Coach Peter Laviolette said he took it slow with the players Tuesday, — “get some touches,” he called the practice plan. But things will ramp up as the week progresses.

Mika Zibanejad and Urho Vaakanainen are expected to be in the Rangers facility Wednesday, though don’t look for either to be back on the ice after participating in the 4 Nations.

As for the 4 Nations, Laviolette said he’s not surprised by the high level of play nor the intensity of the NHL players representing their native countries. Also not a surprise was Laviolette’s concern over players being hurt in these games during the middle of the NHL schedule.

Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported that Vincent Trocheck confirmed he was fine Monday night after Team USA’s 2-1 loss to Sweden. But he didn’t look fine during the game, shaking his right hand and heading to the dressing room late in the first period.

Trocheck finished the game, but lost four of seven face-offs — unusual for him — and seemed to be bothered by the hand/wrist issue at different times.

Maybe it’s nothing. But if it’s something, then that puts a damper on this entire feel-good tournament from a Rangers perspective.

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New York Rangers news

Igor Shesterkin was absent from practice Tuesday, and Laviolette said the goalie is still day to day with an upper-body injury. Shesterkin reportedly skated on his own, however.

John Kreiser handed out reports cards Wednesday morning, grading each of the six Rangers who participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off ahead of the championship game Thursday.

Johnny Gaudreau is not far from Chris Kreider’s thoughts at the 4 Nations.

The Rangers are set up with a pretty favorable schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off. Now, will they take advantage of it?

EJ Emery’s suspension and Gabe Perreault’s hot streak highlight this week’s Rangers NCAA prospects report.

Tip of the hat to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, who polled the Rangers dressing room Tuesday to find out how the Canadian players are viewing the 4 Nations Face-Off and who’ll be tuned in to the championship game against the United States, which features four of their Blueshirt teammates.

NHL news

Charlie McAvoy is week to week for the Boston Bruins after undergoing a procedure to clear an infection.

Will Quinn Hughes join Team USA for the championship game to replace McAvoy in the lineup? It’s complicated.

Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel came out firing with his words against Team USA, stoking the fires for what should be a very emotional and intense championship game Thursday.

Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko is out week to week with a lower-body injury and will miss their entire five-game road trip coming out of the break.

The Canucks signed recently-acquired forward Drew O’Connor to a two-year, $5 million contract.

The family of Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull released a statement Wednesday stating that the Golden Jet had CTE, a degenerative brain disease, when he died two years ago.

After missing 52 games with a shoulder injury, defenseman Sean Durzi should be good to go for the Utah Hockey Club coming out of the break.

The Edmonton Oilers recalled top prospect Matthew Savoie — and the forward will be in the lineup on their upcoming road trip.

It appears the Penguins will have a pair of key forwards back from injury when the season resumes this weekend. Both Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust practiced full Tuesday and are “good to go.”

The New Jersey Devils had a mixed bag of injury news Tuesday. On the positive side, captain Nico Hischier appears healthy and ready to return to the lineup. But defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler had a procedure done during the break and will be reevaluated in 2-3 weeks.

Not only did the Rangers rally in the third period to knock off the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3, but each team they’re battling in the Eastern Conference playoff race lost. So, in a whirlwind turn, the Rangers enter the 4 Nations Face-off break 11th in the conference, three points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card and four in arrears of the Ottawa Senators for the top wild card, with a game in hand.

Their victory also moved the Rangers a point ahead of the Islanders and three ahead of the sinking Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Penguins.

Even the only bad news in their sphere had a decent spin. Igor Shesterkin is out 1-2 weeks with an upper-body injury. But their next game is not for two weeks, thanks to the break in the schedule. With the right amount of luck here, Shesterkin won’t miss any game action since Jonathan Quick was in line to start against the Blue Jackets anyway.

It wasn’t perfect Saturday but it was a crucial two points gained. The Rangers surrendered 19 high-dangers scoring chances and had only 10 themselves, per Natural Stat Trick. Their xGF was a touch above 47 percent. But they won, and head into the break with three wins in their past four games.

Catch your breath these next two weeks — and hope no Rangers get hurt during the in-season tournament — then get set for a wild ride to the finish line in this crazy playoff race.

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New York Rangers news

Here are our three Rangers takeaways from a massively important win against the Blue Jackets, including another show of resilience by the Blueshirts.

As mentioned above, Shesterkin is sidelined for up to two weeks with an upper-body injury.

Louis Domingue earned his 100th AHL victory, helping the Hartford Wolf Pack end a seven-game slide with a 4-2 win against Lehigh Valley.

NHL news

Trade rumors are swirling around Scott Laughton, with the Philadelphia Flyers reportedly engaged in traded talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets for the forward.

Thatcher Demko is injured again. The Vancouver Canucks goalie left their game against the Maple Leafs on Saturday with an undisclosed injury. The oft-injured goalie missed the first two months this season with a knee issue.

Quinn Hughes remained out of the Canucks lineup and missed his fourth straight game with an unspecified injury. Though he skated on his own Saturday, the 25-year-old defenseman’s status to play for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-off remains unclear.

Despite the injury drama, the Canucks defeated the Maple Leafs 2-1.

Veteran Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was added to Canada’s 4 Nations roster to replace Alex Pietrangelo.

The Detroit Red Wings had their seven-game winning streak end in a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Ottawa Senators’ losing streak extended to three games with a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers.

Brandon Montour sustained an upper-body injury for the Seattle Kraken and didn’t return to their game against the Calgary Flames. The Kraken still found a way to rally past the Flames with a 3-2 overtime victory.

Mathew Barzal had a minor procedure performed on his kneecap and should be out six weeks for the Islanders.

Then the Islanders allowed five straight goals and lost to the Minnesota Wild 6-3.

Jake Allen got back on his game, backstopping the New Jersey Devils to a 4-0 shutout win against the Montreal Canadiens.

The battle of the Keystone state went to the Flyers, who edged the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2.

Yes, it was quite the day for the Rangers.

We’ve got all the news and links to our stories below. And follow Forever Blueshirts for continued coverage and analysis of what’s transpired and all that is yet to come.

So, with that, let’s get to all the Rangers news, as well as other nuggets from around the League.

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New York Rangers news

After much speculation earlier in the day, the Rangers did trade Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round draft pick. Most important, they relieved themselves of the burden that was Trouba’s $8 million salary cap hit through 2025-26, as well as the growing distraction after failing to trade the captain last offseason.

Even before the trade went down, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said he and general manager Chris Drury were “together on our thoughts” about moving on from the veteran defenseman.

Not surprisingly, Rangers players were somewhat shocked and saddened by the latest turn of events.

Surely, no one’s feeling badly in Rangers-land about reports that Igor Shesterkin agreed to a record-breaking eight-year, $92 million contract. The reports began to surface Friday; the Rangers announced the agreement (but not the financial terms) on Saturday.

Oh, and the Rangers then played a hockey game. And the Rangers won! Imagine that! Here are our three takeaways from an important victory to cap a busy day.

NHL news

The Rangers weren’t the only NHL team making news on Friday. It just seemed that way. Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams held a press conference to pledge support to his beleaguered team, which has lost five straight games (0-3-2). But he also dropped this nugget, stating that the Sabres are not a “destination team” for marquee players in the League.

Though that is a good quote, it didn’t top Islanders coach Patrick Roy saying he didn’t “want to sh**” on Pierre Engvall before pointing out that the disappointing forward is not playing up to Roy’s expectations for him.

Timo Meier scored his 200th NHL goal to help the New Jersey Devils skate past the Seattle Kraken 3-2 and remain tied with the Washington Capitals atop the Metropolitan Division.

And they remain tied because the Capitals improved to 5-0-1 in their past six games with a 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Thatcher Demko dressed for a game for the first time since the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring when the All-Star goalie was the backup to Kevin Lankinen in the Vancouver Canucks game against the Columbus Blues Jackets on Friday. He’s been idled with a knee issue.

Led by 2022 Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, who finished fourth in voting as top NHL goalie this past season after a strong second half, the Blueshirts can confidently say they have one of the five best goalies on the planet. Backing him up is the future Hall of Famer Jonathan Quick, who enjoyed a career resurgence at 38 years old with a .911 save percentage and an 18-6-2 record.

With Shesterkin and Quick both returning, the Rangers boast one of the top goalie tandems in the NHL. But is it the best?

That moniker has been held by the Boston Bruins the past few seasons, featuring the dynamic pairing of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. Beyond their adorable hugging routine after games, Swayman and Ullmark weren’t just two starting-caliber goaltenders — they were two elite starting goalies.

Ullmark and Swayman finished sixth and seventh in Vezina Trophy voting this past season, making them the first tandem to appear together on the award’s voting since Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Talbot did so for the Rangers during their 2014-15 Presidents’ Trophy season. And that’s, of course, after Ullmark took home Vezina Trophy honors in 2023.

But with Ullmark traded to the Ottawa Senators this offseason, the tandem has been broken up, paving the way for a new duo to claim the mantle.

So where exactly does the Rangers’ excellent pairing rank across the League? Let’s find out. Here are the 10 best goalie tandems in the NHL.

Related: Igor Shesterkin believes ‘it should’ve been’ other Rangers goalie in 2024 NHL All-Star Game

Ranking top 10 goalie tandems in NHL right now

One quick note of clarification — both members of the tandem must have representable stats to be considered. That, unfortunately, eliminates a team like the Winnipeg Jets, who boast the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck, but have Kaapo Kahkonen (3.64 GAA, .898 SV%) as a backup.

An elite starter can boost the ranking, but he must be accompanied by a quality backup to get full consideration.

Honorable Mention: Toronto Maple Leafs — Joseph Woll & Anthony Stolarz

Do the Toronto Maple Leafs have the 11th-best goalie tandem in the NHL? Perhaps not. But after multiple seasons with subpar goaltending, they do have an enticing duo that’s worth keeping an eye on this coming season.

Joseph Woll’s numbers last season (2.94 GAA, .907 save percentage in 25 games) do not leap off the stat sheet, but he was one of the biggest reasons that the Maple Leafs forced Game 7 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Bruins, after he entered in Game 4 and finished the 2024 postseason with a ridiculous 0.86 GAA and .964 save percentage.

Stolarz, meanwhile, was one of the best backups in the League last season and helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup, recording a 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage in 29 games behind Sergei Bobrovsky.

Health will be a question for Woll and it’s curious to see how both fare with a larger workload, but there’s reason to buy into Toronto’s tandem next season.

10. Edmonton Oilers — Stuart Skinner & Calvin Pickard

The Edmonton Oilers fell short of hoisting the Stanley Cup, but the performance of their goalie tandem throughout the postseason should breed excitement for the upcoming season.

Stuart Skinner could not top his impressive rookie campaign and second-place Calder Trophy finish in 2022-23, but still finished last season with a respectable 2.62 GAA and .905 save percentage. An up-and-down regular season carried into the postseason, when he was ultimately benched during the second round. But Skinner regained the No. 1 role and rewarded Edmonton, finishing 9-6 with a sterling 2.05 GAA and .914 save percentage in his final 15 games after returning to the net.

Calvin Pickard had an excellent 2.45 GAA and .909 save percentage in 23 games as a backup during the regular season and didn’t look overmatched in the playoffs during his three games.

Skinner, 26, still needs to prove that he can play at a top level consistently, but the Oilers should be in good hands with this pairing entering the season.

9. Washington Capitals — Charlie Lindgren & Logan Thompson

Charlie Lindgren was a delightful surprise for the Washington Capitals this past season, finishing eighth in Vezina Trophy voting and receiving one Hart Trophy vote after he posted a 2.67 GAA and .911 save percentage as the No. 1 in D.C.

The Capitals acquired Logan Thompson this offseason to provide a 1a-1b scenario in goal. Thompson reassumed a starting role with the Vegas Golden Knights following an early injury to Adin Hill and was productive, recording a 2.70 GAA and .908 save percentage in 46 games in 2023-24.

Thompson is a clear upgrade over Darcy Keumper, who lost his starting job last season to Lindgren, and provides a nice safety blanket if Lindgren isn’t quite as dominant in 2024-25. But if Lindgren continues to play well, this is a mean duo.

8. Carolina Hurricanes — Frederik Andersen & Pyotr Kochetkov

The Carolina Hurricanes may not have the elite starting goalie that some of the other teams on this list boast. What they do have, however, is two legitimate starting goaltenders. It’s not quite a Swayman-Ullmark situation, but the Canes do have two netminders who should be able to play 40-50 games.

Limited to 15 games due to a scary blood clotting issue last season, Frederik Andersen was quietly brilliant, 13-2-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .932 save percentage. Pyotr Kochetkov, meanwhile, recorded a 2.33 GAA (best among goalies with at least 40 games played) and .911 save percentage.

Both struggled in the postseason, when neither recorded a save percentage over .900 as the Hurricanes were eliminated by the Rangers in the second round. Still, Andersen has a solid track record and Kochetkov is on the rise.

7. St. Louis Blues — Jordan Binnington & Joel Hofer

After a couple of down years, Jordan Binnington bounced back with an excellent 2023-24, finishing with a 2.84 GAA and .913 save percentage.

He was backed by Joel Hofer, 23, who received Calder Trophy votes as NHL rookie of the year with a 2.65 GAA and .913 save percentage in 30 games.

The duo will return for another season together, and while it may not be a particularly flashy pairing, there aren’t too many questions surrounding this tandem. Stability and ease of mind are a good thing when it comes to goaltending. Those aren’t phrases typically associated with Binnington, but it’s hard to argue about a goaltending unit that ranked fourth in the NHL in save percentage (.913) last season.

6. Dallas Stars — Jake Oettinger & Casey DeSmith

Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith are both coming off career-worst seasons in 2023-24. But there’s still a lot to like about this pairing heading into the upcoming season.

Oettinger’s save percentage dipped below .910 for the first time in his four-year career, when he finished the regular season with a .905 save percentage and 2.72 GAA. But he snapped back into form when the postseason rolled around, recording a brilliant 2.24 GAA and .915 save percentage in 19 postseason games, ranking third among all playoff goalies with 7.3 GSAA.

It’s a safe bet that he’s closer to the goalie we saw in the postseason. Keep in mind, he’s just one year removed from a fifth-place Vezina Trophy finish and still has a career 2.51 GAA and .913 save percentage, even after a down year.

DeSmith’s save percentage dipped below .900 for the first time in his career, after he appeared in 29 games with the Vancouver Canucks, but that’s coming after five excellent seasons as a backup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A bounce back from both members of this tandem is likely, particularly Oettinger, who can be of the elite goaltenders in the sport.

5. Nashville Predators — Juuse Saros & Scott Wedgewood

Juuse Saros put the noisy trade rumors to rest with an eight-year contract extension that will keep him with the Nashville Predators through his age-36 season.

Perhaps it affected him last season, when he had a 2.86 GAA and .906 save percentage, the worst numbers of his nine-year career by a wide margin. He still finished fifth in Vezina Trophy voting, and led all NHL goalies in games played (64) for the third season in a row, but his stats took an uncharacteristic dip. Odds are, it’s just a blip on the radar, and he’ll be back to his elite ways next season.

He’s played 64 or more games in every season since 2021-22, so the backup role may be less vital in Nashville, but they’ll have an experienced one in Scott Wedgewood, who joined the Predators as part of their free-agent frenzy.

Wedgewood posted a 2.85 GAA and .899 save percentage in 32 games with Dallas last season. It’s not a remarkably strong season, but he’d recorded a save percentage of .910 or higher in each of the prior two seasons and has proven himself a reliable backup.

Saros should bounce back and continue to shoulder the bulk of the workload, and even if Wedgewood falters, the Predators still have Kevin Lankinen, who’s played to a 2.79 GAA and .912 save percentage in his two seasons with Nashville.

4. Vancouver Canucks — Thatcher Demko & Arturs Silovs

Thatcher Demko had the finest season of his NHL career in 2023-24, finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting with a 2.45 GAA and .918 save percentage. It’s far from the first season he’s been excellent, but this was certainly the best we’ve seen him.

Unfortunately, he suffered an injury in Vancouver’s first postseason game and didn’t play again. After DeSmith, the No. 2 goalie, also sustained an injury, it was Arturs Silovs who took over in net, starting the final 10 games of their postseason run.

Silovs had played just four games in the regular season but carried the Canucks past the Predators in the first round of the playoffs with excellent play in net. The carriage turned into a pumpkin against the Oilers in the second round, and he finished the 2024 postseason with a 2.91 GAA, .898 save percentage, and 5-5 record.

Still, he showed enough on the biggest stage to earn a new contract and the backup role. He doesn’t need to be a superstar with Demko in front of him, but if he can hold strong in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he should be able to be a solid backup.

3. Florida Panthers — Sergei Bobrovsky & Chris Driedger/Spencer Knight

Swayman and Ullmark may have been the crown jewel of goalie tandems last season, but Bobrovsky and Stolarz were right up there with the best of them, leading the Panthers to the lowest GAA (2.42) and second-best save percentage (.918) in the NHL. Unfortunately, with Stolarz signing in Toronto, Florida will have to turn elsewhere for solid production from their No. 2.

Luckily, they’ve got a couple of good options. Chris Driedger was signed this offseason, but don’t be surprised if Spencer Knight is the No. 2.

Driedger was rather average in the past two seasons with the Seattle Kraken, but he’ll return to Florida where he enjoyed his two best NHL seasons. Knight, meanwhile, hasn’t played in the NHL since February of 2023 after entering the NHL/NHLPA player’s assistance program to address his mental health. He played a full season in the AHL this past season, though, and should find himself back as the No. 2, especially since the 23-year-old will be paid $4.5 million.

Whether it’s Driedger or Knight, they’ll be backing Bobrovsky, who finished third in Vezina voting with a 2.37 GAA and .915 save percentage and started all 24 games on Florida’s road to win the Stanley Cup.

He’ll be 36 next season, but Bobrovsky is playing some of his best hockey. If the backup picture was clearer, Florida could top this list, especially if Knight reaches the high expectations from earlier in his career.

2. New York Islanders — Ilya Sorokin & Semyon Varlamov

The New York Islanders should have the most fearsome goalie tandem in the League. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to give that nod to them after a head-scratching season from Ilya Sorokin.

Sorokin wasn’t just unable to match his 2022-23 numbers, when he led the League with six shutouts, had a .924 save percentage and finished second in Vezina voting — no, his numbers fell off a cliff. The Islanders’ No. 1 surprisingly received one Vezina vote last season despite a 3.01 GAA and .908 save percentage.

Veteran Semyon Varlamov, 35, was far better, posting a .918 save percentage in 28 games and getting the starting nod in the postseason in four of their five games. The one game Sorokin did start was disastrous since he allowed three goals on 14 shots and was pulled after the first period.

Varlamov has been ultra-consistent with a 2.55 GAA and .917 save percentage in his five seasons with the Islanders, so even if Sorokin’s struggles continue, the Islanders still have an excellent netminder. But if Sorokin can find what made him arguably the best goalie in the NHL just one season ago, this could be the best tandem in the NHL by a wide margin.

1. New York Rangers — Igor Shesterkin & Jonathan Quick

With the Islanders drop-off and questions behind Bobrovsky with the Panthers, the Rangers outstanding duo earns the top spot in the NHL.

Shesterkin deservedly gets his praise as one of the best netminders in the League, particularly after a postseason where his 13.1 GSAA ranked second among goalies. He carried the Rangers in the postseason, even when they were badly outplayed in the conference final.

Not to be ignored, however, is how vital Quick was to their early success. Quick didn’t lose in regulation for his first 10 starts and held down the fort when Shesterkin experienced some struggles until after the NHL All-Star break. Not many people had the 38-year-old winning 18 games this past season.

Shesterkin’s been a bit streaky the past couple of regular seasons, but he’s been nearly flawless in postseason play, and Quick has proven himself a more than trustworthy No. 2 who can carry the load if Shesterkin starts slow once again. And it doesn’t ever hurt to have a three-time Stanley Cup winner to turn to when needed.

There are a few goalies out there like Demko, Hellebuyck, and Bobrovsky who can contend with Shesterkin for the moniker of “best NHL goalie” but none of them have a backup who has Quick’s resume nor was as effective in his role last season.