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

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

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

— Uggg (@Uggg_uggg) August 13, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rangers reunion takes place in KHL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

While the New York Rangers may be 2-0-1 since returning from break, there have been some concerns about their offensive game.

Mostly, these issues point to some of their youth and the stage they’re at in their development. But the Rangers will need to address these issues before the playoffs if they want to make a meaningful run and prove they can compete.

Playing a complete game remains a concern

A problem plaguing the Rangers for most of this season is not playing a complete game. Early on, they often got off to good starts but didn’t maintain pace throughout the game. That began to shift well before the break so that they were starting slowly and taking too long to find their legs. This was the case against Boston and Detroit. The Rangers were able to defeat Boston in a shootout but lost to Detroit, also in a shootout.

This inability to play a full 60 minutes points to the Rangers’ relative immaturity as a team. For how young they are, they’ve been surprising and have often looked like a seasoned team that has been playing as a group for years, but in reality this is a relatively new group.

Prior to playing Ottawa on Sunday, Gerard Gallant spoke about slow starts being part of the mental aspect of the game that the Rangers need to get past. Against Ottawa, they were still outplayed for most of the first period but were able to get going late in the first and wound up winning 2-1 in regulation.

“Our offense is good enough to win, that’s about it,” Gerard Gallant admitted. “I don’t think we’re playing our best game yet due to the long break. We played good shutdown hockey and it’s nice to win those type of games too. But we can bring more offense for sure.”

The Rangers went into the break coming off of a satisfying 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers. But both of their wins since returning were by very narrow margins. The team has had some shaky moments in all three games since returning. Initially, it seemed like a rest versus rust situation where the long layoff certainly had an impact.

In order to contend, teams must be able to compete under a wide range of conditions including coming off of breaks. Taking three games to return to form isn’t ideal but it has been impressive that they continue to find ways to win.

More contributions needed from the bottom six

Much of the Rangers’ success this season can be largely attributed to Igor Shesterkin’s incredible goaltending, solid defense, and consistent offense from the top six. The Rangers are a more complete team than they’ve been in recent years, a product of the Jeff Gorton rebuild. However, contributions from the bottom six are still lacking.

The fourth line has been more successful than the third. No one is expecting the fourth line to go out and score multiple goals a night. They’re expected to play a physical game a send a message. They’ve done that for the most part being led by Ryan Reaves who was brought aboard for precisely that purpose. He has 181 hits on the season so far.

Playing Greg McKegg on the fourth line does raise questions. For the time that McKegg has been in the lineup, he has not made a noticeable impact. The younger Morgan Barron with plenty of potential deserves a chance. Kevin Rooney is more than capable of playing the wing. It’s time for Gallant to give Barron a look at the fourth line center position with Reaves and Rooney on the wings.

The third line sees some glimmers of success every now and then, but not nearly often enough. Filip Chytil may have been held back by injury for some time leading into the break. However, this is his fifth year with the Rangers, and he has never recorded more than 23 points in a season. This is underwhelming for a player who was revered as a top prospect for the organization. The Rangers may have a better time playing him more often on the wing. Now that he is healthy, a change needs to be made to spark more production from him.

“It might change tomorrow morning if we sit in the coach’s room too long and look at our board. It’s a work in progress,” he said. “With Kaapo (Kakko) being out a little, you move things around and I wanted to make a change for tomorrow.”

Julien Gauthier and Dryden Hunt both looked promising at the beginning of this season. Thye have both been moved up and down the lineup but struggle to produce. Hunt has nine points on the season, and Gauthier has six. Successful playoff teams have third lines that put up more points than the Rangers’ third line is currently putting up. With the upcoming trade deadline, Chris Drury should consider improving the third line a priority.

Progress has been made but the process continues

Something that has been made clear is that the Rangers have improved significantly this year but still have to mature. There have been times where they’ve looked like a mature team, but not playing a complete game and narrow wins are signs of a team with work to do.

The Rangers will make the playoffs, and that will be the real test. But there are some issues that need to be addressed before then.

Note: All stats come from hockeyreference.com

NHL Rumors

Maple Leafs have entered the J.T. Miller Trade Talks. Plus Zdeno Chara and Hampus Lindholm news. Read More.

Zibanejad and Strome are guaranteed the top two spots, assuming the Rangers don’t trade for Jack Eichel. News on Eichel has been slow recently, but Elliotte Friedman reported on September 9th that the Sabres have re-engaged in talks.

Greg McKegg was an unexpected off season signing that may prove to be nothing more than an insurance policy as Rooney and Barron compete for the fourth spot. Drury has also confirmed in a recent press conference that he intends to use Chytil and Barron as center as opposed to wingers.

Mika Zibanejad and Ryan Strome have been effective for the Rangers

Trading Derrick Brassard to the Senators for Mika Zibanejad has proven to be an incredibly worthwhile move for the Rangers. Not only has Zibanejad played well for the team, he has become on of the top centers in the league.

He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, but Larry Brooks recently reported that Zibanejad and the Rangers were working toward a new long-term deal. He had a set back at the beginning of last season due to COVID. But his recovery and improvement throughout the season was amazing to watch.

The Rangers need him to enter this season at the same level he was at at the end of the last. His ability to lead by example also makes him a candidate for the captaincy. Unless the Rangers trade for Eichel (which is doubtful to start the season), Zibanejad is the number one center.

Ryan Strome has only continued to elevate his game each season with the Rangers since coming over from the Oilers during the 2018-19 season. His chemistry with Artemi Panarin is valuable to the Rangers offense. Panarin can play anyone, but Strome has been a great complementary center for him.

Strome fits perfectly on the second line right now, so there is no actual need to acquire Eichel. In theory, it would be an upgrade. But there are still too many unknowns with Eichel. Trade talks may be starting up again, but his injury still leaves uncertainty. The Rangers will be just fine with Zibenjad and Strome lining up 1-2 down the middle for another season.

Filip Chytil and Morgan Barron must find their roles

When Chris Drury took over as President and General Manager towards the end of last season, he discussed the need for every player to understand their role.

One player whose role has not been clear is Filip Chytil. David Quinn often moved him back and forth between center and wing. It’s possible that the young forward would benefit from some stability.

With Drury having clearly expressed his belief that Chytil belongs at center, Gallant should play him there consistently. He showed improvement and confidence last season before sustaining a wrist injury against the Penguins. Understandably, this hindered his progress somewhat, but towards the end of the season he seemed to be trending in the right direction again.

Morgan Barron got a chance with the Rangers late last season. He only played five games but picked up a goal in that time. Like Chytil, Drury feels Barron belongs at center.

He was drafted in 2017 and finally has a chance to show the Rangers he belongs in the NHL. Ideally, he’d claim the fourth line center spot out of training camp. Vince Mercogliano ranked Barron eighth among the Rangers top ten prospects. In his article about Barron, he mentions Barron’s efforts to diversify his skill set and be able to play in all situations.

How do Kevin Rooney and Greg McKegg fit in?

Like many new NHLers, Barron may experience setbacks throughout the season. Head Coach Gerard Gallant may decide to sit him for a few games and let him observe. The player he should watch is Kevin Rooney. In the case that Barron is scratched, it’s very possible Gallant opts to put Rooney in to replace Barron.

Rooney proved to be a worthwhile signing for the Rangers last season. He is an able two way player who can play in many situations and is particularly useful on the penalty kill. This is the kind of player the Rangers need Barron to be. Rooney may turn into a sort of mentor for him.

There is also a chance that Barron doesn’t make the team out of training camp. But if this does happen, the Rangers can be certain they have a solid fourth line center in Rooney.

Greg McKegg was with the Rangers during the 2019-20 season before being allowed to depart as a free agent in the offseason. They have signed him again now, but why?

It seems unnecessary with Zibanejad, Strome, Chytil, Barron, and Rooney. But the Rangers have been looking to improve on faceoffs. And McKegg is fairly strong in that area. When he was with the Rangers, he had a faceoff percentage of 49.3 through 53 games. The prior season, his FO% was 51.0 in 41 games. These are not small sample sizes.

While McKegg likely won’t be the Rangers’ first choice for fourth line center, he is capable of playing there. The faceoff statistics probably made him appealing as well. If there’s a situation where two centers are unable to play, McKegg could definitely slot in.

Thanks to Vinni Lettieri’s IG, we can confirm both are back in NY and will join the team when Phase 2 workouts resume. The video shows them and Ryan Lindgren playing golf as a foursome on this beautiful July 4th holiday weekend.

On another note, potential camp invitee, Darren Raddysh is in upstate NY. He should be joining the Rangers for Phase 3 camp as well.

Moments ago, the Rangers announced that the team has sent forward Boo Nieves back to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The 25-year-old played four games with the Rangers and didn’t contribute offensively while playing on the fourth line. This move likely means that forward Greg Mckegg, who has been out with an injury for the last two weeks, is ready to get back in the lineup.

The NYR are 4-1-1 in their last six games. They are playing much better hockey over the course of that time, but have gotten great goaltending from both netminders in Alexander Georgiev, and of course, Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist was fantastic in both games of a back-to-back against the Red Wings and Hurricanes, Thursday night against the Canes, the some will tell you the Rangers had no business winning that game, but Lundqvist kept them in it with what was one of his top-25 greatest performances of all time in my opinion.

While all is great right now in Rangerstown, as well as in Hartford, the Rangers are going to have some extremely difficult decisions to make over the next seven months or so. In this post we’re going to look at the pending RFAs, UFAs, and possible upcoming prospects for the club and how the Rangers are going to handle them.

The Cap and Future

The Rangers decided to buyout Kevin Shattenkirk last summer likely due to the fact of their confidence in rookie Adam Fox. The move, even though many disliked it, was the right one, because Fox has been excellent from day one, and may even be the team’s best defender. The biggest issue with the buyout of Shattenkirk was the dead cap hit that the team would suffer in the 2020-2021 season. The buyout puts $6.083 million of dead cap on the books, on top of Girardi’s $1.111 million of dead cap, and Spooner’s $300,000. After all is said and done, the Rangers will have a touch over $14 million in cap come the summer of 2020 ($14,777,701 to be exact as of right now), with a lot of decisions to make.

The list of players that are due for contracts next summer are as follows:
UFA – Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast, Greg McKegg, Micheal Haley
RFA – Brendan Lemieux, Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo, Alexander Georgiev

UFAs:

Micheal Haley – Many did not understand the move of signing Haley to the club this year. Haley has played very few games for the big club, and will continue to be the Rangers 13/14th forward. I do not expect the Rangers to give Haley another contract next summer.

Decision – Gone this season.

Greg McKegg – McKegg is a very interesting case. When in the lineup and playing on the 4th line, McKegg has been pretty noticeable. He notched his first goal of the season the other night against the Red Wings, and as mentioned before, has been a good 4th line player for the club when he has suited up. I would like to see the Rangers give McKegg a similar deal to what he has now (1 year – $750,000), but I am not sure how much money they can spare on a guy that is a 4th liner/13th forward.

Decision – Another 1 year deal.

Jesper Fast – A few summers ago, Fast signed a 3 year deal carrying an AAV of $1.85 million. Fast, while he has had ups and downs in his career as everyone does, gives the Rangers 110% night in and night out. He is so versatile, and can play up and down the lineup. Fast wears an A, and that tells you a lot about how the organization feels about the 27 year old Swede. No, he is not a guy who is gonna give you 70 points (or even 40 for that matter), but he is a guy that does everything for this team, and as we have seen over the years, play anywhere. I personally am a big fan of Fast, and I do believe this is something that gets done. I think Fast will sign a similar deal to his previous one with a bit of a pay raise, something in the 3-4 year range, carrying an AAV of $3-4 million.

Decision – New contract this summer.

*Side Note – I do believe Fast is someone that is very likely to be going to Seattle when the expansion draft rolls around, but we will save that for another day*

Chris Kreider – Kreider is by far the biggest question mark amongst the pending UFAs for the Rangers. He is a homegrown Ranger, who has become a fan favorite over the years. He is a leader in the locker room, wears an A, and as we all know, speaks a plethora of different languages which helps benefit a young team compiled of many different cultures.

Kreider’s game has been as up and down as any Ranger we have seen over the last 5+ years. When he is on his A game, Kreider is literally a machine; skating as quick as anyone in the game, using his body to get to the net, and winning pucks in the corners to help set up his teammates. When Kreider is off his game, he is essentially invisible (which is pretty difficult for a player of that size, with that kind of speed). When the clock hits 12:01 AM on July 1, 2020, Kreider will be 29 years old. From what we presume, Kreider will likely fetch a 7 year deal, carrying an AAV of around $7 million, whether it’s from the Rangers, or on the open market on July 1.

It may not be what people want to hear, but I do not believe the Rangers extend Kreider, and I think he is moved at the February deadline. The Blues, who are currently without Russian sniper Vlad Tarasenko, would be a great fit for Kreider. Kreider will yield a similar package to that of Rick Nash, and Kevin Hayes – a (what will be late) first round pick, and a B-level prospect.

Decision – Traded.

Before the game, David Quinn announced that alternate captain Marc Staal and Greg McKegg would return to the lineup. Lias Andersson and Ryan Lindgren would be healthy scratches for the night.

After an uneventful first period, the Rangers came out strong in the second period. First, a power play goal from Tony DeAngelo, which was direct from a Brendan Lemieux spin move in front of the net.

Then, a Chris Kreider wrist shot from a cross ice pass from Pavel Buchnevich was buried past Howard to give New York a 2-0 lead.

To add, Ryan Strome deflected a beautiful shot from Adam Fox, which was set up by an even better pass from Artemiy Panarin on the power play to make it 3-0. The Rangers had been lacking on the power play and these efforts seemed to have woken up the special teams.

Detroit would make it 3-1 before the end of the second, but Greg McKegg would keep the lead at three, as he scored a shorthanded goal, his first as a Ranger, in the third to make it 4-1.

The Red Wings pulled Jimmy Howard with just about 5 minutes to play but after a flurry of Red Wing chances, Artemiy Panarin buried the empty net goal to make it a 5-1 game and seal the deal for New York.

Overall, the Rangers had a solid effort throughout the game. The mistakes and miscues from the game against Ottawa were basically squashed, as the Rangers seemed less hectic on the ice and looked more like a unit trying to play a hockey game. Pavel Buchnevich, Artemiy Panarin, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider and Ryan Strome all played well and contributed to the action.

Marc Staal looked solid in his return to the lineup on the back end with Adam Fox. Henrik Lundqvist was stellar in his return as he made 35 saves on 36 shots. This win won’t just elevate the Rangers from last place, they will have won three out of their last four games.

Next Game: The Rangers get right back into it as they head to Raleigh, NC for a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

In a bit of an unsuspecting twist, not only was Filip Chytil sent to Hartford, but also Vitali Kravtsov who showed tons of upside in his 5 preseason games. The biggest shock was not that Gregg McKegg made the roster over Kravtsov, but that Michael Haley appears to be sticking around as the 13th forward.

Trying to understand not keeping Kravtsov up

When it comes to Filip Chytil, it was clear that he didn’t earn his spot. As a 20 year old, it is still very early in his development process that a stint in Hartford is a good thing. Also, Quinn is a firm believer that nothing is given and everything is earned. Keeping Chytil here off of his preseason performance sends the wrong message.

Now when it comes to Kravtsov, the kid looked as good as Gregg McKegg did with a lot more upside. Of course, it is still extremely early in his development cycle that this is not the end of the world. It’s probably better in the long run to get that extra game in Hartford over the next two weeks since the Rangers only play 3 time over that time.

Here is how the 22 man roster looks:

No surprises on defense as I stated that it was basically preset going into the season with Brendan Smith being the 7th defenseman. But it still makes no sense to me why McKegg isn’t the 13th forward and Kravtsov the 3rd line RW.

We will have more later when David Quinn and Jeff Gorton address the media.

The Rangers suited up for their final preseason matchup last night against the New York Islanders at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. Goals by Vladislav Namestnikov and Tony DeAngelo were not enough, as the Rangers fell to the Islanders 4-2. The loss and score was not the main focus of the game tonight, here’s our recap.

The usual top line of players was not dressed tonight, as the Rangers threw out their B+ team on the ice to gauge who should make the final roster before the opener on Thursday. Vladislav Namestnikov, Lias Andersson and Jesper Fast were fantastic for the Rangers, as all three players were engaged in the play, physical when they needed to and were active in the offensive zone. Namestnikov’s goal was a result of the hard work that line displayed all evening. In Andersson’s case, he seems to have improved on his overall game since the previous season and a half, and his work ethic is shining through this pre-season.

Adam Fox, Joe Morrow, and Tony DeAngelo were all solid on the back end. DeAngelo looks like he hasn’t missed a beat as he’s skated well and looked sharp on the puck. This was evident when the Rangers scored their second goal. The whole unit on the ice was strong and kept the puck in for a nice cycle before DeAngelo netted the second goal with a tremendous shot through traffic.

Adam Fox continued his strong showing as he continues to be one of the better skaters and puck handlers on the ice. Joe Morrow also moved the puck well and has made a strong case for the seventh defenseman spot on the main roster.

Brendan Lemieux continued to be a physical force on the ice as he threw his body against the Islanders. Lemieux, who signed his contract right before camp, has looked tremendous out there and already seems to be in midseason form. He skates with speed and plugs hard in the corners along with being a general agitator. This style of play has been displayed throughout the preseason and was evident last night as well.

Speaking of toughness, Michael Haley also got into a scrap with Ross Johnston. Haley is looking to secure a bottom-six role with the big club. Even though it seems unlikely he will get it, he’s played well enough in camp that management would more than likely see him as an option for the Wolf Pack.

Alexandar Georgiev looked solid making 22 saves on 25 shots, as he was slated to play the whole match in net. Looking at other performances, Gregg McKegg, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren were also standouts, as they had nice games and held their own offensively and defensively.

On the contrary, however, Boo Nieves, Vinni Lettieri and Filip Chytil did not perform up to par. Lettieri and Chytil posted a plus/minus rating of -1, while Nieves posted a -2. While Chytil will more than likely make the final roster, the same may not be said for Lettieri and Nieves, as both players were lackluster in their own ends during the game.

The preseason has concluded and now coach Quinn and the rest of the management crew will assess the final few spots and players available for the opening night roster come Thursday. Through the last few games, we’ve seen what the fruits of the rebuild could offer and the final judgement of the team will be a collection of these fruits, in hopes of putting together a solid hockey team.

Next Game: The Rangers begin their 2019-20 season on Thursday night when they host the Winnipeg Jets at The Garden. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

The Rangers officially kicked off the 2019-20 season with their first game of the preseason against their Hudson River rivals. The team from New Jersey came out victorious, but there were many bright spots for the Blueshirts.

Kaapo Kakko – You could see just what made the Finnish teenager such a hot commodity during the 2019 NHL Draft. He used his size, skill, and awareness throughout his MSG debut. Kakko tallied an assist on the first Rangers goal, a blast from Artemi Panarin, to go along with four shots on goal.

Artemi Panarin – The Russian sniper showed off his fantastic shot when he hammered the one-timer from Jacob Trouba during a second-period power play. Panarin would be forced to leave the game early with what was called a groin strain by the Rangers. We will see how long this keeps Panarin out but his first impression on the ice certainly was as advertised.

Michael Haley – Now in his second tour of duty with the Blueshirts, the veteran tough guy had himself a solid showing as well. Haley was hard on the forecheck, dropped the gloves after delivering a heavy hit to Connor Carrick in the first period, and scored a tap-in goal after some great work from Greg McKegg behind the Devils net. I don’t think Haley will be on the team’s opening night roster, but nights like this one will certainly help his chances.

Lias Andersson – Prior to tonight’s contest, reports on the Swedish forward were nothing but positive from the Rangers coaching staff. Andersson showed the MSG faithful exactly why he’s been praised by his head coach so early into training camp.

Throughout the game, Andersson used his body to protect the puck, was relentless on the forecheck, and got to the dirty areas, which is how he picked up his first goal of the preseason. Andersson cleaned up the rebound of Vitali Kravtsov’s side of the net shot from just outside the top of the crease. Andersson will be looking to take the next step in his development this year, and tonight was a good first step.

Brendan Smith – The most apparent sore spot in this one was the play of the veteran defenseman from Mimico, Ontario. Smith had the second least TOI – only trailing linemate Brandon Crawley – and he was noticeable for mostly the wrong reasons. He wasn’t able to successfully defend Maltsev after Crawley turned the puck over before the second NJ goal, and he had a giveaway as well. Smith did record five shots on net, but his defensive play is what needs to improve dramatically if he has any chance of breaking camp as a part of David Quinn’s roster.

Igor Shesterkin – The highly touted ”Czar Igor” made his MSG debut over the final 29 or so minutes of tonight’s contest and looked solid in net. Shesterkin made 12 saves on 13 shots after Alexandar Georgiev stopped just eight of the 11 shots he faced. Shesterkin made a handful of solid stops, including this one which got an ”I-GOR” chant from the MSG crowd. Shesterkin will likely start the season with Hartford, but he certainly made an excellent first impression at MSG.

Next Game: The Rangers are back in action on Friday night when they face the Devils at the Prudential Center. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!