered more heavily by injuries than the Islanders, especially on defense. The good news for them is that some of their battered bodies on the blue line are starting to get healthy.

The Islanders got top-four D-man Ryan Pulock (upper body) and third-pair regular Scott Mayfield (lower body) back on Sunday. The better news is that their best offensive defenseman, Noah Dobson, who’s missed the past 10 games with a lower-body injury, became eligible to come off long-term injured reserve after their game Sunday. Dobson has just six goals and 24 goals in 46 games after a breakout season in 2023-24 that saw him finish with 10 goals and 70 points.

Dobson has been skating at practice wearing a regular jersey and quarterbacking the second power-play unit, with ex-Rangers defenseman DeAngelo running the No. 1 unit.

One player whose injury absence has surprisingly hurt the Islanders is backup goaltender Marcus Hogberg, who hasn’t played since Jan. 22 because of an upper-body injury. Hogberg had been terrific as Ilya Sorokin’s backup, and his injury, combined with the continued absence of injured veteran Semyon Varlamov, means the organization’s No. 4 goalie, Jakob Skarek, has been elevated to an NHL role, one that he showed he’s not ready for in a 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 2.

Now or never

There are different kinds of pressure on each team as they prepare to face each other twice in a seven-day span.

For the Islanders, losing twice to the Rangers could all but end their playoff hopes and perhaps send the franchise in a different direction. Lamoriello has done his best to keep the cast that made the NHL final four in 2020 and 2021 together — he traded off his first-round pick in four consecutive seasons to bring in veteran help. That strategy got them within one win of the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, but consecutive first-round blowouts in the 2023 and 2024 playoffs and the imminent possibility of missing the playoffs this season have to have ownership wondering whether it’s time to rebuild – something the 82-year-old Lamoriello has resisted.

The Rangers are one of the biggest disappointments in the NHL this season. They followed up last season’s Presidents’ Trophy with a 12-4-1 start, then were 4-15-0 in their final 19 games of 2024 and have been chasing a playoff berth ever since.

GM Chris Drury unloaded captain Jacob Trouba (to the Anaheim Ducks) and forward Kaapo Kakko, the second player taken in the 2019 NHL Draft (to the Seattle Kraken) in December, both for lower-pair defensemen and draft picks. He then switched gears to bring in J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks at the end of January. They are 4-3-0 since that trade and still outside the top eight in the East.

A couple of losses to the Islanders could trigger another shakeup, either by trade or by recalling young players like Brennan Orthmann (which they did Monday as a precaution should injured veteran Chris Kreider is unable to play) and Brett Berard from AHL Hartford – an approach that is not an option the Islanders, who have perhaps the League’s weakest prospect pool.

Zibanejad landed himself a pretty good gig with Sweden. He practiced Monday on a line with William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins wing Rickard Rackell. Nylander was already tossing bouquets about the chemistry that line had in practice. Maybe he did so to deflect from the monster lineup they’ll face in the tournament opener.

Canada doesn’t have any Rangers on its roster, but it does have dazzling lineup nonetheless.

Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill summed up Canada’s roster perfectly Monday, when he said, “Everybody who comes down on you and shoots is a legend.”

Sidney Crosby centered Nathan MacKinnon and Mark Stone at practice. And that could be considered Canada’s second line! Connor McDavid was between Mitchell Marner and Sam Reinhart on what’s likely the top line.

“I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ ” said laughing Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, who skated on the third line with Brayden Point and Seth Jarvis. “I don’t take for granted an opportunity like this. When you walk in the room and see some of the best players who have ever played this sport, you get to watch and be on the ice with them, it truly is an honor.”

And that’s at even strength. Here’s Canada’s PP1 unit: McDavid, MacKinnon, Crosby, Reinhart and Cale Makar.

But each of the four countries participating is stacked and as McDavid pointed out, the winner will be the one that comes together quickest and most completely as a team.

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New York Rangers news

Four Rangers are on the United States roster at the 4 Nations Face-off and two could play on the same line. Vincent Trocheck centered a bottom-six line that featured Chris Kreider and Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin splitting time on one of the wings. Let’s see how that plays out. Adam Fox was on the top defense pair with Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes.

We handed out our first batch of Rangers report cards at the mid-season break, focusing on the goalies and defensemen.

Our Tom Castro dug deep into why Jordan Greenway should be a Rangers trade target ahead of the deadline.

In our weekly Hartford Wolf Pack report, we focused on strong play from two Rangers prospects, defenseman Matthew Robertson and forward Adam Sykora.

Dave Maloney joined the Rink Rap podcast presented by Forever Blueshirts and hadn’t plenty of opinions on all things Rangers, plus shared a tale or two along the way..

NHL news

Loui Eriksson, who played 1,050 NHL games for four teams, officially announced his retirement from professional hockey. He last played for Frolunda in the SHL in the 2022-23 season.

In latest round of NHL trade rumors, Elliotte Friedman said he’s hearing the Edmonton Oilers have interest in Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson.

We analyzed the Islanders difficult decision whether to trade or re-sign veteran center Brock Nelson ahead of the March 7 deadline.

Speaking of possible trades, Jake Evans is already speaking of his time with the Montreal Canadiens in the past tense — even though he’s still with them (for now).

The Nashville Predators claimed defenseman Andreas Englund off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.

Jesse Puljujarvi, who had his contract terminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, signed a PTO with the Florida Panthers AHL affiliate in Charlotte.

The biggest question ahead of the 4 Nations Face-off is who will start in goal for Canada? Canada coach Jon Cooper wasn’t saying at practice Monday, but did share that he was going to tell his goalies — Hill, Jordan Binnington, Sam Montembeault — who was starting Monday night and then share the news publicly Tuesday.

Crosby’s been bothered by an upper-body issue, but he declared himself “good to go” to play for Canada at the 4 Nations.

Finland is flying under the radar at the 4 Nations and has an injury-ravaged roster, but captain Aleksander Barkov said he’ll do “whatever it takes” to lead his country to the championship.

Nelson is one of the best No. 2 centers in the NHL. He’s scored at least 34 goals in each of the past three seasons – all since turning age 30 —  though with 17 in 55 games this season he’s unlikely to reach that total again. He’s defensively responsible, can play on both special teams and has spent each of his 12 NHL seasons with the Islanders, who selected him in the first round (No. 30) of the 2010 NHL Draft.

But Nelson can also become an unrestricted free agent this summer, when his six-year, $36 million contract expires. With the Islanders in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Rangers, three behind the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets, and four behind the Detroit Red Wings, who own the second wild card in the East, Lamoriello has a decision to make: Does he deal one of his top forwards before the deadline or try to sign him? Depending on the return package, it could be the difference in going for a playoff spot this season or cutting their losses and looking to the future, one without the steady center.

BROCK. NELSON. #LGI | @Ford pic.twitter.com/MPkH0O4FJY

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 9, 2025

The Islanders got back into the playoff race with a seven-game winning streak in January and won eight of their final 11 games before the 4 Nations Face-Off break – where Nelson will play for the United States along with Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and forwards J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider. However, the Isles are riddled with injuries to key players, most notably forward Mathew Barzal and defensemen Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock.

If Lamoriello opts to trade Nelson, there will be a number of interested teams. He would be one of the more coveted unrestricted free agents on the market — and would bring back a sizeable return if traded.

Speaking on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said Monday he feels the Islanders are going to make their pitch soon.

“I do think this is the time when the Islanders are going to take their real run at it,” Friedman said. “(General manager) Lou Lamoriello has told teams that they want to sign him.”

Related: Why Rangers should consider trading for Jordan Greenway ahead of deadline

GM of Rangers rival mum on whether Islanders will re-sign Brock Nelson

But Friedman notes that Lamoriello is famously closed-mouth about his plans on anything – and re-signing Nelson is no different.

“It’s so hard to know the truth with him (Lamoriello) him because (a) he doesn’t give it away, and (b) out of respect for him, the people who deal with him don’t say much,” Friedman noted. “But I did hear from a couple of places on Saturday that this is going to be crunch time for the Islanders to try to sign Nelson. I think they want to do it.”

The Islanders were burned in the summer of 2018, shortly after Lamoriello was hired, when their best player, center John Tavares, signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his hometown team, after reportedly asking then-GM Garth Snow not to deal him at the trade deadline.

Nelson native hasn’t given any public indications as to whether he wants to stay with the only NHL team he’s ever played for, and has a modified no-trade clause that gives him a lot of say in any potential deadline deal.

LET'S BROCK. pic.twitter.com/bbbDOtWIGi

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 9, 2025

“It’s obviously a factor, for sure. This is the only place I’ve been. I don’t know anything different,” Nelson told The Hockey News last week when asked about being a lifelong Islander. “I’m familiar with the situation here, living here. I’m comfortable here, have kids in school, so there’s a lot of things that go into it. And that’s a big part of it, for sure.

“And then, on the other side of it, with the business, you have no idea how things play out. But I’ve been fortunate. There are guys similar in age, even younger, who’ve been on a couple of different teams and traveling around. I’ve been fortunate to be here.”

Nelson is fifth in franchise history in goals (292), tied for eighth in points (566), and fifth in games played (895). He has 19 goals and 36 points in 49 regular-season games against the Rangers, his second-highest totals in each category against one team.

Friedman said he’s heard that the Islanders are going to make their push to keep him in the very near future.

“Nelson is going to be 34 years old in the fall, so it’s going to be very interesting where this goes,” Friedman said. “This is not going to be an eight-year deal, but I do think they’re going to make a legitimate, legitimate attempt to sign him. I get differing reactions about what Nelson’s true feelings are on this, so we’ll see how it all plays out. But everybody’s waiting to find out what the story is with him.

“He’s a hell of a player, he’s a low-maintenance guy, he’s hugely popular in that Islander room. I think we’ll get some clarity over the next week or so on whether or not he’s going to be on the market or there’s any chance of him staying.”

Simply, the Rangers (23-20-4) made the Senators look more pretender than contender and moved within two points of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference in the process.

It was a fun, rollicking night at Madison Square Garden. Even with a pair of disallowed goals (Matt Rempe offside on one, Chris Kreider on another), there never was dread that the Rangers could blow this one. It was a pretty one-sided affair, even though the score was 1-0 after one and 2-0 after two periods.

The three-goal third period featured a pair of power-play goals following a wild melee behind Igor Shesterkin’s net, that included the Rangers goalie looking to fight Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. Oh, and there was Rempe bringing the house down with a slick finish off the rush for his first goal of the season.

What wasn’t to love about about that win Tuesday? Now, bottle it up and do it again Thursday against another team the Rangers should defeat, the Philadelphia Flyers, even if John Tortorella’s team is tied in points with the Blueshirts.

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New York Rangers news

Here are three takeaways from the Rangers’ dominant 5-0 win against the Senators, including a real “all for one” mentality.

We were prescient posting a story about Shesterkin’s improved play since coming off IR and then he goes out and puts up another zero.

Despite their better play of late, the Rangers are rumored to be in on trying to re-acquire J.T. Miller. The latest trade rumors have the Vancouver Canucks being “very motivated” to move Miller, possibly to New York’s rival, the Carolina Hurricanes.

There’s another former Rangers player that’s available, but the Blueshirts have zero interest in a reunion with Tony DeAngelo, a free agent after being released from his KHL contract. Some NHL team could look to sign him, though, on a League-minimum deal.

NHL news

Not to be overlooked in their loss to the Rangers is that Senators forward Josh Norris left the game and didn’t return for “precautionary reasons.” Norris appeared to land on his chin after a an accidental collision knocked him off balance in the first period.

One day after Connor McDavid was suspended three games for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland in the head, the Edmonton Oilers released a statement that said, in part, “The Oilers organization is disappointed and we share in our fans’ frustration over the three-game suspension of our captain Connor McDavid.”

Brock McGinn had knee surgery and is out 7-9 months for the Anaheim Ducks. The forward hadn’t played in 13 games and appeared in only 26 games this season due to lower-body issues. McGinn can be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

If Winnipeg native Jonathan Toews indeed follows through on a return to the NHL, the hometown Jets “would hope to be in the mix,” general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Tuesday.

Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is out with a lower-body injury and there’s no timetable for his return, a massive blow to the Rangers’ rival.

Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News reports that the Washington Capitals have checked in with the Islanders about the availability of pending UFA center Brock Nelson.

The Capitals won their fifth straight game, solidifying their hold on first in the Metropolitan Division, with a 3-2 road victory against the Edmonton Oilers.

According to a report, the New Jersey Devils are a “late entrant” to the J.T. Miller sweepstakes ahead of the trade deadline.

The Montreal Canadiens rallied for a late 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to remain ahead of the Rangers in the playoff race.

The Nashville Predators erased a four-goal deficit and scored six straight goals to knock off the San Jose Sharks 7-5 for their fourth consecutive victory.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored both goals for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars.

Sam Ersson made 27 saves to lead the Flyers to a 2-1 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings, who are 21-21-5 after the loss.

Watch Philly defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen score the OT winner on Tuesday.

General manager Chris Drury certainly knew the pick would not be high up in the first round, but with no second- nor third-round selections this year, holding on to the first rounder was important.

This is New York’s lowest first-round pick since 2012, when they selected defenseman Brady Skjei No. 28 overall. Interestingly, the Blueshirts did not pick again in the first round until 2017, because they traded away their first rounder four straight seasons. And then 2017 was a mixed bag, since New York picked center Lias Andersson, who’s now out of the NHL, No. 7 overall and forward Filip Chytil at No. 21.

The Rangers had three first-round selections in the 2018 draft, the last of which was 28th overall (defenseman Nils Lundkvist).

Last season, New York had the 23rd overall pick and selected forward Gabe Perreault, who recently completed a standout freshman season at Boston College.

Related: Here’s how Rangers free-agency plan may not be what’s expected

Rangers try to buck history with No. 30 overall pick in NHL Draft

The NHL expanded to 30 teams before the 2000-01 season, so there have been 24 drafts with a No. 30 overall selection in the first round. All but two — defensemen Andy Rogers in 2004 by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nick Ross in 2007 by the Phoenix Coyotes — have played at least one NHL game. That includes the most recent 30th overall selection — forward Brady Nadeau from 2023, who played one game with the Carolina Hurricanes last season.

It doesn’t mean there’s been a lot of success with this pick, though. There are far more Nick Merkleys (41 NHL games after being selected in 2015 by the Coyotes) and Matt Correntes (34 NHL games after being selected by the New Jersey Devils in 2006) than All-Stars.

But, fear not Rangers, there have been several notable players taken with the No. 30 pick in the first round.

The Rangers arch rival, the Islanders, nabbed center Brock Nelson No. 30 in 2010. Nelson is an eight-time 20-goal scorer and has scored 34 or more his past three seasons. He leads all No. 30 first-round picks in goals (275), assists (256), points (531) and games played (840) in NHL history.

Right behind Nelson in each category is the player taken at No. 30 the year after the Islanders star, Rickard Rakell, who has 201 goals, 248 assists and 449 points in 721 games with the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The next two drafts produced two more solid NHLers at No. 30 in the first round when the Los Angeles Kings landed forward Tanner Pearson in 2012 and the Chicago Blackhawks selected forward Ryan Hartman in 2013.

Between then and now, likely the most successful No. 30 pick in the NHL Draft has been forward Eeli Tolvinen (2017), who has 119 points in 264 games with the Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken.

Of course, the Rangers would love to add their own piece of positive history when they pick at No. 30 late in the first round of this year’s draft.