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.

TRADE ALERT: The Rangers have acquired Ryan Strome from the Edmonton Oilers.

OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired Ryan Strome from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ryan Spooner.

Strome, 25, has skated in 358 career NHL games over parts of six seasons with NYI and EDM, registering 59 goals and 103 assists for 162 points, along with 170 penalty minutes. pic.twitter.com/5m7IR8uD5b

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 16, 2018

In a bit of a surprising move, the Rangers got a little younger. Oddly, the Rangers are retaining salary here so no cap savings. To be honest the move makes no sense to me but here’s Larry Brooks’ take.

Qualifying and then signing Spooner (to a two-year-deal, no less) were mistakes. Strome, two years to go at $3.1M is no bargain, but he’s an improvement. Acquisition should bump McLeod into street clothes. McLeod does his best, but major handicap for young guys on his line.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) November 16, 2018

Strome to NYR has a 3.1 million dollar cap hit.

Spooner to the Oilers has a 4 million dollar cap hit.

— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) November 16, 2018

$900K to make it neutral https://t.co/SS0JfxLdyO

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 16, 2018

With the Rangers coming back to MSG on a two-game winning streak, and the Sabres entering the contest following a 9-2 thrashing of the Ottawa Senators, both teams were looking to continue building on their respective momenta. And had it not been for Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers win streak would’ve ended at two. Fortunately, King Henrik turned back the clock and stole this game for his team as the Rangers defeated Buffalo 3-1.

Neal Pionk – Following a scoreless first period that saw the Rangers hemmed in their own zone for a majority of the opening 20 minutes, it was Blueshirts blueliner Neal Pionk that gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead early in the second. Pionk’s initial shot went wide but the puck was retrieved by Mika Zibanejad, who fed it to Namestnikov. Vlad sent it across the ice to Pionk, who sent a wrist shot into the top corner of the net. The goal was Pionk’s first of the season and his second career goal against the Sabres.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/1059250785547157509

Jimmy Vesey – The Harvard alum notched himself the game-winning goal and the insurance goal in this one, his fourth and fifth goals of the season. Vesey’s first tally of the night came just 19 seconds after Pionk gave the Rangers the lead. Vesey took a deft pass from Brett Howden and beat Hutton on the glove side, giving the Blueshirts a two-goal lead.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/1059251640035958784

After the Sabres made it 2-1 in the third, Vesey ensured that Rangers fans would go home happy, netting the empty netter from inside his own zone and securing the 3-1 victory.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/1059271617115836417

Vesey has been working hard this season and it must feel nice for him to see the puck hitting the back of the net.

Brett Howden – Aside from the delicious dish that set up Vesey’s goal, Howden is worth mentioning because he was forced to leave the game in the second period. After taking a pass from the aforementioned Vesey, Howden hit the side of the net with the shot and then slid awkwardly into the boards.

https://twitter.com/4BNYRGameday/status/1059256307386060800

He was held out of the third period for precautionary reasons according to the Rangers, and hopefully, it won’t be anything serious. If Howden does have to miss any amount of time, a call-up from Hartford is likey and that could mean Lias Andersson making his 2018-19 season debut for the Blueshirts.

Pavel Buchnevich – Prior to the matchup between the Blueshirts and Sabres, head coach David Quinn said that he hoped Buchnevich would “do something” after being a healthy scratch in each of the team’s last two games.

While he didn’t end up on the scoresheet, you could tell that the young Russian had an extra “pep in his step” against the Sabres. Buchnevich had his two shot attempts blocked, but he also had four hits and two takeaways. Ryan Spooner is nursing a lower-body injury and Howden’s status is unknown so you would figure that Buchnevich isn’t coming out of the lineup any time soon. But he must keep up this level of play if he wants to remain a mainstay on David Quinn’s roster.

Henrik Lundqvist – This night belonged to King Henrik. The Rangers netminder stopped 39 of 40 Buffalo shots, including a few super stops that brought the MSG crowd to their feet. In the first period, Henrik made the initial save on Casey Nelson’s one-timer and immediately dove back to clear the puck off of the goal line. Later in the first, King Henrik showed his flexibility and denied Berglund while doing the splits to keep the game scoreless after the first.

Henrik Lundqvist has gotten off to a very good start this season, showing that he has no plans of slowing down any time soon.

Next Game: The Blueshirts will look to make it four wins in a row on Tuesday night when they host the Montreal Canadiens at MSG. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

In what began as a promising potential win turned out to flip on its side and ended on a rough note, as the Rangers blew a 2-0 lead to lose 4-3.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1056640754972540928?s=21

After tying the game at three late in the third period, New York gave up a last minute goal to noted Rangers killer Alec Martinez that proved to be the game-winner for Los Angeles. The Rangers fall to 3-7-1 and are slipping further away from the rest of the pack in the Metropolitan division.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1056653474438488064?s=21

Tony DeAngelo, Good Guy, Even Better Hockey Player – Adam McQuaid was listed as Day-to-Day with an injury, thus opening a spot for Tony DeAngelo to come back into the lineup. And boy, did he look good out there, as he was involved in most of the play during the game, scored a goal from the goal line in the second period, and set up Ryan Spooner with a beautiful pass to tie the game at 3.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1056671008512454656?s=21

DeAngelo looked comfortable, confident and competent out there on the ice, as his sleek skating ability and solid passing makes him stand out amongst the current crop of defenseman. Look for DeAngelo to get more looks on the back end going forward.

Too Many Men, Too Many Times – The “Too Many Men” penalty is something that comes when a team is either caught sleeping or done by mistake. For the Rangers and David Quinn, this trivial penalty is becoming a common occurrence that has put this club in dire straits. For the sixth time in eleven games, David Quinn and the Rangers have been called for the bench minor penalty, thus putting a struggling penalty kill out on the ice more than it needs to be at the moment.

Rangers Need To Stop Beating Themselves – As I stated above, noted Rangers killer Alec Martinez scored with under a minute to go in the third period. Previously, the Rangers blew a 2-0 lead and gave up three unanswered goals. Quinn mentioned that the team needs to stop beating themselves as well as putting an end to the bench minor penalties. Quinn also stated that the team needs to not let people skate into the Rangers zone without pressure. Although this is a learning process, the Rangers defense and whole team, generally, need to continue to work on this aspect of playing into this new system.

Next Game: The Rangers enter the Shark Tank on Tuesday night when they take on the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center. Puck drops at 10:30!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

As I was watching Thursday night’s snooze fest between the Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, I was wondering why I was incapable of changing the channel. I mean, the game was tantamount to sitting on the Long Island Expressway at 5 pm on a Friday evening. It was the epitome of infuriating, yet I was glued to the MSG telecast.

I guess that is why we call ourselves “Die-Hard fans.” We all kind of knew that this 2018-19 campaign would be this way. After all, back in February, the hierarchy of the franchise famously told their fans about the anticipated sell-off of quality players and fan favorites. They stayed true to their word and purged the roster. The tearing down of the Rangers team that was so successful for so long was acceptable and necessary for the long-term health and stability of the Rangers.

What is not acceptable, and what certainly was not necessary, was the re-signing of two of the veterans acquired at last season’s trade deadline. Ryan Spooner was brought in from Boston in the Rick Nash deal. Vladislav Namestnikov was the only player with NHL experience that the Rangers received from Tampa in that blockbuster trade. Both Spooner and Namestnikov played reasonably well in the dying days of the 2017-18 season. Both veteran forwards were slated to become restricted free agents.

The Rangers had a few options. They could have: A) Simply decline to offer them contracts and let them walk. B) Traded the two skilled but flawed forwards. C) Re-signed them each to one-year deals. D) Re-signed them each to multi-year deals.

Out of these four potential options, which would you have chosen? I can tell you my choice would have been to trade them. Even if the compensation wasn’t adequate for players of their “magnitude,” trading them would open up two precious spots on the roster for some of the young assets now inundating the Rangers prospect pool. I was not happy with Jeff Gorton when I read that, not only were they re-signed, but both Spooner and Namestnikov each got two-year deals.

Now, they are darn near untradeable and they will, undeservingly, continue to occupy roster spots that should have gone to prospects like Lias Andersson and Tim Gettinger. The same can be said for the blue line. There is no reason for the incredibly average Brendan Smith to be up with the big club, especially when the impressive Libor Hajek is down in Hartford waiting for his opportunity.

I like a lot of what Jeff Gorton has done as GM since taking over for Glen Sather in 2015. However, there are certainly a plethora of highly questionable transactions Gorton has made, starting with giving almost seven million dollars a year to the astonishingly overrated Kevin Shattenkirk. Yes, it was a great story. He grew up in New Rochelle loving the Rangers and loving Brian Leetch. It was a homecoming of sorts. But, Shattenkirk is quickly joining the likes of Bobby Holik, Vladimir Malakhov and Wade Redden as the worst free agent signings in team history.

Look, I am 43 years old. I have been following this franchise on various levels for almost 40 years. I have been a season ticket holder since 2006. I suffered through the Islanders dynasty in the 1980s and I endured through the Devils trifecta of championships in 1995, 2000 and 2003. I am more than willing to deal with losing for a few years if I knew for a fact that the franchise was going in the right direction. Again, Gorton has definitely made some shrewd decisions. The Rangers have a legitimate prospect pool for the first time, seemingly, since Bill Clinton was in the White House.

And, there is more to come with at least three picks in the first two rounds of the 2019 NHL draft. Gorton deserves credit for this. However, players like Smith, Shattenkirk, Spooner, and Namestnikov are albatrosses that are hindering a true rebuild. In their stead should be Andersson, Gettinger, Hajek and DeAngelo learning, not just hockey on the NHL level, but also how to be a pro and how to resist temptation on the road, etc.

No show performances like last night are going to happen with a young team in transition. There isn’t a Rangers fan alive who wouldn’t agree with that premise. However, when I see the aforementioned veterans, who are here to keep the team above water until the kids are ready, being completely outclassed on the ice, it dampers my enthusiasm and makes me wonder if the Rangers are truly building this the right way. Sometime in the very near future, difficult decisions are going to have to be made. More fan favorites are going to have to be jettisoned. And, the 4,000-pound elephant in the room will have to be seriously discussed, I am referring to trading Lundqvist of course.

It may not be time just yet to cut bait on this current season. We are just ten games in. But, and you knew there would be a ‘but’, it would behoove Gorton to not wait until February’s trade deadline to do another roster purge. This isn’t just about maximizing the compensation for Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello and other veterans that may be on their way out of The Big Apple. This is about giving precious ice time to the youngsters who will make up the core of the next great Rangers team. Yes, we can deal with games like last night if this was a true rebuild. As of now, I am not so sure about the veracity of the rebuild. The next couple of months will be vital. I can only hope Gorton makes wise decisions.

After announcing the players, the Rangers paid tribute to an MSG icon. After passing away in April, the Rangers brought the family of longtime anthem singer John Amirante onto the ice and played video of him singing the national anthem before puck drop. Then it was time for hockey!

KZB – David Quinn’s top line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich had a quiet night overall, despite Buchnevich scoring the second goal of the game for the Rangers late in the third. Kreider wasn’t able to use his speed much in this one against Nashville’s defensive core, which is arguably the best in the league. This line is being counted on by the Blueshirts to be an offensive force night after night and they’ll need to start doing so on Saturday in Buffalo.

“It’s really hard to talk about all the positives and all the things we did well when we don’t win. You look forward to this game all summer and all training camp and you don’t come out with a win. That sucks.” – Mika Zibanejad

The Kids Are Alright – Filip Chytil, Vinni Lettieri, Neal Pionk and Brett Howden all experienced their first opening night in the NHL and each gave a solid performance at The Garden. Howden was 75% on faceoffs, despite losing the one leading to PK Subban’s goal. Pionk had a couple of takeaways and a shot block. Lettieri had a shot on net along with three of the team’s 24 hits. And finally Chytil, who delivered a gorgeous pass to Jesper Fast for the first goal of the season.

Henrik Lundqvist – After two seasons of, shall we say, less than stellar play from King Henrik, it seemed like Lundqvist is starting to regain his old form. Yes, it is very early in the season, but Lundqvist appeared controlled in his crease and was able to bail his teammates out when he was called upon. It certainly wasn’t the result he, or the team, wanted but it was a very good first game of the season for King Henrik.

David Quinn – In his first regular season game as bench boss of the New York Rangers, Quinn had himself a solid game as well. Obviously, this isn’t measured like the players, but the Rangers came out with a purpose, were physical, relentless on the puck and didn’t give up too many “Grade A” chances as we saw over the last couple of years. The Rangers had 24 hits tonight, as mentioned above, which would pace them for more hits than they’ve had in three of the last four seasons. The Rangers seem to have gravitated towards Quinn’s system which is much more aligned for today’s NHL.

I have two criticisms for Quinn in this game. First is the too many men penalty that negated a potential Rangers PP chance with 90 seconds to go in regulation. That is just a miscommunication between the coaching staff and/or the players jumping onto the ice. The other criticism is something that has plagued the Rangers for the last few years, and that is overhandling the puck and passing up chances to get the puck on net. Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes both chose to make the extra pass and the Rangers lost the chance to potentially score a goal against Pekka Rinne. Quinn will have to get his team to start thinking shoot-first at all times so that they don’t fall into the spiral of missed opportunities for another season.

That being said, when the Rangers got their chances and took them, they were unable to solve Pekka Rinne. Jimmy Vesey had a handful of “Grade A” chances but wasn’t able to put one past Rinne. This is something that is more in the purview of Jeff Gorton, who should be looking for a finisher, HELLO ARTEMI PANARIN, to help get the Rangers on the scoreboard more often.

Next Game: The Rangers will look to bounce back on Saturday in Buffalo against Jack Eichel and the Sabres. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

The Rangers have their opening night roster!

Earlier today, the Rangers announced their final roster cuts ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Some surprises here as Andersson was thought by many to be a lock for David Quinn’s roster. And now with Howden making the team out of camp, he will have some high expectations heading into the regular season. Hajek, Lindgren, and Meskanen all had solid camps with the Rangers but they will be better served playing big minutes in Hartford.

The goaltenders shook out exactly as expected with Georgiev continuing as the backup to Henrik Lundqvist. The defense is also as expected, but it will be interesting to see which players serve as the healthy scratch on a nightly basis. The Blueshirts will have four defensemen of each handedness on the squad, so a like for like swap would occur if the need arises. As for the forwards, Cody McLeod being on the team is still a bit disconcerting. It is possible that when Matt Beleskey comes off the injured list that he will take McLeod’s spot, but the 34-year-old will have to show a lot to make his place on the roster worthwhile.

The Rangers will be dropping the puck next week to open the 2018-19 regular season, but with just 2 games left in exhibition, the starting lineup is taking shape. Yesterday, we went through the projected blue-line for opening night, today we address the forwards.

KZB Line will lead the way

If you are looking at this roster for a 1st line, look no further than a fan favorite unit from last year. Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Pavel Buchnevich are three of the Rangers most talented forwards and will set the offensive tone on most nights for David Quinn’s offense.

All three players are big and have lethal shots. They also compliment each other well because of their ability to bring something different to that line. Kreider’s physical “crash the net” style, along with Zibanejad’s vision are rounded out with Buchnevich’s creativity and puck possession skills.

Last year, as a unit in 48 games, the KZB line managed a CF of 56.48% at 5v5. When together, they regularly control play and outshoot their opponents. More importantly, they get more high danger chances at 61.06%. This is a line Quinn should reunite and roll with to start the season.

Hayes and Spooner Have Chemistry

Since the day the Rangers acquired Ryan Spooner he’s not only played well, he’s been versatile. Although he prefers center, he plays the wings effectively and has been a gem on the power play. Kevin Hayes has been pretty solid too, although he was moved from wing where he thrived in college and forced to play center to start his career. Hayes has adapted well to the role and grown defensively, but I believe it has hurt him offensively in the long run.

This summer, Hayes was given a 1 year show me contract and will be the Rangers 2nd line center. Jeff Gorton must find out what they have in him before making any rash decisions. Mats Zuccarello will play the right side on this line, but Spooner should get that nod on the left because of chemistry with Hayes.

When together last season, the duo clicked. This was evident on the PP more than at any other time. They were on the ice for 5 power play goals in the 20 games since Spooner was acquired. They both like to hold the puck and allow linemates to get open. Zuccarello is a similar player and this would be by far the Rangers most experienced line to start the campaign.

Chytil and Andersson

The Rangers bottom six is all about the two future stars of the organization. Recently, there has been talk of moving Chytil to the wing. This would be a monumental mistake as the Rangers need skilled offensive centers going forward. It is also akin to the mistake I feel they made with Hayes but in reverse. Just don’t do it.

We all know Chytil is creative and explosive offensively, but he is still a liability defensively. That is why Jesper Fast on his right side is perfect. Fast can keep up with him on the attack and help cover for him in the defensive zone. Vlad Namestnikov can also provide some grit and offensive bite to complete that line.

Lias Andersson will then be left to center what could be the best 4th line in the NHL. Flanked by Jimmy Vesey and Vinni Lettieri, the unit should be able to control play with their north/south style and hard nosed play. They are the “Quinn”tessential players the head coach speaks of when he talks about “going through” the opposition.

The extra man will be Cody McLeod. Let’s face it, Quinn likes him as he praises him regularly. McLeod has also been effective and will be inserted over Lettieri or Vesey when Quinn feels the Rangers will need to respond accordingly to physical play.

Final Projection

The season is still a week away, but to me this is the best lineup the Rangers can put out to start the year.

After a semi-strong first period, the Rangers faltered the rest of the way, as they fell to the New York Islanders 5-2 at Webster Arena, located in Bridgeport, CT. Here’s what stood out.

Sloppy Defense/Penalty Kill: Although both teams racked up 17 penalty minutes, the Rangers gave up 2 power play goals, compared to the Islanders, who only gave up one. The PK units were sloppy all around as Josh Bailey and Anders Lee walked all over the Ranger defense with PPG’s of their own. Anthony Beauvillier powered through both John Gilmour and Kevin Shattenkirk to wrist one past Dustin Tokarski to add onto the lead, as the Ranger defense was putrid for most of the evening.

Ryan Spooner, Mats Zuccarello and the youth: In a game full of negatives, one of the few things that stood out were the likes of Ryan Spooner, Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson. Zuccarello and Spooner looked like they were in mid-season form, as they executed a splendid power play towards the end of the second period, as Spooner banked one home from a nice feed from Zuccarello. Both veteran forwards were engaged in the play and created many chances, just like youngsters Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson did as well. These two young-ins have impressed in camp so far and are making strong cases to be on the team come Oct 4th.

Peter Holland and Cody McLeod: While not the two best players out there on the ice, you have to admit that they actually did something good for once. McLeod screened goaltender Thomas Greiss, which allowed the Peter Holland shot to go in, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead. It was a tenacious first period that had an effort level stay only in the first period. Holland sniped a shot near the left circle to beat the Islanders goaltender that left everyone in awe.

Quinn’s Message Is Getting Through: After the lack of response from the injury to Boo Nieves against NJ, the last two games have seen the Rangers become a feistier team. This response coming from Quinn’s statements the other day acknowledging that the team needs to respond more. Evidence of this was seen on Wednesday but also in last night’s game as well. Peter Holland, Brandon Crawley and Cody McLeod got involved in a scuffle in front of the team benches with Islanders players that you wouldn’t have seen in previous seasons. Obviously, the team is taking in what David Quinn is preaching and is a welcoming sign for what could come.

The Rangers lace em up again on Monday night, as they go home to the Garden to take on the New Jersey Devills, 7PM on MSG.

LETS GO RANGERS

Training camp has begun for the New York Rangers. Mats Zuccarello, Mika ZIbanejad, Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Kreider and Henrik Lundqvist are all back in action with their fellow teammates to gear up for the 2018-19 season. Among these guys is another name that could show some prominence and impact once the season starts rolling; that name is Brett Howden.

Brett Howden was brought over to the Rangers in the Ryan McDonagh, alongside defenseman Libor Hajek.

During the Traverse City Tournament, Howden shined with some of the other top prospects in the NHL. Playing on a line primarily with another roster hopeful, Ty Ronning, and Dawson Leedahl, Howden played admirably.

As reported by Colin Stephenson of Newsday, Howden talked on his preparation of the season, and what his outlook is.

“Obviously, I’ve just got to show what I can do, and show my game, and do whatever I can to the best of my ability and let everything take care of itself,’’ he said. “I can’t control what (the coaches) do, or what they say, or how they think. I just can control what I can control on the ice and off the ice and that’s what I’m going to try and do.’’

What Howden Brings

Howden, 20-years-old out of Oakbank, Manitoba, was the captain of his WHL team, the Moose Jaw Warriors. In his four full seasons with Moose Jaw, he showed excellent offensive skill with 267 points (109 goals and 158 assists) in 248 games. The centerman can find his way into open ice and also battle in the dirty areas, as evident in this highlight clip.

Obviously, he will more than likely have some time to grow and learn in Hartford, especially with the logjam of centers expected to be in David Quinn’s arsenal. The Blueshirts have Mika ZIbanejad, Kevin Hayes, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ryan Spooner, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil in the middle. Now, the last five of that list can possibly be moved to a wing to clear up some room, but if most stay at their regular position, Howden is going to have a tough time trying to move up.

Status and future of the team

This season, barring a surprising turn-around from this rebuilding team, is a season to take a chance on different things. Find something that works and keep moving pieces around until something sticks.

The Rangers are going to have to find their winning ways once again, and that starts with finding a focus. As much as we all love King Hank, father time is calling and it is only a matter of time before the hourglass runs out. It is now time to use the youth that was traded for, and that includes Howden.

What was the point in going toward this youth movement, if they don’t use the talent?