Nicklas Jensen, who the Rangers acquired from the Vancouver Canucks back in 2016, has refused an offer to come back to North America and rejoin the organization.

Jensen left the club prior to the 2017 season to play in the KHL after spending the vast majority of his time with the Blueshirts down in Hartford, where he recorded 80 points (47G, 33A) in 111 games. According to the report from Danish news site TV2, Jensen said that it would be better for him to continue his development overseas, adding he hopes to “make people turn their heads over there.” Jensen also noted that he was not guaranteed a spot on David Quinn’s roster and that he didn’t want to come back to North America and end up in Hartford. “Of course, if I went to Rangers camp and joined the NHL team, it would be better. But at my age, I will not end up in a year when I’m going to play AHL. I have shown [I can play] the AHL game.”

The Rangers own the rights to Jensen indefinitely according to CapFriendly, so if Jensen wants to remain with Jokerit this season, it won’t be a problem for the Rangers going forward. Now the pressure is on Jensen. If he can perform well enough to “turn heads” as he mentioned, then the Rangers will want to bring him back to North America as soon as possible. But if not, then he may not be crossing the Atlantic Ocean for a while.

As the season goes on, we will be doing a series of posts highlighting the Rangers European Prospects. This will take the form of a 3 Stars of the Week. Each post will highlight the performances of three Rangers’ European Prospects, along with a number of honorable mentions. In order to be eligible, a player must play for a European Team. Prospects in the OHL, QMJHL, WHL, and NCAA will be covered in a separate series of posts.

Note: the Rangers organization has experienced a significant amount of turnover this past year. In addition, many players do not know where they will be playing to begin the year. With this in mind, the list of “European Prospects” will change over the course of the year. For example, Lias Andersson is listed here, however, there is a high likelihood that he will begin the season in either New York or Hartford. This will remove him from the list of European prospects. As the season goes on, the list for eligibility will continue to change.

Honorable Mentions

While the majority of prospects have not started playing with their regular season teams, the KHL season has begun and a number of tournaments have been going on. While not a substitute for Hockey at the Garden, this does provide a “fix” until October 5th.

Champions Hockey League

Lias Andersson, Dominik Lakatos, Tarmo Reunanen and Patrik Virta all are suiting up for their respective teams in the Champions Hockey League. Andersson and his team, Frolunda, are undefeated at 4-0 so far. While Andersson does not have any points, his play has impressed on a fairly deep Frolunda squad. Dominik Lakatos has 2 points (1G, 1A) to go along with 18 penalty minutes for Liberec. Patrik Virta and Tarmo Reunanen each have zero points for TPS, although Virta has impressed in the faceoff circle winning 65% of his draws.

3rd Star

Filip Chytil has been quite impressive every time he has stepped on the ice this summer. His performance in the U20 Four Nations Tournament has been no different. Chytil opened the scoring for the Czech Republic in the 1st period of their 3-1 victory over Team Finland. He is number 21 in the video below.

Chytil then added two assists in a 6-5 loss to Team Russia. On August 31st, Chytil was added to the Rangers Traverse City Prospects Tournament. However, over the weekend, a report out of the Czech Republic was confirmed by Larry Brooks, stating that Chytil suffered a torn leg muscle in the tournament. While Chytil was not expected to make the Rangers roster this year, the injury puts a damper on a very successful summer.

2nd Star

Nicklas Jensen was the second leading scorer for the Hartford Wolfpack last year with 55 points. However, this off-season, Jensen signed with Jokerit of the KHL. Jensen’s rights are still owned by the Rangers for another season so he is still eligible for this list. The KHL’s regular season began last week, and Jensen has played in 4 games for Jokerit scoring 3 points (2G, 1A). While not normally enough to warrant a 2nd Star selection, it is still good to see Jensen putting up points against tougher competition.

1st Star

Arguably the Rangers most important prospect, Igor Shestyorkin had a very good season last year for SKA St Petersburg. So far this year, Shestyorkin has picked up right where he left off. In three games so far this season, Shestyorkin is undefeated with a 1-0-2 record, along with a 1.45 GAA, .947 save percentage and a shutout. While we won’t be seeing Shestyorkin in New York this year, his development will be something to continue to follow.

Fan Questions

As the season goes on I want to cater to your requests. Let us know who you want to see updates on and who you believe is worthy of a Prospect Star of the Week. Please send all questions and comment to my twitter handle @BlueshirtBros94 or to @FullTiltNYRBlog.

New York Rangers prospect Nicklas Jensen, who is currently a restricted free agent, has signed a 1-year contract with Jokerit of the KHL. Since Nicklas came to the organization in a trade with Vancouver for Emerson Etem, he has been assigned to the team’s minor league affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Despite being a call up on a couple of occasions, he couldn’t keep himself with the big club long enough to call it home.

Nicklas Jensen signing overseas is somewhat of a loss for the Rangers organization, as he was probably one of their best forwards in the AHL. While he only played seven games with the Rangers, the 24-year-old forward was coming off of a good season with the Wolfpack, earning 55 points in 70 games this season. But, let’s be honest. He isn’t getting any younger and with more and more players getting closer to being NHL ready, his window of opportunity was coming to an end in New York.

There is one added wrinkle to Jensen heading over to Europe. Because Jensen was qualified by GM Jeff Gorton as a restricted free agent, the Rangers still control his rights. Meaning, if he has a great year over in the KHL, the Rangers will be the only team that can engage him in contract negotiations. This has happened once before with the Rangers when Mats Zuccarello, after playing in the KHL in the 2012-13 season, rejoined the Rangers when the lockout and KHL season ended.

Thanks for reading. Remember to follow me @NHLCouchCoach and follow @FulltiltNYRBlog for the lastest Rangers news!

The off-season and free agency have been off to a strong start for the organization. Jeff Gorton is restocking and rebuilding the prospect pool while improving the Rangers themselves. The upcoming season looks promising in Hartford with two strong signings for the American Hockey League club. The addition of Kevin Shattenkirk provided more depth in the organization as well.

The Kevin Shattenkirk Impact

Kevin Shattenkirk returns home to New York on the first day of free agency. He should provide phenomenal defense for the Rangers, but what is unknown is his impact on the blue line regarding the young defensemen in the Rangers system.

Currently, the organization has Sergey Zborovskiy, Calle Sjalin, Anthony DeAngelo, Tarmo Reunanen, Vince Pedrie, Tyler Nanne, Ryan Graves, John Gilmour, Sean Day, Brandon Crawley, and Alexei Bereglazov with the minor league clubs. And a few of the guys in this list will compete for a potential spot in Hartford.

But since Kevin Shattenkirk joined the team, there probably won’t be any available spots for the defensive prospects in New York. But, this does allow their prospects to develop for a year down in the minors, and then if ready, can make the jump next season.

From a developmental standpoint, friendly competition is great to develop prospects.  The bar would rise and each player will have to up their game. The blue line would become packed in the system, especially in Hartford. None of these guys want to be sent packing from Hartford, so the battles on the back end should be intense during training camp.

New York Signs Two Impressive Forwards

On the first day of free agency, Jeff Gorton wasted no time in helping his team in Hartford. He signed forwards Paul Carey (No relation to Matt Carey of Hartford or Greg Carey of Lehigh Valley) and Cole Schneider to one year, two-way deals. Both players last season provided a strong offensive punch to their respective AHL clubs. Hartford now has two experienced veteran players. These signings Nicklas Jensen will have help to produce offense as well.

Paul Carey (24 goals, 31 assists for 55 points in 55 games with the Hershey Bears in the 2016-17 season)

Paul Carey is a 28-year-old forward with strong experience in the American Hockey League. He joins Hartford after spending two seasons in Hershey and joined the Washington Capitals for brief stints in the NHL for a total of eleven games with the club.  Last season, Carey made some strides offensively. He impressed me on March 18th, 2017 as he recorded four goals against Hartford. He was noticeable in each game in the series between Hershey and Hartford. Carey is not afraid to make plays, especially on the power play. He is a well rounded player who can score and assist. His veteran presence will guide the prospects in situations throughout the season on how to successfully tackle problems.

Cole Schneider (24 goals, 39 assists for 63 points in 71 games with the Rochester Americans in the 2016-17 season)

Cole Schneider joins Hartford after completing a one man show on offense for the struggling Rochester Americans last season. The 26-year-old forward is another veteran who has produced quality numbers in the past few seasons. He has proven that he can dominate in the American Hockey League. Schneider is more of a playmaker than a scorer. He will certainly help on the power play and compliment Nicklas Jensen.

Jensen is the sniper of the club and having players who feed him the puck will boost his numbers. Schneider can score when needed if the opportunity rises. He has a quick release and is not afraid to get in the dirty areas. I look forward to another season where he produces healthy offensive numbers. He can show prospects a few tips on converting their opportunities.

What’s Next?

Jeff Gorton still needs to sign players for Hartford and New York as his work is not done. From the standpoint of Hartford, the club is off to a strong start. He addressed the presence of quality veterans along with an offensive punch. I believe he will sign a few more proven American Hockey League players to pitch in on offense. He still needs to address the defense. Despite the depth on the blue line, we need another veteran to help the young prospects. Steven Kampfer returns but he cannot do it all himself.  Having another veteran on defense will give prospects two examples on how to play defense in specific situations. As for goalies, we need him to sign a proven goalie for Hartford. The goalies in the system are not ready for the AHL. Brandon Halverson should be in Hartford next season, but he needs the guidance of a quality starting goalie, similar to Magnus Hellberg.

I am looking forward to the next moves by Jeff Gorton.  In Jeff we trust.

Who Will We Replace After The Expansion Draft?

So, far the past week or so we’ve waited to see the “Protected” and “Unprotected” players for the New York Rangers. Of the unprotected, there are a few names who stand out the most for Rangers Fans, as well as Rangers brass.

Unprotected Players:

Oscar Lindberg (F)

Jesper Fast (F)

Michael Grabner (F)

Antti Raanta

Honorable Mentions:

Matt Puempel

Brendan Smith

If you’re Las Vegas, you are going to give those top four a real strong look. However, if you are the New York Rangers, you have to prepare yourself for the loss of one of these individuals. The Rangers have a few prospects, draft picks, and maybe some free agents in mind to maybe replace “The Chosen One” in the near future.

Who would replace “The Chosen One”?

Oscar Lindberg

If, Las Vegas were to select Oscar Lindberg this would leave a big gap for the Rangers at center next season, especially if Derek Stepan were to be moved as well. If I’m the Rangers, I would always look in my current prospect pool, before even thinking about going out to free agency. I would look no further than Marek Hrivik, this is a guy who has paid his dues in the AHL for some time now. Marek is a solid center for the Wolf Pack. He has had back to back 40 point seasons, while that isn’t as impressive as Lindberg’s 58 point season in Hartford. Marek has the ability to play a very solid two-way game. In a season where Hartford did pretty bad, Hrivik was one of two players (Playing more than 10 games) to have a + on the team. If you have watched him play he is a work horse, always finishes checks and never gives up on the play. Even in his brief stint playing for the Rangers, I liked what a saw.

Another option who I think has a higher point production upside, but will need a little more work is Cristoval Nieves. This kid didn’t have the best year in Hartford, but then again no one did. Cristoval brings what the Rangers always need, speed, and there may not be a faster player in our system right now. He is a big kid with a nice shot and quick on his skates, working on his two-way get might get him a shot on the roster.

Jesper Fast

Next, If Rangers end up losing their PK specialist Jesper Fast, then they will have some issues coming into next season. A player that comes in mind to replace a guy like Jesper, is Nicklas Jensen. Now I know he might not be as good in the PK category, but he is a solid player and he could notch some points as well. He is coming off his best year in the pros with a 55 point season on a team that struggled for most of the year. Now, I know his -27 is very unattractive, but take it with a grain of salt as the whole team was awful. Also, in the last three years, Jensen has went 7 for 9 in shootout attempts, something the Rangers have had a tough go at in recent years.

Michael Grabner

The third guy who I think has to be on the list for Las Vegas is Michael Grabner. Listen, replacing 27 goals will not be easy, and replacing his speed will be even harder. The Rangers have a lot of talent currently on the team, who will probably step up next year and easily replace those missing 27. With Mika hopefully healthy, Buchnevich coming into his second season, Lindberg looking for his breakout year, and Rick Nash hopefully will put some more biscuits in the basket next season. But, if I had to look in the organization for a player I’d like to replace him, I would really get a good look at Ryan Gropp coming into camp. This kid is a stud in the making. Now I’m not saying he will come on the team and put up 20-30 goals, but this young gun has a knack for finding the back of the net. He sees himself as James Neal-like. Those are big shoes to fill day one, but that’s just the type of player the Rangers need. Gropp has consistently gotten better ever year he has played in the WHL. Over the past three years with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he has posted 30 goal seasons, with 84 points in 66 games this year. You could also argue Adam Tambellini for a spot on this roster as well if we lose Grabs. Again, a lot will play into how Traverse City Tournament and Camp plays out.

Antti Raanta

Finally, the man who helped keep the Rangers afloat when “The King” struggled early on, Antti Raanta. Now, at this point losing Raanta would be a tough pill to swallow. Personally, I like the guy. This man played on his head this season when the Rangers needed it the most. To lose him would leave a big gap in the backup spot on the big club.

Who will replace him if he goes? While we all would like to see Igor Shestyorkin, it is still to soon to bring him overseas. Also, with Prospect Brandon Halverson having a tough go in the ECHL & AHL, not sure he is the best option. Mackenzie Skapski may look even worse then Halverson over the past few seasons, since his first stint with the Rangers. With the departure of Magnus Hellberg, it really leaves the Rangers with little options but to make a trade with the Golden Knights to stay away from him or look to free agency. Some possible UFA‘s this offseason, Mike Condon or Anders Nlisson.

Jesper Fast – He doesn’t put up the points to make him an invaluable member of the team, but Jesper Fast’s contributions are paramount to the team’s success. His tireless work in the corners, never giving up on loose pucks and making it tough for the opposition. Fast is one of those players who knows his role and executes it about as flawlessly as one could hope. His 21 points don’t tell the whole story of why he is someone that is necessary for the success of this team. And it is that work ethic that possibly makes him attractive to George McPhee and the Golden Knights.Grade: B

Oscar Lindberg – Lindberg possesses many of the same positive attributes that his Swedish linemate has. He is a tireless worker, looks to grind the opposition down in the corners, and has the ability to make plays with the puck, as evidenced by his beautiful goal against the Bruins. Like Fast and Grabner, Lindberg is a prime candidate for Vegas in the expansion draft. Personally, unless they take Antti Raanta, Lindberg would be my choice for a skater. Grade: B

Pavel Buchnevich – After the Rangers announced they were bringing the Russian forward across the ocean, there were some pretty big expectations levied on the 21-year-old. He got off to a good start, picking up eight points in his first month in the NHL, but was sidelined with back spasms for eight weeks between November 12th and January 13th. And when Buchnevich came back, he was not the same. Yes, he had twelve of his twenty points after returning from injury, but it took him a while before looking like the player he was to start the season. Buchnevich was in and out of the lineup during the postseason, with head coach Alain Vigneault mixing and matching his lines throughout the spring season. Buchnevich suffered from missing a big portion of the season, which did not allow the coaching staff to develop more confidence in him. He has the makings of a top six forward; now he has to stay on the ice to become one. Grade: C+

Brandon Pirri – When Jeff Gorton signed Brandon Pirri, the thought process was that he would come in and be the “heavy shot” on the Rangers power play. But Pirri’s inability to play in his own zone and lack of contributions at even strength kept him out of the lineup. It was a low-risk signing for the Blueshirts, with Pirri only on a one year deal, and seeing that he didn’t contribute much to this year’s team, don’t expect to see him back on Broadway next season. Grade: D

Tanner Glass – Though he is a fan favorite for his hard work and physicality, Glass spent 85 percent of the season down in Hartford with the Wolfpack. But upon being recalled in early March, Glass infused the Rangers with a new energy that became contagious in the final two months of the Rangers season. Glass won’t have the longevity of which to be given a real “grade” for this season, but there is no denying that he made an impact in his short time back on Broadway. Grade: C

Matt Puempel – After being claimed off waivers from the Ottawa Senators in the middle of November, Puempel was brought in to bring some offense in the absences of Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. He played sporadically after the turn of the new year but didn’t look out of place when asked to fill in for a game or two. Puempel scored his first NHL hat trick this season when he tallied three goals against the Arizona Coyotes at the end of December. Puempel is a restricted free agent this offseason, but don’t be shocked if the Rangers don’t re-sign the 24-year-old forward. Grade: C

Nicklas Jensen – The Rangers called up Danish winger Nicklas Jensen for a brief stint on Broadway between December 8th and January 7th. Jensen has been showing signs of progress, playing well in the defensive zone, getting in on the forecheck and playing at full speed every time he was on the ice. With the Rangers in a small transition period, seeing Jensen and some of the other younger guys come up and compete for spots in training camp should be fun to watch. Grade: C

NEXT GAME: The Rangers will have a five day break before their next game against the Maple Leafs on Friday at MSG. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!

Nicklas Jensen is taking Puempel’s spot in the lineup. Puempel started experiencing concussion symptoms after suffering a hit in Colorado.

OFFICIAL: #NYR Puempel out due to concussion symptoms and will be sidelined indefinitely. Jensen in tonight.

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 3, 2017

Pre-Game Notes

Henrik Lundqvist (16-8-1/2.45/.916) and Anders Nilsson (5-3-3/2.47/.925) in nets tonight here at MSG

— Steve Zipay (@stevezipay) January 3, 2017

Miller will go onto power play in Pumps net-front spot

— Steve Zipay (@stevezipay) January 3, 2017

NBC Clueless

Apparently we are in a rivalry with Buffalo…NBC still doesn’t get it. But at least it’s a sweet pic of Zuccarello

ZUUUUUUUUUUC.#RivalryNight pic.twitter.com/PaZqtZaXoL

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 3, 2017

Editor’s Note: to be fair…the Rangers are actually on NBCSN tonight and tomorrow (vs. Flyers). So this is on me….I guess.

Today the Rangers announced the re-signings of defenseman, Mat Bodie and forward, Nicklas Jensen. The fact that Jensen would need to clear waivers if he is gets sent down to Hartford might mean the end of Tanner Glass on the Rangers’ big club roster.

Jensen, Bodie each in at $600,000 NHL on two-way.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) July 5, 2016

Currently, you can bury 950K of a player’s salary in the AHL. This means that only 500K of Glass’ 1.45M cap hit will be charged on the books. Here’s a quick look at the Rangers’ roster without Glass and the RFA’s signed. (Oscar Lindberg is hurt to start the season)

If Jensen plays well, his roster spot would almost certainly come at the expense of Tanner Glass.

“I am so excited for training camp because I do see a good opportunity there for me,” Jensen told BlueshirtsUnited.com. “My goal is to make the Rangers right out of camp, to impress the coaches and have them trust me.” 

When the Rangers went to the Stanley Cup Final in June of 2014, their fourth line was one of the best in the league.

In the last two off-seasons, Rangers’ management has been faced with the task of navigating under and around the cap ceiling while still fielding a Cup contending team. Such is reality in the National Hockey League these days.

One of the ways that successful teams have managed to do this is by finding dirt-cheap depth players to fill out the bottom six. The combination of paying no money for good fourth liners and, well, finding good fourth liners hasn’t come easy to the Rangers lately.

The New York Post reported that The Rangers and Dom Moore are splitting ways. Perhaps a move that signifies a fourth line makeover.

With that in mind, I buzzed through some potential fourth line avenues the team could explore. (Comment some of yours if you’d like)

Fourth line option A: The Swedes

This is far and away my personal favorite. Also very realistic.

The three Swedes referenced are Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast and Viktor Stalberg.

There are some holes that would need to be filled as a result of this trio, namely Fast’s right-handed replacement in the top nine forward group. Stalberg is a UFA, but could presumably be had for cheap if the Rangers had interest. If that series of moves were made, a fourth line of Stalberg-Lindberg-Fast would not only be very Swedish, but also very good.

You hear people reference fourth liners as “grinders,” whether that is or is not what you or I think is the correct mold for a fourth liner, that’s what AV thinks. His favoritism of Tanner Glass confirms this.

That is what Fast and Stalberg really are though, grinders. You don’t have to be the biggest guy to be a grinder. Watch Fast for 5 minutes and you’ll see the type of player he is: a disrupter.

“He can read the game really well, and he works like an SOB. He works and he works and he works. He just doesn’t stop, and that’s what makes him a really effective player.”- AV on 24-year-old Jesper Fast (via CBS sports) 

You’ll find similar praise for Stalberg.

Stalberg was fifth on the team in hits. The type of “grit” that both Fast and Stalberg bring consists of a series of smart, hard checking plays. They don’t throw hits just to wear down the opponent, they hit to gain possession of the puck.

Young Lindberg would be placed in a full time center role and would be relied on in all three zones—indeed a perfect match.

Fourth line option B: the status quo.

This what I hope doesn’t end up happening, but probably will.

In the most Vigneault-esque sequence of events ever, the Rangers could roll out a fourth line once again featuring two decent players and Tanner Glass. If history gives points us in any direction, it’s that Glass will be on the roster come opening night.

I don’t want this to turn into a pile-up on Glass. He’s a hard working player that gave his all for the club over the past two seasons.

But the fact is, there are cheaper and better players available this off-season than Glass. Both within the organization and via the UFA market, they could no doubt find a well-rounded player under $1 million per.

Maybe he’s a Hartford call up, maybe he’s a savvy free agent signing. An upgrade will be available to the Rangers. The question is, do they really want to change?

Fourth line option C: Oscar Lindberg and some guys from Hartford

If the Rangers are in an epic cap crunch (which they will be) they could opt to go the route of the youngsters. A fourth line featuring any three of Oscar Lindberg, Niklas Jensen, Marek Hrivik, or Jesper Fast would be a couple of things: 1. Cheap 2. Experimental 3. Fun to watch

The enticing part of this trio is that the combined cap hit would be less than $3 million. The would-be savings would be clutch considering the Rangers’ cap crunch.

It very well may turn out that Marek Hrivik and Niklas Jensen are just not that good. Being unknown commodities, throwing both of them on the same line out of training camp flanking Lindberg probably isn’t the smartest idea, but fun to envision nonetheless.

If these three did find some continuity though, it would be a nice mix. Lindberg—the two-way center—flanked by Hrivik, who we saw was great in the corners and along the walls in his short stint with the big club, and Jensen, who has enough skill to play as a bottom six forward but hasn’t been able to put the whole package together just yet. Intriguing for sure.

Fourth line option D: free agent market 

Maybe Jeff Gorton looks to the free agency market for potential pieces to next year’s fourth line.

Here are some UFA options that could be had for cheap:

• Riley Nash-LW (9-13–22)
• Mike Santorelli W/C (9-9–18
• Sam Gagner-C (8-8–16)
• Brad Boyes-LW (8-16–24)
• Justin Fontaine-LW (5-11–16)

Give us your thoughts below.