The New York Rangers played their best all-around game since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break Friday, and did so against a legit Stanley Cup contender. Yet they lost 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden.

This after absolutely stealing a 5-3 win in Pittsburgh against the Penguins last Sunday, a game they were run out of the building over the first 40 minutes.

Go figure.

A frustrating loss Friday when the Rangers were the better team and deserved a better result.

There are no moral victories this time of year, with the Rangers remaining tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference and still four points back of the two wild card teams as the calendar flips to March. But if the Rangers play like that the majority of their remaining 23 games, they should secure a postseason playoff berth.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette shortened his bench and leaned heavily on his top-nine forwards, and even more so on his stars. Vincent Trocheck logged 25:52 TOI. Mike Zibanejad, who had a goal and assist, played 24:44. Artemi Panarin was out there 24:01.

The Rangers best — minus defenseman Adam Fox, who missed his first game with an upper-body injury — were on the puck all night, leading to 78-39 attempts advantage and 35-17 lead in shots on goal.

But they lost.

To cover for Fox’s absence, Laviolette deployed five forwards on the top power-play unit. He might want to re-think that strategy. But giving fairly equal ice time to each of the six defensemen instead of leaning heavily one one pair with their top d-man out worked well. K’Andre Miller — five giveaways! — led the defense corps with 23:30 TOI. But the other defensemen were between 16 and 19 minutes roughly. That worked.

Not too much to tweak Sunday, when they host the Nashville Predators. Just the result.

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New York Rangers news

Here are three Rangers takeaways from the loss Friday, including needing to “start on time.”

Rangers legend Mike Richter told Forever Blueshirts that the current team can definitely grow from the adversity they faced this season, saying “these challenges galvanize you.”

They may be without the injured Fox, but the Rangers remain “hungry” to battle for a playoff spot in the East.

Louis Domingue made 25 saves and topped six of seven shots in the shootout to lead the Hartford Wolf Pack to their second straight win, 4-3 against Springfield.

NHL news

As we reported Friday, the Islanders may not get star forward Mathew Barzal back from an “unfortunate injury” before the season ends. They most certainly won’t have him in the lineup Monday at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.

Kirby Dach had knee surgery and the Montreal Canadiens center is out for the season.

Cole Sillinger is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets will host the 2025 Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Those teams are tied with 66 points and own the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

Pierre LeBrun reports that the Nashville Predators will consider trading captain Ryan O’Reilly, but only if their price is met. He adds that the Predators are looking to move forward Gustav Nyquist.

There are reports that Buffalo Sabres forward J.J. Peterka has become a hot trade deadline target for some teams.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is expected to return to the lineup Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

Defenseman Tyler Tucker signed a two-year, $1.85 million contract to remain with the St. Louis Blues.

The Colorado Avalanche got two goals from Ross Colton and handed the Minnesota Wild their third straight loss, 5-2.

Logan Stankoven scored twice and the Dallas Stars remained hot (9-2-1) with a 6-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings.

Watch Sam Steel score a breakaway short-handed goal for the Stars against the Kings.

Heading into action tomorrow afternoon against the Devils in New Jersey, the Rangers are just a point behind them for second place and six points in back of the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Metropolitan Division.

As this team continues to tack on points in the standings, they inch closer to solidifying a playoff berth. Which also means being a buyer at the NHL Trade Deadline scheduled for March 3, 2023.

Let’s take a look at some names closely associated with Rangers in trade rumors.

Patrick Kane remains Rangers top target

Dating back to last season, Patrick Kane has been linked to the New York Rangers. Many experts and insiders believe that the 34 year-old winger is indeed Chris Drury’s top target and would love to reunite him with former linemate Artemi Panarin for a Stanley Cup run.

“He’s always got those quick, witty comments,” Kane said told The Athletic in December. “I mean, obviously, it’d be fun to play with Panarin again.”

Currently, Kane is nursing a leg injury and is being held out for precautionary reasons. There’s no indication that this is any sort of long term nagging issue. He has 27 points in 37 games to date for a bad Chicago Blackhawks team.

The question to ask is what will it take to get him in a trade? Honestly, that depends a lot on Kane.

The 3-time Stanley Cup champion has a full no-move clause which will play a big role in any trade package. If he says, ‘I only want to go to the Rangers,’ then it shouldn’t cost Drury more than a first round draft pick and a solid prospect like Will Cuylle for Kane at 50% cap retention. Should Kane give the Hawks several teams, it’s a bidding war the Rangers must avoid.

Many have circled Broadway for “Showtime” Patrick Kane’s next starring role, and it makes sense as their Top 6 winger addition to increase production up front. Could they pivot on the back end and provide Braden Schneider a more reliable and harder to play against partner? Knowing they have Igor the Equalizer, it might be time to reunite Kane and Artemi Panarin.

Frank Seravalli, DFO

Ryan O’Reilly a Rangers target

Another name starting to be associated with the Blueshirts is St. Louis Blues captain, Ryan O’Reilly. The 31 year-old center has 16 points in 37 games and was recently placed on LTIR with a broken foot. He is expected to miss at least six weeks.

The thought of the Blues trading their captain would’ve been shot down quickly in the preseason, but St. Louis is two points out of the last wild card spot. Considering the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are also fighting to make the postseason, the Blues may be sellers come March.

“The Avalanche, Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs could be among the teams that pursue O’Reilly,” TFP’s David Pagnotta said. “If he’s up for grabs.”

O’Reilly is in the final year of a deal with AAV of $7.5 million, so the Rangers would certainly need the Blues to eat some cap space. That being said, Drury could land him for a first-round pick and a prospect.

Such a move would bolster the Rangers center depth position for a long playoff run. It will also give Gerard Gallant flexibility to move Filip Chytil to the right wing and deepen that position.

Vladimir Tarasenko a great plan B

Tarasenko, 31, is in the final year of his deal with an AAV of $7.5 million. This season, he’s posted 29 points in 34 games for the Blues and still has an open trade request that became public two summers ago.

The winger is currently on LTIR with a hand issue and is expected to miss at least four weeks. Which means, there should be no impact to his availability come the trade deadline. It’s likely the Blues may move him regardless. The buzz surrounding Tarasenko is he wants to test the free agent market in July.

One thing to point out is Tarasenko has a full no-move clause and reportedly was willing to waive it for only a handful of teams that included the New York Rangers. That should help Drury in what should be a very reasonable package that will include at least a first-round pick.

If they miss out on Kane, Tarasenko is a very likely option.

Bo Horvat an ‘expensive’ alternative

If the New York Rangers want to go big, Bo Horvat would be an extremely bold move.

According to Rick Dhaliwal, the pending UFA rejected the Canucks most recent offer which makes him a top candidate for a trade at the deadline come March 3.

The 27 year-old is having an excellent season with 28 goals and 43 points in 38 games. He’s by far the most productive player to be mentioned in this article.

Horvat is in the final year of deal that pays $5.5 million and is looking for a max term deal in the $8 million range. While it would be great to add him, I believe the acquisition cost is too prohibitive as the Canucks would have suitors lined up out the door. Horvat has no type of trade protection and all 31 teams can start a bidding war.

That being said, Horvat remains a possibility for the Rangers. However, unless there’s a path to re-sign him, I don’t think Drury will go this route.

As for a trade package, you’re looking at moving one of the kids in order to create some cap space to re-sign Horvat. Think something along the lines of a first-round pick and Filip Chytil just for starters.

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That’s the case for the Blues as they need to figure out what to do with RFA defenseman Vince Dunn and UFA’s like Jaden Schwartz. Do they bring back Mike Hoffman? What about cap space and maybe trying to get younger? How about the fate of head coach Craig Berube? Like I said, lots of questions now.

Ryan O’Reilly unlikely to be traded, but what if?

The Blues trade rumor mill is buzzing around Vladimir Tarasenko. The 29 year-old has two years left on his contract that comes with an AAV of $7.5 million. That’s the guy St. Louis would like to move in a deal, but with his history of injury and full no-move clause that would be difficult.

If the Blues wanted to really change things up, create cap space and build towards the future Ryan O’Reilly is the logical choice. But would they really trade their captain? It’s unlikely, but after getting swept I’d pick up the phone and gauge St. Louis interest in making a blockbuster deal.

O’Reilly is 30 years-old and has two years at $7.5 million on his current deal. He does not have any trade restrictions so the Blues could shop him and get maximum return. With the Rangers interest in Jack Eichel cooled, this could be the type of center they want.

The cost of acquisition would also be high, maybe not as high as Eichel but big enough. St. Louis would want a player like Ryan Strome back to replace O’Reilly down the middle. They are also in the market for a back up and the means Alexandar Georgiev needs to be part of it. Then they will want prospects like Vitali Kravtsov and Zac Jones as well. Maybe Vince Dunn could be part of this deal? This is all spitballing but it’s to demonstrate that this wouldn’t be a small trade.

O’Reilly would automatically be the Rangers top leader

O’Reilly was asked after being swept if the Avs were simply a better team to which he replied, “Oh, clearly.” He also went into detail on how this series loss was his fault.

“I’m very disappointed in myself; it was pretty pathetic,” the Blues captain said. “I didn’t really do much this series. If I’m not doing my job, I can’t expect anyone else to do theirs, so it’s tough. I have to obviously improve and especially in the crucial times, it’s very disappointing.”

NHL.com

The Rangers have a nice leadership group, but O’Reilly has respect around the NHL as a top captain. It would be easy for him to come in and get the C sewn on his jersey immediately. It would also keep the pressure off others like Mika Zibanejad or Artemi Panarin from the larger responsibility so they can focus on scoring.

Bottom line, this is just wishful thinking unless the Blues say they are going to make some serious changes. Even if they did, trading O’Reilly wouldn’t make sense. The point here is that he represents the exact type of center the Rangers need to acquire to make the next step to contender.

Latest NHL Rumors

Fallout is likely coming for the Capitals and Blues this summer. Read more here.

Rangers head coach David Quinn has his coaching staff in place!

Quinn has worked with both of these men in the past. He was in the Avalanche organization with Oliver, who was in the team’s front office, and Brown was an assistant at Boston College where he ran the team’s defense and special teams. Oliver has worked with the young guns in the Avalanche organization since 2007 and has helped mold the talents of current and former Avalanche talents including Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie, Ryan O’Reilly, Semyon Varlamov, and current Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to name a few. Both Oliver and Brown are in the mindset of the “new NHL,” where speed and skill are paramount to a team’s success. The Rangers are in a situation where they must develop their young talents while trying to stay competitive. And from the looks of things, Jeff Gorton has hired the right men to do the job.

As had been reported earlier, Lindy Ruff is remaining with the team, joining both Brown and Oliver on Quinn’s side. The role that Ruff will have is unclear as of now, but it won’t hurt to have a long-time NHL coach alongside this young coaching staff.

Editor’s Note: For an in-depth look at Brown, click here.

Derek Stepan filed for arbitration on Sunday, and the 25-year-old may end up being overpaid if the situation reaches an arbitrator. 

It’s no surprise that Stepan filed for arbitration, after all, 22 others did the same thing this past Sunday. What has people around the Rangers worried, is the absurd deal that Ryan O’Reilly got from the Buffalo Sabres.

Larry Brooks of The New York Post, explains that Stepan is a better player than O’Reilly, and he is likely to get a big reward if this gets to the arbitrator.

O’Reilly contract a killer for Rangers re Stepan. 2-yr arb now more likely than not with trade a possibility. 1st challenge for GM Gorton.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) July 3, 2015

Allan Muir of SI clarified this further when he wrote:

[su_quote cite=”Allan Muir” url=”https://www.si.com/nhl/2015/07/06/nhl-salary-arbitration-cases-likely-outcomes-derek-stepan-braden-holtby”]A source tells SI.com that the seven-year, $52.5 million extension handed to him last week by the Sabres is inadmissible in arbitration (because it covers his Group 3 years), but O’Reilly’s current deal, which will pay him $6.2 million next season, can be used as a comparable. And because Stepan’s numbers are superior to O’Reilly’s in nearly every category, it’s easy to imagine an arbitrator granting Stepan an award of at least $7 million.[/su_quote]

So, while O’Reilly’s new deal can’t be used his old one can. And by the looks of it, should it go to arbitration an award of $7M is very likely. To this effect the Rangers will want to avoid arbitration and lock up Stepan to a longterm deal of at least 5 years. The odds are in their favor as only 3 players in the last 23 years have gone that far (thanks Pam Murray of the Ottawa Metro).

O’Reilly is coming off a year where he posted 55 points in 82 games and that landed him a seven-year deal worth an average of $7.5 million per season. Stepan posted 55 points in 68 games and has better career numbers, so it isn’t out of the question for the center to get an award in the same area.

Getting It Done

The Rangers have to find a way to get this thing done, as Stepan has earned his keep with this team. The fact is, on most nights Stepan is this club’s top center, and he still has plenty of good hockey left in him. So it’s not as if the Rangers are paying a guy on his way out a boat load of money. According to Sportac.com the Rangers have a little over $10 million in cap space, so they have the room to get something done.

One thing the Rangers have going for them is the fact that they can offer Stepan term to take down his cap hit. For example, an eight-year deal worth upwards of $6.5 million may be more appealing than a two-year deal worth more than $7.5 million.

I think these two sides find common ground sooner rather than later. The Rangers let Martin St. Louis walk this off-season, and traded Carl Hagelin to be able to keep some space open, so you have to think they knew they were going to end up giving Stepan a hefty new deal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gEClfUBiBE