NHL Analyst and Insider Kevin Weeks is reporting that there’s talks of a Stadium Series event involving the Devils at MetLife Stadium. That was followed by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski noting that there was talks during the last Stadium Series game in Raleigh that the opponent is likely the Rangers.

I heard Devils vs. Rangers at MetLife when I was covering the Stadium Series in Raleigh. Which would be absolutely epic. But as my colleague @KevinWeekes notes, it's in the possibility stage now.

Rangers haven't played outdoors since 2018 at Citi Field. https://t.co/VV0wPrJQqI

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 21, 2023

New York Rangers Stadium Series

The last time the Rangers played outdoors was 2018 at Citi Field for the Winter Classic. In that contest, J.T. Miller scored the game-winner in overtime to beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.

The Blueshirts were involved in the Stadium Series back in 2014 where they played both the New Islanders and New Jersey Devils. Yankee Stadium was the host for those games with the Rangers winning each contest.

On January 26, the Rangers got two goals from Mats Zucarello to blow out the Devils 7-3. Three days later, they beat the Islanders 2-1 thanks to 30 saves by Henrik Lundqvist.

New York Rangers scouting Blackhawks

The New York Rangers are in Chicago tonight scouting the Blackhawks per Tab Bamford.

At this time, three players are linked to the Rangers which include Max Domi, Sam Lafferty, and Patrick Kane.

It’s very possible the #NYR are scouting Max Domi, Sam Lafferty, or (drumroll) Patrick Kane https://t.co/NlFBnAGOnh

— Forever Blueshirts (@4EverBlueshirts) February 21, 2023

Domi, 27, has recorded 15 goals and 42 points in 55 games this season. He will be a UFA in July and has a cap hit of $3 million. If the Rangers are interested, it could be for a top six role to replace Jimmy Vesey and move him to the fourth line. Chicago would need to retain salary.

Lafferty, 27, has notched 21 points in 49 games and has one year remaining on his contract with an AAV of $1.15 million. He would make a great addition to the Rangers fourth line for the remainder of this year and next.

Kane, 34, is the big prize with 14 goals and 41 points in 52 games. The Rangers would need to work some serious gap gymnastics which we detail here. It would be another huge swing for GM Chris Drury.

A decision on whether or not Kane will waive his no-move clause could come as soon as final buzzer sounds in their game against the Vegas Golden Knights tonight. If not, it’s expected to occur over the next couple of days.

The NHL Trade Deadline is March 3.

NHL News and Rumors

NHL Recaps. All the latest scores here.

Check out the latest NHL Trade Bait Tracker right here!

NHL Rumors: Patrick Kane decision coming. Read more.

Jonathan Toews dealing wint illness, will not be traded. Read more.

President and General Manager Chris Dury is more likely to target a top six forward with many believing the Blueshirts are the front-runners to land Patrick Kane. Team owner, James Dolan inadvertently tipped his team’s hand with comments made on Good Day NY on Thursday morning.

“I think the Rangers are really cooking and they’ve got a shot to win the whole thing,” Dolan said with excitement in his voice.

That being said, there are questions looming as to Kane’s health and a nagging lower-body injury that may require surgery. Regardless, even if Kane isn’t there they can go after the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko or James van Riemsdyk on the rental market.

Of course, there’s no guarantee the Rangers will land any of the big fish and may opt to go a route similar to last season. At the previous deadline, they added Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte, and Justin Braun in an effort to fill holes and improve depth.

It most certainly worked and led to a run to the Eastern Conference Final. Here’s a look at some mid-tier targets the Rangers are rumored to be interested in this Spring.

New York Rangers mid-tier trade targets

Max Domi, Chicago Blackhawks

There’s obviously been a lot of focus on Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews out of Chicago, but Domi is a player that the Rangers have been intrigued with for a while. He’s a feisty forward with a scoring touch and has notched 33 points in 46 games this season. Plus, the 27 year-old only has a cap hit of $3M AAV. Another added bonus is his ability to play center, which is always nice to have in the playoffs.

Gustav Nyquist, Columbus Blue Jackets

Nyquist, 33, has picked up 22 points in 48 games this season on a very bad Blue Jackets squad. If the Rangers miss on Patrick Kane or Vladimir Tarasenko he could be a nice option. According to Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, the Blueshirts might be a landing spot for his services. The Rangers may also want the Jackets to eat a little of his $5.5M cap hit.

Ivan Barbashev, St. Louis Blues

The Blues are a very interesting team at this trade deadline as they teeter for a playoff spot. Right now, they’re on the outside looking in and will be selling their pending UFA’s which includes Barbashev. This season, he’s recorded 23 points in 48 games and plays the heavy game that Gerard Gallant covets. The 27 year-old plays all forward positions and only has a cap hit of $2.25M. Keep this in mind, the Rangers love his game so much they recently drafted his little brother Maxim.

Nick Ritchie, Arizona Coyotes

According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the Rangers have already checked in on forward Nick Ritchie whom they had interest in last trade deadline. The 27 year-old, has registered 18 points in 45 games this season. The pending UFA has a cap hit of $2.5M and would be a nice addition to the Rangers fourth line for the playoffs.

Tyler Motte, Ottawa Senators

The Rangers wanted to keep Motte after a successful run in the playoffs where he was a key contributor on the PK. Unfortunately the cap space wasn’t there to keep him around in October but a reunion has been speculated for months. This season, the 27 year-old has posted 9 points in 32 games and has a manageable cap hit of just $1.35M. He’s currently out of action with a broken finger suffered in late December.

NHL News and Rumors

NHL Recaps. All the latest scores here.

Ryan O’Reilly open to discount to stay with Blues. Read more.

Gary Bettman claims there’s no tanking in the NHL. Read more.

NHL Rumors: Tarasenko, Karlsson, and Meier. Read more.

The NHL Trade Deadline is just two weeks away and as expected the New York Rangers are in the thick of rumors.

General Manager Chris Drury is looking bolster his lineup for the playoffs and there’s a lot of indication that he’ll be very busy. New York may not be landing some of the bigger rentals like Claude Giroux, but they make several deals in the coming weeks.

Here’s a breakdown of trade targets categorized into three tiers.

New York Rangers: Top Trade Targets

Rickard Rakell, 28, is a right wing that is currently playing on the Ducks third line due to the emergence of Troy Terry. The pending UFA forward has 15 goals and 27 points in 47 games and has become the Rangers top trade target. His current cap hit is $3.8 million and would really help the Rangers scoring issues.

Ben Chiarot, 30, is pending UFA that has 16 points in 51 games and could play top four minutes on the left side for any playoff team. It is believed that asking price by the Habs for the rental defenseman starts with a first round pick and another prospect. Chris Drury is going to make a run a serious at him per a source. Will Jeff Gorton help his former assistant?

Phil Kessel, 34, is a pending UFA and considered a top rental. He is still productive with 34 points in 55 games for the Coyotes. The Rangers are believed to not be interested, but I was told they are certainly keeping tabs on the situation.

Max Domi, 27, is a pending UFA this summer with a cap hit of $5.3 million. The versatile forward can play center but has been used by Columbus primarily as a left wing. This season, he has 26 points in 46 games. This is another player that Drury is keeping tabs on, but will John Davidson help the man who took his job?

Calle Jarnkrok, 30, is having a solid season with the Kraken and can play any forward position. He’s currently playing first line center, which should tell you all you need to know about the Kraken’s lowly position in the standing. He would be a great third line center for the playoffs. Jarnkrok has 23 points in 45 games.

Mark Giordano, 38, has 23 points in 51 games for the Kraken. He is exactly what contending teams will be looking for at the deadline. The Rangers had their sights set on him in the offseason prior to signing Patrik Nemeth. They may attempt to acquire him for the playoffs, but the rumor mill has him heading back to Calgary either at the deadline or via free agency.

On the radar, but unlikely

J.T. Miller, 28, has one more year left on his deal worth $5.25M before becoming a UFA. He’s also been extremely productive with 63 points in 55 games for Vancouver this season. The asking price is is high which indicates he is not going anywhere. If the price drops, the Rangers will reengage.

Reilly Smith, 30, is in the final year of his contract with a $5 million cap hit. He’s a perfect rental and has played for Gerard Gallant in the past. The forward has 37 points in 54 games this season but the Golden Knights will be using LTIR to keep him. Unless Mark Stone comes back before the deadline, Smith is staying put.

Artturi Lehkonen, 26, is scheduled to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He has 25 points in 53 games this season. The former second round pick (55th overall) makes $2.3M on his current deal and could be a could fit beyond this season for the Rangers. He’s been playing well under new coach Marty St. Louis and is likely off the table now.

Hampus Lindholm, 28, is making $5.2 million against the cap which is not an issue for the Rangers this season. The big left-handed defenseman (6-4, 216) has 20 points in 55 games this season averaging top pair minutes at 22:50. Anaheim is talking extension with Lindholm, so he’s likely off the table.

Tomas Hertl, 28, is in the final year of a deal that has a $5.625M cap hit. This season, he’s notched 42 points in 55 contests. If he’s available the Rangers are likely to go hard for him but the latest reports have the Sharks working hard to extend him.

Back-up Trade Targets

Mattias Janmark, 31, is one of several Vegas players that will be a UFA. While the Rangers would love Reilly Smith, the swap out of Mark Stone for Jack Eichel on LTIR will keep him there. Vegas may still need to clear cap space and Janmark makes sense to move. He’s registered 17 points in 44 games this season playing a third line role.

Nick Paul, 26, is a pending UFA making $1.35 million. This season, he’s scored 17 points in 53 games with the Sens. He’s been moved to the second line center spot and would be a nice cheap add for the Rangers as a third line winger/center. Paul played for Gallant this summer at the World Championships.

Ryan Carpenter, 31, is a pending UFA making $1 million. This season, he’s registered 9 points in 52 games with Chicago. He is a bottom six center that wins 52.4 of his draws and racked up 97 hits. Acquiring this physical forward would be an upgrade over Greg McKegg and solidify the 4th line.

Vlad Namestnikov, 29, will be a UFA at the end of the year coming off a deal that pays $2 million. In 54 games, he’s put home 13 goals and 23 points. He’s been a versatile player for the Wings this season playing a middle-six forward role. Namestnikov is also familiar with New York having played for the Rangers for three seasons from 2017/18 to 2019/20 (35 points in 99 games).

We will update this list next Monday.

NHL Trade Bait Tracker

The latest Trade Bait Tracker has been updated and now contains 35 names. Check out who is the top target for teams with just two weeks left before the NHL Trade Deadline. Read more.

The New York Rangers will definitely be involved in the trade market this season as buyers. They may also be closer to making a trade than the other contenders as well.

GM Chris Drury has plenty of cap space and doesn’t need to wait closer to the deadline or get help from a third party to lower the cap hit.

It’s no secret that the Rangers are going to be active, and with the ability to add around $32 million in salary come the trade deadline, Drury will likely go on a trade spree.

Top Insider says Rangers will take “Big Swing”

On the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman discussed the Rangers and how they will approach the deadline.

“When I look at (the Rangers) they can win playoffs series because of (Igor) Shesterkin,” Friedman said. “They obviously got left a lot of talent by the Jeff Gorton regime. Chris Drury has made his tweaks and I think he’s going to take a big swing at the deadline this year.

There really wasn’t much more than that regarding what that “big swing” could be.

The natural assumption is Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller, but as I’ve discussed before, the cost to acquire him is not reasonable. Vancouver has set the price high purposefully because they don’t want to trade their leading scorer with the playoffs within reach. If someone is crazy enough to give them a top young player, top prospect, a first round draft pick, and maybe more then they’d be crazy not to accept.

So who else is there that fits what the Rangers need and considered a “big swing”?

Claude Giroux would be great, but the Flyers are not trading their captain to New York to help them win a Cup. What about Tomas Hertl? If he’s available at the deadline it’s possible, although signs are pointing to him staying in San Jose. And about those Filip Forsberg rumors, they were hogwash from the moment they came out.

From what I can gather, the “big swing” the Rangers are going to take by March 21st is going to be trade attempts for three to four players.

New York Rangers top trade targets

Forever Blueshirts has learned that the Rangers are aggressively targeting pending UFAs, Rickard Rakell of the Anaheim Ducks and Ben Chiarot of the Montreal Canadiens. Those are the two big guys they want to add as rentals for the playoffs. A top six forward and a physical left defenseman that can chip in offensively.

Two other pending UFA forwards they are looking at are Arizona Coyotes veteran Phil Kessel and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Max Domi. Kessel could be plan B if they can’t land Rakell. Chris Drury certainly wants to beef up his bottom six, and in essence revamp the third line. That’s why Domi is on his radar.

I can also confirm that Gerard Gallant has lobbied for Reilly Smith, who played for the coach in Vegas. However with Mark Stone on LTIR the Golden Knights are able to keep him.

Drury will also look at adding depth forwards like Calle Jarnkrok from the Seattle Kraken. Another option could be Vegas’ Mattias Janmark, once he comes off IR.

One thing that likely won’t be in the cards is going after pending RFA’s like Artturi Lehkonen in Montreal or Victor Olofsson in Buffalo.

“One of the guys I know they were interested in was Olofsson,” Friedman said. “They didn’t do it and the major reason was they couldn’t handle his (contract) situation next season.”

The Rangers will be very tight on cap space once Mika Zibanejad’s ($8.5M) and Adam Fox’s ($9.5M) extensions kick in next season.

NHL Rumors

Get the latest buzz on the Rangers wish list, what Phil Kessel is worth and a potential Maple Leafs – Canucks blockbuster trade. Read more.

The New York Rangers will face the New Jersey Devils tonight, but it feels like the next nine games until the NHL Trade Deadline are about to become sidebars.

On Thursday evening, TSN’s Insider Trading noted that Chris Drury is very much involved in trade talks for some notable names which includes; J.T. Miller, Rickard Rakell, and Ben Chiarot.

There are some other possibilities too, especially since there’s been plenty of scouting between the Blueshirts and both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Seattle Kraken.

Rangers and Max Domi rumors

Domi, 27, is a pending UFA this summer with a cap hit of $5.3 million. The versatile forward can play center but has been used by Columbus primarily as a left wing. This season, he has 25 points in 44 games but has potential for more. During the 2018-19 season, he racked up 72 points in 82 games for the Canadiens.

If the last night sounds familiar, his father, Tie Domi used to police the Garden ice for a few years back in the early 90s. His fights with the late Bob Probert of the Red Wings are legendary.

Max is likely on the move at the trade deadline, and the Rangers have been linked by The Fourth Period and The Athletic. Depending on what Chris Drury can get done, Domi may be an affordable rental option but lower down their target list. He could play third line center, or even third line left wing should the Rangers opt to go with Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko on the top two lines for the playoffs.

The cost of acquisition for Domi will matter, because it’s unlikely with the Rangers’ cap issues next year that they could re-sign him.

Rangers and Kraken are talking

The Rangers have had interest in pending UFA defenseman Mark Giordano since last season. However, he’s not the only player the Seattle Kraken are making available.

According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, Calle Jarnkrok is a potential target and GMs Chris Drury and Ron Francis have had some discussion.

Jarnkrok, 30, is having a solid season with the Kraken and can play any forward position. He’s currently playing first line center, which should tell you all you need to know about the Kraken’s lowly position in the standing. He would be a great third line center for the playoffs.

As I noted yesterday, Chris Drury needs to revamp his third line more than he needs J.T. Miller.

NHL Rumors

Get the latest on Patrick Kane, Jake DeBrusk, and the Capitals trade deadline approach. Read more.

Vitali Kravtsov plays a strong game

Traktor fell 3-2 in OT today against Sochi. Vitali Kravtsov was on the for both goals they scored. Once again, Kravtsov is playing well and most importantly shooting the puck. He now has 16 shot in three contests.

Chris Drury talks about winning the lottery

Assistant General Manager, Chris Drury spoke about the disappointment of getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes. That of course was all made more palatable when the Rangers won the lottery and the right to pick Alexis Lafreniere on October 6th.

Here’s Chris describing his reactions to seeing the ball come up Blueshirts.

Rangers and Canadiens Domi trade talk?

Max Domi’s name has been in the NHL trade rumor mill for over a week now. The Canadiens are said to be willing to trade Max Domi’s rights at the draft. He is an arbitration eligible RFA coming off a deal with an AAV of $3.1 million. His next contract could be a manageable two-year bridge deal for around $5.5 million making him a UFA at 27.

On September 4th, I wrote a post on Max Domi being a fit at center for the Rangers. I noted that I would make some calls to confirm if the Rangers were indeed one of the teams rumored interested.

Well today, I finally got a reply from a source with knowledge on the Max Domi side. When asked if there have been trade talks about Domi, the reply indicated that it is very likely. As it pertains to which teams, it sounded like the Rangers and Penguins were in the mix. However, at at this time those discussions could have just been exploratory to see what Marc Bergevin is looking for in return.

Rangers draft pick update

When the Dallas Stars won their game 7, it meant the Rangers could not pick any worse than 23rd with their second first round pick. When the Vancouver Canucks lost theirs, it meant they could not jump up to 21.

So today, the Blueshirts can move up one more spot to 22 if the New York Islanders beat the Flyers. What do you think Rangers fans want to happen? That’s easy, overwhelmingly 57% of almost 900 voted they can never root for the Isles.

Trade Target: Max Domi

In case you missed it, I wrote about the Rangers possibly making an offer to obtain the RFA rights of Max Domi from Montreal. There’s rumors floating around that the Penguins, Blue Jackets, and Rangers are interested.

READ MORE HERE.

Jesper Fast update

Recently, I spoke with a source close to Jesper Fast that told me that he is likely heading to free agency. I followed this up with another source closer to the Rangers side, who confirmed that there have been no recent discussions between the two sides as of today.

As it stands, it appears the Rangers will allow Jesper Fast to hit the market when the bell opens for free agency.

Ryan Callahan on being Captain

Former Rangers captain, Ryan Callahan was a true warrior for the Black and Blueshirts. Here he is talking about his time in NY.

More NHL and NYR news

THE DAILY GOAL HORN: Check the latest news and rumors at your new home for hockey.

Max Domi on the outs in Montreal

The son of former Rangers tough guy, Tie Domi struggled this year with just 44 points in 71 contests. That’s no reason for the Canadiens to trade a young player with lots of offensive talent. However, things don’t appear to be going well between the two sides.

It all culminated when Habs GM, Marc Bergevin was asked about Domi after they were eliminated by the Flyers. “He’s better suited to answer regarding his performance,” Bergevin said. “Max has a lot of potential. I can’t speak for his future.”

That’s a pretty heavy statement coming from the man that runs the team. Things were further complicated when Domi fired his agent, Pat Brisson who is friends with Bergevin. The last time that happened in Montreal, it was Max Pacioretty who fired Brisson after Bergevin attempted to trade him to the Kings. This all seems to point to Domi on the way out.

A future second line center on Broadway

The Canadiens are said to be willing to trade Max Domi’s rights at the draft. He is an arbitration eligible RFA coming off a deal with an AAV of $3.1 million. His next contract could be a manageable two-year bridge deal for around $5.5 million making him a UFA at 27.

Montreal is looking for some size and skill on the wings. The New York Rangers have plenty of wings on the team and in the pipeline to work a deal out. They also have a lot of draft capital to play with and could use that 2nd first round pick to sweeten the pot.

Jeff Gorton could use that surplus and move a player like Pavel Buchnevich for Domi. He could also try going with Filip Chytil and Julien Gauthier, who is French Canadien. It might comes as a shock, but Vitali Kravtsov may not be as untouchable as some people think.

The bottom line is that the Rangers can mix and match several options to acquire Domi. There will be competition as the rumor mill has the Penguins and Blue Jackets also very interested.

Note: I have made some calls to find out more about Max Domi’s situation. Working to confirm which teams have reached out to Montreal about what it would take to get Max. Rumor mill has the Rangers as one of those teams.

Rangers expect to have Kaapo Kakko in camp

As of now, there does not appear to be a similar decision coming from the Rangers with Kaapo Kakko who is also diabetic. “If the doctors and the world of science told us not to play him, he’s not playing, it’s that simple,” John Davidson said recently. “We’ve had many discussions with him (Kakko). He’s been tested, he’s good.”

Kaapo Kakko has been cleared to play at this time, but JD wanted it understood that the decision will ultimately be Kakko’s if he feels more at risk for getting COVID-19.

“As of right now we look to have him in the lineup,” JD affirmed. “If there is a change that comes along and they say we don’t think he should be playing, he’s not playing.” Regardless of all the science and doctors’ clearance, Kaapo must be comfortable as JD clarified when answering. “It’s his decision remember, and (he) wants to play, and talks to his family, he’s playing.”

The decision could be taken out of Kakko’s hands

A Finnish site, Suomi Kiekko had a misleading headline recently that read, “NHL line: Kaapo Kakko is not allowed to participate in the playoffs”. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What the author does is take the language of the RTP plan about players having to go through a Pre-participation Medical Exam (PPME), and jump to the conclusion that because Kakko has type-1 diabetes, he will not play.

While true that Kakko and ALL players must go through the exam, as John Davidson stated, they expect to have him in the lineup. The 19 year-old rookie has already gone through testing and is in NY training with teammates getting ready for Phase 3.

Ask yourself, if the Rangers, their medical doctors, and infectious disease specialists, didn’t think he could pass the exam, why would they fly him out of Finland?

You can expect to see Kaapo Kakko’s name tomorrow morning when the Rangers release their roster.

Mike Hoffman on Insider Trading

On TSN’s latest Insider Trading, Pierre Lebrun brought up Florida’s Mike Hoffman as possible trade bait. Apparently the Panthers asked for his no trade list in December and teams are asking for him. The 30 year old forward has 19 goals and 42 points in 52 games this season. Hoffman is a rental being a UFA this summer, and if the Panthers do decide to trade him, it could impact the return for the Rangers on Chris Kreider.

Leafs and Rangers

Yesterday, I wrote how a deal between the Leafs and Rangers for Georgiev just makes too much sense. Well last night Toronto’s AHL affiliate scratched Jeremy Bracco, a LI native rumored to be part of a deal for Georgiev.

So is a deal in the works? Georgiev is not playing tonight unless he is…for Toronto. The deal could come today or after the game.

Changes in Buffalo

Something has got to give for Jack Eichel and the Sabres. They came into this season thinking they would contend for the playoffs and are out of it again. With 6 UFA’s they probably will be selling off as rentals for prospects and picks. I’m just not sure how that is going to change things fast enough unless they make some hockey trades. They could be the most interesting players at the deadline.

Moving in Montreal

Max Domi is a name I didn’t expect to hear this season in trade rumors but still persists. At 24 years old and with 36 points in 55 games, I just don’t see the Habs trading him because he will be an RFA. Honestly, Montreal is the rumor capital of the NHL so I just don’t buy it.