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.

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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!

Sweden and Finland meet in the afternoon before Canada and the United States square off later in the evening.

Depending on where you’re from, you can make the argument for which is the bigger rivalry. But from a tournament perspective, U.S. and Canada are playing for the top seed with Team USA coming in with three points and Canada with two.

The round-robin international tournament continues Monday at TD Garden in Boston, ahead of the championship game there Thursday night.

There’s a bit of extra intrigue to the Canada-USA game Saturday considering how intensely the American National Anthem was booed by the mostly-Canadian fan base ahead of Team USA’s 6-1 win against Finland on Thursday. That went beyond rivalry, and several U.S. players noted the vitriol was surprising and beyond the norm. Likely the current political climate and tensions between the two countries contributed heavily towards such a negative reception for the United States at Bell Centre.

As for the hockey, these should be two great games. It’d appear that five of the six New York Rangers selected to participate at the 4 Nations will play. Chris Kreider, a healthy scratch for Team USA against Finland, is expected to sit again Saturday.

No Rangers player recorded a point in the opening games Thursday.

Speaking of the Rangers, in exactly one week the regular season starts up again. The Rangers will kickstart their 27-game stretch drive with a three-game road trip that starts in Buffalo against the Sabres and continues with games at the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. Four home games follow, including a rematch with the Islanders, before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline.

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New York Rangers news

Playing for Team USA, Rangers defenseman Adam Fox explained why he’s already gained a better appreciation for the leadership skills of its captain Auston Matthews.

In a recent interview, Mike Keenan revealed that he almost returned to coach the Rangers eight years after leading them to the Stanley Cup in 1994.

Top Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann is on a heater with seven goals in his past nine games. He’ll look to stay hot Saturday when the Hartford Wolf Pack visit the Charlotte Checkers.

Rangers report cards have been handed out here at Forever Blueshirts. Here are the grades for the Rangers forwards and another article grading the goalies and defensemen.

NHL news

Canada coach Jon Cooper is playing it coy and hasn’t revealed a starting goalie for the 4 Nations game against the United States. Jordan Binnington was between the pipes in their opener.

Canada is already without injured defenseman Shea Theodore — and may have to play without Cale Makar on Saturday after he missed practice Friday with an illness. If he can’t go, Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars would slot in.

Set to face a gritty Team USA lineup that includes Rangers forwards J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck, Canada is expected to insert Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers into the lineup Saturday.

After Juuse Saros surrendered six goals against the United States on Thursday, he’ll be replaced in goal by Kevin Lankinen when Finland faces Sweden.

In his latest 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman offered that the Los Angeles Kings are seeking a right-shot top-9 forward, with Kyle Palmieri of the Islanders and Joel Armia of the Montreal Canadiens options on the trade market.

Friedman also reported that several teams have reached out to the Seattle Kraken to check on the availability of forward Jared McCann.

Sam Steel signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Stars on Friday.

Our friend James Nichols over at New Jersey Hockey Now presents everything that comes next for the Devils ahead of the trade deadline and after.

Surgical is not as sexy as explosive. But it can be equally as effective.

Quietly, Fox’s portfolio is astounding. It’s as impressive as Makar’s and Hughes’ — minus the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy that Makar won with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.

Fox won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2020-21. He has 316 points in 365 games, already tied for sixth in Rangers history among defensemen in scoring with Reijo Ruotsalainen, and is 13th in career goals (53) after surpassing Ryan McDonagh in 2023-24. His 263 assists are 20 behind Brad Park for fourth all-time among Rangers defensemen.

Each of the past four seasons, Fox has been a top-four vote-getter for the Norris. And he has 70 points or more in three straight seasons.

In 2023-24, Fox finished fourth in Norris voting, just outside of the three finalists, after posting 73 points (NHL career-high 17 goals, 56 assists) in 72 games. Hughes, the lead defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks, won the award last season.

Related: Matt Rempe back with Rangers, OK with AHL assignment: ‘want to grow my game’

Rangers’ Adam Fox again one of NHL’s top defensemen this season

Fox is off to another strong start this season, if not in the flashy style that has Makar the darling of hockey highlight shows. The Rangers’ top defenseman has eight assists in eight games, including two three-point games. He’s tied for fifth among NHL defensemen in assists and tied for sixth in points — but just three out of third place.

Makar picked up another point Monday and leads all defensemen with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists). That’s second among all NHL skaters, trailing only Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone (18 points; five goals, 13 assists).

Hughes scored a goal Monday and is tied with Fox at eight points (two goals, six assists).

Other defensemen are off to solid starts, too. But, really, Fox, Makar, and Hughes — and Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators — are on another level.

Fox is quietly thriving — and he’s doing so without his usual defense partner, Ryan Lindgren. Dating back to their U.S. National Team days together, Fox and Lindgren have been a solid pair. But when Lindgren went down with a jaw injury in the preseason and missed the first five games of the season, K’Andre Miller stepped into his usual spot to the left of Fox. The Miller-Fox pair has remained intact even after Lindgren’s return.

It hasn’t slowed down the Blueshirts, who are 6-1-1 to start the 2024-25 championship-or-bust season. The move may have energized a defensive core that needed a jolt. It gives the Rangers a dynamic top pairing and should elevate the games of Miller and Fox, New York’s two best d-men.

In Colorado, Makar is paired by the Avalanche with Devon Toews. Makar benefits greatly by skating with such a talented partner. Toews is overshadowed by his partner, but he can also skate like the wind, score at will — and defend like a franchise defenseman. 

The Canucks pair Hughes with Filip Hronek, a two-way defender who finished with 48 points in 2023-24 playing alongside their young captain.

Miller gives Fox more of a Toews or Hronek complement than Lindgren did, though the Lindgren-Fox pairing certainly has had plenty of success. It’s not like Fox is bogged down playing with Lindgren.

But this just may be the medicine the Rangers need to heal their defense after a lackluster showing in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. 

Fox and Miller have combined for 157 chances and surrendered 92 in 117 minutes and eight games together at 5v5. They have been on the ice for six goals and four goals against. In terms of advanced stats, through eight games (minimum 75:00 TOI), Miller and Fox have recorded xGF – 9.43 (1st), xGoalsFor – 10.3 (1st), HDCF – 43 (1st), xGoals% – 70.1 (2nd) and xGF% – 68.91 (3rd) (Natural Stat Trick and Money Puck.com). 

Hughes and Hronek are also off to a hot start, only allowing two goals against and generating 153 chances for and 88 chances against in eight games in 116:46 TOI.

Makar and Toews have been on the ice for 89 chances for and 82 against, and four goals and four goals against. The Avalanche have been shorthanded early without three injured forwards — Jonathan Drouin, Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen — as well as suspended forward Valeri Nichushkin, to support Nathan MacKinnon on offense, so that should be taken into account. 

Stats also reveal that Makar without MacKinnon on the ice takes a big hit in numbers. In the last two seasons, 47 percent of his points were scored on the power play and 79 percent while paired with either MacKinnon or Mikko Rantanen. 

The Fox-Miller pairing is right in the mix of the best all-around defensive pairings in the NHL. It’s not to say that Lindgren ever detracted from Fox’s play. That duo had a yin-yang balance; one player with offensive gifts, the other with relentless grit. 

The pairing change may help Fox earn a fifth nomination for the Norris Trophy. Although 74 games remain, Fox is making a quiet early case in the race to be named the NHL’s best defenseman. 

Kreider has finally become the player that he was expected to be. Fox won the Norris Trophy last season and is in the conversation again this year. Can they both continue playing at this level for the rest of the season?

Kreider playing a much more consistent game

Throughout Chris Kreider’s career, the narrative has always been that he is a streaky scorer.

That’s always been true, but this season something changed. He has mastered his abilities as THE net-front presence and has been extremely effective in this area. This role gives his game more structure and is helping him to be more consistent.

His previous career high in goals was 28 in 2016-17. He has already surpassed this, reaching 33 goals in 47 games so far this season. Kreider currently leads the NHL in goals and in power play goals with 17. Playing the penalty kill this year has also added another element to his game.

The Rangers don’t have a Captain but are doing well with the six alternates they have. Kreider is one of them and arguably the biggest leadership presence. He is clearly leading by example not just by providing consistent offense but by owning his roles.

The Rangers are slightly more than halfway through their season. They need Kreider to continue playing at this level. But what are the possibilities for him? Could he score 50 goals this year? It would be difficult, but if he continues to score at this pace it’s hard to bet against him. So long as the power play is still clicking, this is attainable.

Could he be considered for the Hart Trophy? He has been incredibly valuable to the Rangers this season, so he likely would be in the conversation. But, it is difficult to say if he could be seriously considered.

He’s making a case for himself with his offense, penalty killing, and leadership. But as the season goes on the question will be if there is another player more valuable to his team. We’re watching a different and evolved Chris Kreider this season, so it will be exciting to see what he does in the second half of the year.

Adam Fox Norris repeat?

Adam Fox is having another outstanding season for the Rangers. He continues to be a reliable and effective defender playing with Ryan Lindgren, but there are other great aspects to his game as well. He is an excellent quarterback on the first power play unit, has offensive upside, and, as recently demonstrated, can be used in the shootout.

The Norris Trophy goes to the defenseman who plays the best all-around game. Fox is undoubtedly one of the top defensemen in the league but has other qualities as well. He currently leads the Rangers in assists with 40. He also tied for most points by all NHL defensemen with Tampa’s Victor Hedman at 47.

Lastly, The Rangers went to a shootout with the Los Angeles Kings and used Adam Fox for the first time in his NHL career. Fox deked and roofed the puck on a back-hander to give the Rangers the win. It makes one wonder: is there anything he can’t do?

Victor Hedman, Cale Makar, and Roman Josi are Fox’s biggest competition for the title of best defenseman. But if Fox continues to play his all-around game the way he has been, he has a good chance of winning the Norris again.

Fox will be back for the Rangers after the All-Star break.

Note: All stats come from hockeyreference.com

NHL Rumors

Nazem Kadri heading to free agency. Plus latest on Coyotes and Predators in today’s NHL Rumor mill. Read more.

The clock is ticking for moves to be made. With the deadline just a few days away, we expect talks not only with the Rangers to heat up, but with other big names such as Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Artemi Panarin as well. As has been said what seems like a million times thus far, the expectation is for Hayes, Zuccarello, and McQuaid to be on the move. But what comes after that for the Rangers?

At 3:01 PM on February 25th, the rat race that is the NHL trade deadline will officially be over, and inevitably ending much to look forward to for the remainder of the year. The Rangers, who are currently nine points out, will very likely miss the playoffs; leaving the only thing to root for being losses to help boost their chances in the 2019 NHL Draft lottery. So what else can we, as fans, look forward to?

When the season eventually ends in early April for the Blueshirts, rumblings about potential big things will start to pick up again. The first thing being the draft lottery; something that all Rangers fans will be on their seat for in hopes of landing a top-three pick, which, unfortunately, I feel to be unlikely. After the lottery, fans will “YouTube scout” the various prospects the Rangers may want at the June draft in Vancouver, something this writer thoroughly enjoys. But the big thing Rangers fans should be looking forward to is July 1; a day that the Rangers were not active on in 2018, but plan to be active on this summer.

Word is, the big fish they are looking to hook is superstar Russian winger Artemi Panarin. Panarin, as we all know, is ready to hit UFA on July 1, and will likely fetch a seven-year deal – only Columbus can give him 8 – in the $10.5 – $12 million AAV range. I would be thrilled if the Rangers landed the career point per game winger, in that he would work the top line with newly recognized superstar center Mika Zibanejad.

But what if Jeff Gorton decided to spend this kind of money elsewhere? Let me reiterate that if the Rangers do land Panarin, I would be ecstatic and go out the next day and get his jersey; this is just a mere opinion about what else can possibly be done.

The San Jose Sharks are a heavy cup favorite, and they’re playing excellent hockey right now. They are primed to win with a ton of talent and a lot of money allocated to that talent. One particular talent they traded for last summer that is not “on the books” after this season is Erik Karlsson, aka EK65, aka the best defenseman on the planet. Let me start by saying that I do believe he stays in San Jose and gets a deal there, but for argument’s sake, I am going to say he hits UFA on July 1 along with Artemi Panarin. If the Rangers had the choice between Panarin and Karlsson, I would personally throw the bag of money at Karlsson. Age is a non-factor to both of these players being that they are elite talents, but just to make the point, Panarin will be 28 at the start of the season in October, and Karlsson 29. They will both fetch the max 7-year-deal – unless they stay put in Columbus and San Jose respectively and get eight years – with a similar AAV; somewhere in that $10.5 – $12 million area.

So why Karlsson over Panarin? Simply put; the Rangers back-end is pitiful. In my opinion, Brady Skjei is the only one that has a chance to be on this club when it completes its turnaround over, hopefully, the next two years. Yes, I know they have talented defensive prospects in K’Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist, but those two are at least two years away. Cale Makar, who is the best defensive prospect in all of hockey, is currently in his sophomore year at UMass, meaning even he stayed for a second year. Another one is Adam Fox; Fox is a top-five, maybe even top-three, defensive prospect in all of hockey, and he is in his senior year at Harvard. The point is, you will not see Miller or Lundkvist for at least two more years. The Rangers need all the help they can get back there and who better than the great Erik Karlsson. My hope is that Gorton and co. are able to land one of these two on July 1.

P.S. The thought of landing both of them is nearly impossible. Rangers brass would have to get extremely creative with money moving, and even then they would be trotting out a pretty terrible team.