The Rangers selected Halverson in the second round (No. 59 overall) in 2014, then chose Shesterkin in the fourth round (No. 118). Shesterkin came to North America from Russia in 2019 and had become one of the NHL’s top goaltenders; Halverson made one appearance in relief for the Rangers in a 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 17, 2018.

The Rangers let him become a free agent in 2019, and he didn’t resurface in the NHL until last season. Halverson’s second NHL appearance, and first start, came with the Lightning on March 22, when he allowed five goals in a 6-4 road loss to the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth).

With starter Andrei Vasilevskiy sidelined due to injury for much of training camp, Halverson made three appearances for the Lightning during the preseason, going 2-0-0 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. But Tampa Bay claimed goalie Pheonix Copley on waivers from the Washington Capitals earlier this week, and Halverson is headed back to Syracuse, the Bolts’ AHL affiliate.

Halverson was an AHL All-Star last season with the Crunch and was a co-winner of the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award for allowing the fewest goals in the AHL.

Brandon Halverson, Ryan Graves among ex-Rangers waived

Another Rangers draft pick, defenseman Ryan Graves, is also likely headed for the AHL after he was placed on waivers Saturday by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers’ opponent on opening night at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

The Rangers selected Graves in the fourth round (No. 110) in the 2013 draft. But he never made it to Broadway: After nearly three seasons with AHL Hartford, the Rangers traded him to the Colorado Avalanche for Chris Bigras on Feb. 26, 2018.

Graves joined the Avs for 26 games in the 2018-19 season, then led the NHL in plus-minus (plus-40) in 2019-20. Colorado traded him to the New Jersey Devils in July 2021, and he played two solid seasons in Newark before the Penguins signed him to a six-year, $27 million contract ($4.5 million average annual value, according to PuckPedia) in July 2023.

But the 6-5, 227-pound defenseman’s time in Pittsburgh hasn’t worked out, to say the least. His struggles have been among the reasons the Pens have failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last three seasons – and the term and money left on his contract make him almost untradeable. He’s likely to spend the season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The Buffalo Sabres waived two former Rangers, defenseman Zac Jones and center Jake Leschyshyn, on Sunday. Jones signed with the Sabres as a free agent this summer after the Rangers didn’t make him an offer. He had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 46 games with the Blueshirts last season. Leschyshyn, son of longtime NHL defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn, spent all of last season in Hartford but had small stints with the Rangers in each of the previous two seasons.

One of the Rangers’ worst draft picks in recent years, forward Vitali Kravtsov, was waived by the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday; he cleared and was assigned to Abbotsford of the AHL. The Rangers took the Russian forward with the No. 9 pick in 2018, but he had just 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 48 games with New York before being traded to the Canucks in February 2023.

Kravtsov played 16 games in Vancouver before spending the past two seasons in the KHL, then signed with the Canucks in August after a 27-goal, 58-point season with Chelyabinsk Traktor in 2024-25.

Defenseman Zac Jones, who spent parts of five seasons with the Rangers, and forward Jake Leschyshyn were placed on waivers by the Buffalo Sabres.

In addition, forward Alex Belzile, who was an AHL All-Star last season with the Rangers’ affiliate in Hartford but became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and signed with the Montreal Canadiens, was played on waivers for the purpose of sending him to Laval of the AHL. Belzile spent two seasons in the Rangers organization but never dressed for an NHL game.

Jones became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after the Rangers elected not to tender him a qualifying offer. The lefty-shooting defenseman signed a one-year contract with the Sabres. That seemed an odd fit right away since the Sabres have Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and Mattias Samuelsson capable of playing the left side.

Today’s waiver wire:https://t.co/so7qgeK2D3 pic.twitter.com/GKl3z6N1CO

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 28, 2025

In 46 games with the Rangers last season, Jones had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists), 46 blocked shots, and averaged 17:15 TOI. He also scored one goal in two games for Hartford. In 115 games during five seasons with the Blueshirts, he had 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) and was minus-10.

Jones began last season on the third defense pairing, then lost playing time to rookie Victor Mancini – who was sent to the Vancouver Canucks in the J.T. Miller trade. Jones re-established himself in the top six only to be supplanted by incoming defensemen Urho Vaakanainen, Calvin de Haan and Carson Soucy after a flurry of trades.

But when the Rangers best defenseman, Adam Fox, went down with an injury in late February, Zones got back into back into the lineup and largely played well.

“I thought there were some good parts of the year,” Jones said on breakup day. “When I had some consistent time, I thought I played well. I thought my defensive game was a lot better this year as opposed to years prior. I lost the offensive game a little bit, but that’s something that this summer I’m really going to try and focus on and get back to.”

Per Natural Stat Trick, Jones was on ice for 157 high-danger scoring chances against and just 118 for, and the Rangers’ expected goals 5v5 was 47.79 percent when he was on the ice.

Related: Rangers stock report: Who’s trending up, down halfway through preseason

Sabres place former Rangers Zac Jones, Jake Leschyshyn on waivers

The rub against Jones continued to be that he was viewed as being too small (he’s listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds) to adequately defend in his own end. But the Rangers certainly could have used his ability to move the puck quickly and exit the zone smartly when they imploded as a group defensively in 2024-25.

Consistent playing time was the biggest issue for Jones, who made his frustration known in an outburst to the media during an extended stretch when he was out of the lineup. It was a major struggle for Jones, who had stayed mostly optimistic throughout his time in the organization but told reporters in January, “I just feel like I’m rotting away a little bit.”

Leschyshyn also became a free agent when he did not receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers and ended up signing with the Sabres. He spent all of last season with Hartford, finishing with 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 69 games.

The son of longtime NHL defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn played in a total of 14 games with the Rangers in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He was scoreless and minus-4 with 17 hits.

Belzile had 19 goals, a team-high 56 points and 119 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Wolf Pack last season, his second with Hartford after signing with the Rangers in the summer of 2023. The 34-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Canadiens this summer. All 44 of his NHL games came with the Canadiens from 2020-21 to 2022-23; he scored six goals and 15 points. All but one assist came in 2022-23, when he played 33 games for Montreal.

Among other notable names to hit the waiver wire Sunday were ex-Islanders forward Hudson Fasching (Columbus Blue Jackets), forward Brendan Gaunce (Blue Jackets) and forward Kole Lind (Dallas Stars).

Each was an RFA with arbitration rights; but clearly neither was in the Rangers’ plans moving forward. Minor-league forwards Jake Leschyshyn and Lucas Edmonds also didn’t receive qualifying offers from the Rangers.

Five players, including forward Will Cuylle and defenseman K’Andre Miller did receive qualifying offers from the Rangers. Minor-league goalies Dylan Garand and Talyn Boyko also received qualifying offers, as did forward Brendan Brisson, who was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline in March when the Rangers dealt veteran forward Reilly Smith.

The decision to part ways with Jones is not a big surprise, considering how the 24-year-old defenseman voiced displeasure over his lack of playing time the past two seasons. A third-round pick (No. 68 overall) by the Rangers in the 2019 NHL Draft, Jones played 115 NHL games over the past five seasons, including a career-high 46 in 2024-25.

“It’s tough. It’s really [expletive] tough,” Jones told reporters in January. “I mean, I’m just generally a pretty easygoing, happy person. And no matter what is going on in my life, I’m gonna try and come to the rink with a smile on my face . . . But it [expletive] sucks. Like, there’s nothing else I can say about it.”

Two goals for Zac Jones tonight, and they were both beauties. 🗽 pic.twitter.com/h4ThCY15if

— NHL (@NHL) September 25, 2024

Three different coaches — David Quinn, Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette — each routinely bypassed Jones and chose other options when it came time to regular duty in the top six. It appeared that Jones was set to be a third-pair staple in 2024-25 after the Rangers didn’t re-sign veteran Erik Gustafsson nor replace him in free agency last summer. Yet Jones eventually lost playing time to rookie Victor Mancini (who was traded to the Vancouver Canucks) and later to Urho Vaakanainen, Calvin de Haan and Carson Soucy as the season progressed.

The rub continued to be that Jones was viewed as being too small (listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds) to adequately defend in his own end. The Rangers could’ve used his ability to quickly move the puck and smartly exit the zone, however, when they imploded as a group defensively in 2024-25.

Jones had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) and averaged 17:15 TOI last season. He has 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) in his career, and likely will have many teams interested in him as a free agent. It’s not known if the Rangers tried to trade Jones before the qualifying offer was due in order to get something in return.

“I thought there were some good parts of the year,” Jones stated at breakup day. “When I had some consistent time, I thought I played well. I thought my defensive game was a lot better this year as opposed to years prior. I lost the offensive game a little bit, but that’s something that this summer I’m really going to try and focus on and get back to.”

Per Natural Stat Trick, Jones was on ice for 157 high-danger scoring chances against and just 118 for, and the Rangers expected goals 5v5 was 47.79 percent when he was on the ice.

Related: Intriguing prospects to watch at Rangers development camp, including Malcolm Spence

Rangers part ways with Arthur Kaliyev, qualify five others including Will Cuylle, K’Andre Miller

Kaliyev played 14 games with the Rangers last season after they claimed him off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings in January. His season began with an extended stretch on long-term injured reserve when he sustained a fractured clavicle in Kings training camp. It ended with him on LTIR again with an upper-body injury sustained in a March 11 game against the Winnipeg Jets.

The 24-year-old forward scored three goals and had four points with the Rangers, his favorite childhood team when he lived on Staten Island. Kaliyev proclaimed it “a dream come true” when the Rangers claimed him. But it didn’t seem Kaliyev was a fit next season with general manager Chris Drury looking to change the makeup of the roster this summer.

Drury is trying to sign Cuylle as soon as possible after the forward broke out with 20 goals and 45 points last season, and tied for third in the NHL with a Rangers-record 301 hits. The concern is that another team could try to sign Cuylle to an offer sheet this summer. Since the Rangers qualified him, they can match any offer. But that could get expensive considering New York has approximately $13.14 million in salary-cap space this offseason, with holes to fill on the roster.

The Rangers also must decide what to do with Miller, a player they’ve reportedly tried unsuccessfully to trade this offseason. Miller has arbitration rights, so the two sides could go that route on his next contract — especially since the Rangers aren’t inclined to give the 25-year-old defenseman a long-term, big-money contract.

One will be deciding the fate of Zac Jones, who is due for a new contract, but may not want one in New York after once again struggling to be a lineup regular with the Rangers. The 24-year-old defenseman has played all or parts of five seasons with the Rangers, and this season appeared in a career-high 46 games, well short of the total he sought entering the 2024-25 campaign.

Jones is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this offseason. He could re-sign with the Rangers, go to arbitration (never a fun process) and remain with the team, or be traded. At break-up day last week, Jones claimed not to be concerned about what comes next or where he will play next season.

“Whatever happens this summer with contracts, whether I’m here or somewhere else, I’m going to give my best,” Jones said. “I love to be here, I love the New York Rangers organization, and we’ll see what happens this summer. I’m not focused on a role or anything like that. I’m just focusing on myself this summer and working on things I think I need to improve on.”

#NYR Zac Jones doing it on both ends of the ice.pic.twitter.com/z6T5Tcygo3

— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) March 6, 2025

Perhaps a new coach will give Jones the playing time he feels that he deserves. The Rangers are in the process of looking for Peter Laviolette’s successor now. But that doesn’t guarantee anything for Jones, who’s seen plenty of coaches come and go throughout his Rangers tenure.

“It’s a new opportunity,” he explained. “I’ve been here now for [five] years and this would be our fourth head coach, so I can’t say I haven’t had the opportunity to prove new coaches right or wrong. Whether it’s here or somewhere else, just getting back to my game.”

Clearly, Jones is open to the idea of playing elsewhere when the puck drops on the 2025-26 season. The bottom line is that he just wants to play, no matter where that may be.

Related: Massive Rangers opportunity after Mike Sullivan leaves Penguins, becomes option as coach

Zac Jones admits he ‘lost the offensive game a little bit’ with Rangers this season

Jones began the season on the third defense pair, then lost playing time to rookie Victor Mancini. Jones reestablished himself in the top six only to be supplanted by a group of incoming defensemen like Urho Vaakanainen, Calvin de Haan and Carson Soucy following a flurry of trades.

When Adam Fox went down with an injury in late February, Zones stepped back into the lineup and largely played well. Jones finished the season with an NHL career-high 11 points, that included a career-best 10 assists.

“I thought there were some good parts of the year,” Jones stated. “When I had some consistent time, I thought I played well. I thought my defensive game was a lot better this year as opposed to years prior. I lost the offensive game a little bit, but that’s something that this summer I’m really going to try and focus on and get back to.”

Per Natural Stat Trick, Jones was on ice for 157 high-danger scoring chances against and just 118 for, and the Rangers expected goals 5v5 was 47.79 percent when he was on the ice.

However, consistent playing time was the big issue for Jones, who made his frustration known in an outburst to the media during an extended stretch out of the lineup this season. It was a major struggle for Jones, who has stayed mostly optimistic throughout his time in the organization, but told reporters in January, “I just feel like I’m rotting away a little bit.”

That’s something Drury will have to think about this offseason when deciding what to do with Jones, who is plenty self-aware that his game does need some work. As an offensive defenseman, he hasn’t really produced much offense when given the chance. That’ll have to change, especially if he wants the playing time he feels he deserves.

“Bounces, sometimes maybe overcomplicating it a little bit, not making the simple plays,” Jones said about his lack of production. “A big thing for me is, I’m an offensive defenseman. I’ve got to put up points in this league to stay in this league. Me putting up 11 points this year isn’t good enough, personally.”

Let’s see if he gets the chance to improve with the Rangers or in another city next season.

Among the notable performers were Matt Rempe. who cashed in with a goal and an assist, as well as J.T. Miller who did the same. Jonny Brodzinski, Vincent Trocheck, and Juuso Parssinen were the other goal scorers for New York.

Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann got back into the lineup as the Rangers are out of playoff contention, and defenseman Matthew Robertson made his NHL debut with Braden Schneider out for the remainder of the season with an upper-body injury.

It was an all-around great team win for the Rangers in their final road game of the season. Jonathan Quick picked up his 11th win of the season in what is likely his final game until 2025-26, making 27 saves on 30 shots. He passed Grant Fuhr for sole possession of 13th place on the all-time NHL wins list with No. 404 of his great career.

Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the win on Monday.

Related: Mika Zibanejad’s late-season surge could impact his murky Rangers future 1 way or other

Winner – Matt Rempe – Rangers

This was by far Matt Rempe’s best game of his young career, and not only because he cashed in with a big goal for the Rangers. The towering 6-foot-9 forward played a very effective game on the fourth line, and what was most noticeable was his skating and speed, something he’s been very vocal about working on this season. This game felt like a culmination of everything Rempe set out to do this year, and showed that he has improved greatly, and can continue to get better as a complete hockey player. The goal, where he gained position on veteran defenseman Seth Jones to cash in on a rebound, was a big one for the Rangers and the 22-year old, and he had multiple other close calls as well. Rempe finished with a goal, an assist, and 12:26 of ice time in his first multiple-point outing in the NHL.

Loser – Brett Berard – Rangers

With rookies Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann back in the lineup, and even Matthew Robertson earning his NHL debut on defense, it’s hard to come up with a good reason as to why Brett Berard was a healthy scratch. He’s been one of, if not the best rookies for the Rangers with six goals and 10 points in 35 games, many of which have been spent on the fourth line. With just two games remaining and the Rangers out of playoff contention, there’s no reason why Berard should be sitting in the press box, especially after he scored two goals against the Islanders last week.

Winner – Vincent Trocheck – Rangers

In his 800th NHL game, Vincent Trocheck scored a huge short-handed goal early in the third period, his team-high fifth of the season and 25th overall, which ended up being the game-winner for the Rangers. And it came against the team that drafted him back in 2011. While Trocheck took a step back from his impressive 77 points last season, he’s reached the same amount of goals as a year ago and quietly earned 58 points. He’s also continued to be one of the best in the League in the face-off circle with a win percentage of 59.4. He remains a heart-and-soul Ranger.

Loser – Home ice advantage – Panthers

The Florida Panthers had a golden opportunity to keep their hopes for home ice advantage alive in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With a 3-1 lead against the Rangers late in the second period, it looked like things would go their way, but they instead allowed the visitors to earn their first multi-goal comeback win of the season, giving the Lightning the rights to four home games in the first-round matchup. While not the end of the world for the Panthers by any means, they have been distinctly better at home (27-12-2) compared to on the road (20-18-2), so we’ll see if this plays a factor in the first round.

Winners – Rookies – Rangers

With the Rangers out of playoff contention, rookies Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann were finally inserted back into the lineup after each was recently scratched for multiple games, and defenseman Matthew Robertson made his NHL debut. While they didn’t record any points, the three young Rangers got some valuable playing time and experience that they’ll take with them into next season. Robertson nearly scored a goal on the first shift of the game, hopping up to join the rush. And Perreault came close to his first NHL goal late in the third period. Othmann logged 12:34 of ice time, Perreault had a career-high 16:01, and Robertson 15:24 skating on a pair with Adam Fox. Expect a similar deployment of young guns for the Rangers on Thursday night in the season finale against the Lightning.

Winner – Zac Jones – Rangers

While he didn’t record a point in this one, Zac Jones was one of the Rangers best players in the victory. He was noticeable, especially in the first and second periods. Jones had numerous looks to score, made some impressive moves in the offensive zone to create scoring opportunities for himself and others, and was decent defensively as well. He finished with three shots on goal, tied for the team-lead with six shot attempts and had 19:29 TOI. It must good for the 24-year-old, whose been frustrated this season with being scratched in nearly half of the games. If this game was any indication of Jones’ ability, the Rangers should think twice when deciding his future this offseason.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette told reporters after the morning skate Saturday that Adam Fox is “trending” toward returning later that night against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a crucial clash at Nationwide Arena.

Fox has missed eight games since sustaining an upper-body injury against the New York Islanders on Feb. 25. He’s been skating with the Rangers on their current road trip, and shed his no-contact jersey in an optional practice Friday.

At the morning skate, Fox worked on the top power-play unit, a spot he’s held down for years. That appeared to be a sign Fox is good to go after the three-week absence. The Rangers didn’t take line rushes, so there was no other clear indication he might, or might not, play against the Blue Jackets.

Interestingly, veteran defenseman Carson Soucy was among the last players on the ice at the morning skate, remaining on with recent scratches Calvin de Haan and Juuso Parssinen. That could be another sign that Fox will play Saturday, as is him being removed from the injured reserve list Saturday afternoon.

Soucy has played all four games since the Rangers acquired him ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline from the Vancouver Canucks.

Related: 3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Blue Jackets in crucial clash

Zac Jones could remain in Rangers lineup even if Adam Fox returns against Blue Jackets

If Fox does play, it looks like Zac Jones will remain in the lineup. The 24-year-old puck-moving defenseman rejoined the lineup after Fox was hurt and has three assists in the eight games since. Though the power play is just 2-for-26 with Jones filling in for Fox, Jones is coming off an excellent two-way performance in a 3-2 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

Jones set up a second-period goal off the rush by Jonny Brodzinski in that win and made several key defensive plays with blocks and a quick stick. He has 11 points (one goal, 10 assist) in 36 games this season.

This line deserved a big moment.

Love seeing #NYR Jonny Brodzinski score with money on the board.

And great to see Jones and Rempe pick up assists. pic.twitter.com/MzD8oYXprG

— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) March 14, 2025

The Rangers are 3-3-2 without Fox, who leads them with 43 assists and is tied for second with 48 points. Fox is tied for ninth among NHL defensemen in scoring and is fifth in assists.

Entering the game Saturday, the Rangers (32-28-6) and Blue Jackets (31-26-8) each have 70 points, tied for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Columbus has a game in hand and defeated New York 7-3 just six days ago at Madison Square Garden.

This is the final meeting in the season series, which the Rangers lead 2-1-0.

Arguably, the final head-to-head meeting between these Metropolitan Division rivals is slightly more important to the Rangers, since they’ve already played one more game than the Blue Jackets. That game in hand would look pretty huge for Columbus if it found a way to win in regulation on Saturday.

The Rangers (32-28-6) have won two of three against the Blue Jackets (31-26-8) this season. They won a pair of thrillers — a 1-0 shootout victory at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 18 and a 4-3 comeback win in Columbus on Feb. 8.

However, the latest meeting is the one that might add a bit more fuel to the Rangers fire Saturday. Just six days ago, the Blue Jackets steamrolled the Rangers 7-3 at MSG. New York scored twice short-handed on the same penalty kill but was out-scored 7-1 at even strength, with Adam Fantilli recording a hat trick for Columbus.

Since then the Rangers split a pair of road games, playing much better in each. They lost 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday before an uplifting 3-2 overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

The Blue Jackets lost each of their two games since Sunday and and have dropped four of their past five games. They were shut out at home 4-0 by the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.

Related: Rangers frustrated with calls against Matt Rempe: ‘He’s really not doing anything’

3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Blue Jackets

1. Break the Daniil Tarasov hex

The Blue Jackets will once again start backup goalie Daniil Tarasov against the Rangers. Their No. 1 goalie Elvis Merzlikins is away with his wife, who’s set to give birth to their child. But Tarasov might have gotten this start anyway.

Tarasov’s been excellent against the Rangers this season. In two starts, he’s stopped 58 of 61 shots and surrendered only one goal at even strength. The 25-year-old earned his first NHL shutout Jan. 18 against the Rangers, stopping all 26 shots through 65 minutes. However, Vincent Trocheck beat him in the shootout to hand him a loss to go along with the shutout.

Last Sunday, Tarasov was very good, and couldn’t do much of anything on either short-handed goal scored by the Rangers. But the Blueshirts need to crack the code Saturday, because the rest of the League has against Tarasov, who has a 3.54 goals-against average and .883 save percentage this season.

2. Maintain the trend

Each team has only one win in its past five games — the Rangers are 1-2-2; the Blues Jackets 1-4-0. But a look back at the past six weeks sees the Rangers outpacing the Blues Jackets in the race for a wild-card spot in the East.

Since Feb. 1, the Rangers have earned 18 points with an 8-6-2 record. That’s basically. 500 hockey, with extra points gained via two overtime losses. But it’s seven points better than the Blue Jackets in that same span. Columbus is 5-7-1 in February and March, picking up 11 points, though playing three fewer games than New York.

Still, the Rangers caught the Blue Jackets in points Thursday and can surpass them Saturday. They want to continue that trend Saturday.

3. Out-Foxing Columbus

There appears a chance that Adam Fox could return to the Rangers lineup Saturday. The 27-year-old defenseman was on the top power-play unit at the morning skate and has been practicing with the team the past several days, shedding a no-contact jersey Friday.

This is PP1 today. That’s Adam Fox at the point. #NYR pic.twitter.com/UUjYSar5Mo

— Colin Stephenson (@ColinSNewsday) March 15, 2025

The Rangers didn’t do line rushes, so it’s unclear if Fox is definitely going to play for the first time in nine games since sustaining an upper-body injury against the Islanders on Feb. 25.

Also of note, Zac Jones was on PP2, meaning he could remain in the lineup and another defenseman could be scratched or the Rangers might dress seven defensemen and 11 forwards to ease Fox back in.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Cuylle

Lafreniere – J.T. Miller- Zibanejad

Kreider – Carrick – Berard

Othmann – Brodzinski – Rempe

K. Miller – Fox

Vaakanainen – Borgen

Jones – Schneider

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Blue Jackets: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

When: Saturday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: Nationwide Arena

How to watch: MSG

It’s an important game for each side. The Rangers (31-28-6) have lost four straight (0-2-2), including 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets to begin this current three-game road trip Tuesday. New York is tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference with two teams, though just two points out of the second wild card.

The Wild (37-24-4) are the first wild card in the Western Conference and are in a good spot, seven points clear of the ninth-place Vancouver Canucks. They’ve lost five of eight (3-5-0) since Feb. 25, though, and remain without injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek.

Minnesota is not great on home ice (15-14-1) and not a powerhouse team offensively without their main weapon, Kaprizov. They are 24th in the NHL averaging 2.74 goals per game and 21st on the power play (20.0 percent).

Perhaps an area where the Rangers can attack the Wild is on their own power play. Though struggling badly of late, the Rangers did manage to score a power-play goal against the Jets on Tuesday and will face the 31st-ranked PK in the League on Thursday against the Wild.

Grabbing a lead is key again for the Rangers, this time because the Wild are 25-0-0 when leading after two periods this season.

Related: What’s next for Rangers after re-signing Jonathan Quick, further fortifying roster next season

3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Wild

1. Switching it up

Based on the line rushes at the morning skate, the Rangers will flip a pair of young forwards to give them fresh looks with new linemates.

Alexis Lafreniere was removed from his longtime spot next to Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin, and instead skated with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. Will Cuylle shifted off that line and skated with Panarin and Trocheck.

Lafreniere is without a goal in 13 games and sits on 14 this season, half the amount he scored (28) in his breakout year last season. Cuylle has one assist in four games, though he scored four goals in seven games before that.

2. Zuuuuc!

Hard to believe former Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello is 37 years old now and in his 15th NHL season, sixth with the Wild. The popular 5-foot-8 forward still brings plenty of energy and production, currently fourth on the Wild with 15 goals and 41 points in 52 games. He’s scored 63 points or more each of the past three seasons, including 79 in 2021-22.

Zuccarello has 322 points in 376 games with the Wild, and had 352 points in 509 games with the Rangers. Including a brief stont with the Dallas Stars, Zuccarello is the all-time scoring leader from Norway (677 points) and is 13 games shy of 900 in the NHL.

3. Zac attack

Results are mixed with Zac Jones in the lineup, filling in for the injured Adam Fox, who’s missing his eighth straight game Thursday with an upper-body issue. However, Fox is on the road trip and took part again in the morning skate Thursday, though wearing a no-contact jersey. But it’s clear that Fox is getting closer to returning.

That means Jones is closer to finding a seat in the press box again soon, a spot he loathes and been more often than not this season. This was his big opportunity to show the Rangers — and other teams — what he’s made of. He has two assists in seven games and the power play is 2-for-23 with him running point. Jones had handled the increased TOI, but his defensive zone play has been spotty. He may be running out of opportunities to leave his mark.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Cuylle

Lafreniere – J.T. Miller- Zibanejad

Kreider – Carrick – Berard

Othmann – Brodzinski – Rempe

K. Miller – Borgen

Vaakanaien – Schneider

Soucy – Jones

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Wild: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Minnesota Wild

When: Thursday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET

Where: Xcel Energy Center

How to watch: MSG

To that end, the Rangers signed backup goalie Jonathan Quick to a one-year, $1.55 million contract Wednesday, keeping their goalie tandem along with Igor Shesterkin intact for a third straight season in 2025-26.

It’s the second move in the past week aimed at bringing cost certainty to New York’s salary cap next season, as well as retaining a player by signing him before the offseason. Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen agreed to a two-year, $3.1 million contract with the Rangers last Friday.

At 39, Quick is content going year by year to decide how long he wishes to keep playing. The Connecticut native has been a perfect fit as the No. 2 behind Shesterkin and it always felt like if he wanted to return, the Rangers planned to keep him.

This is the third one-year contract that the three-time Stanley Cup winner signed with the Rangers, after first agreeing to a deal on July 1, 2023. His AAV has grown from $825,000 to $1.275 million to $1.55 million next season.

Per PuckPedia, the Rangers have now committed $84,886,191 in salary to 17 roster players for next season. That leaves the Rangers roughly $10.6 million in salary-cap space to fill out the roster.

So, here’s what’s next for the Rangers now that they signed Quick for next season.

Related: Should Alexis Lafreniere be playing for his Rangers future next season

New York Rangers offseason to-do list

Sign restricted free agents K’Andre Miller, Will Cuylle

Though there’s a chance the Rangers could pivot and look to trade erratic defenseman K’Andre Miller, signs point to them signing him this offseason. The 25-year-old’s production has dropped significantly for a second straight season (from 43 points in 2022-23 to 17 this season) and he can be a nightmare in his own end at times. But the Rangers seem to be intrigued with the idea of partnering him with Adam Fox as a longer-term answer on the No. 1 defense pair, after a pretty successful run together at the start of this season.

What’s it going to cost to sign the restricted free agent who has arbitration rights, though? It’s safe to say Miller is in line for a significant raise off his current $3.872 million AAV, so he’s going to chew into that limited salary-cap space.

Then there’s Cuylle, who’s rookie contract expires at the end of this season. The 23-year-old is due a nice raise, too, though will likely end up on a bridge deal, not a long-term one. Still, on his way to his first 20-goal season, Cuylle will also eat into the cap. Unlike Miller, though, there’s seems to be zero question that Cuylle is a part of this team next season and beyond.

There are other Rangers free agents to consider

Chris Drury did a good job cleaning out the Rangers roster of pending unrestricted free agents before the NHL Trade Deadline. He was able to acquire assets for Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey and Reilly Smith, none of whom were going to be re-signed this summer.

That leaves veteran Calvin de Haan as the lone pending UFA on the roster. A placeholder and extra defenseman for now with Fox injured, de Haan won’t be re-signed either this summer.

There are several pending RFAs other than Miller and Cuylle to consider. Topping that list is defenseman Zac Jones, and forwards Matt Rempe, Juuso Parssinen and Adam Edstrom. Rempe and Edstrom are keepers, who should each receive minor bumps coming off their rookie contracts. Parssinen and Arthur Kaliyev are not sure bets to land new contracts — their respective play down the stretch will decide each of their futures in New York.

It doesn’t feel like Jones will be back. He’s been a ‘tweener with the Rangers, good enough to be an NHL player, not good enough to be a lineup regular. The Rangers could trade him because there will be teams intrigued by Jones’ offensive upside.

Rangers largely set on defense and in goal

There’s probably no room for Jones again next season because Drury has pretty much locked up all of the spots on the defense corps for next season. There’s Fox, Will Borgen and Braden Schneider all signed to play on the right side — Borgen agreeing to a five-year contract after he was acquired earlier this season from the Seattle Kraken.

Assuming Miller is re-signed, that means the left side is set with him, recently-acquired Carson Soucy and now Vaakanainen under contract. Jones already complained about his limited role earlier this season. He’s not going to accept the same one next season.

The Rangers could do one of two things here: pick up an inexpensive player to be the extra defenseman since there are no appealing options at Hartford. Or they could aim higher and try to land a lineup regular with the thought of making Vaakanainen the extra d-man. Just saying that, oh, Jakob Chychrun, Miller and Soucy down the left side does hold quite a bit of appeal. Of course that’s an expensive pipe dream, but it’s worth noting that the Rangers still could upgrade the left side.

As mentioned earlier, the Rangers are set in goal with Shesterkin and Quick. That’ll mean another year of seasoning in the minors for 22-year-old Dylan Garand.

Rangers have more flexibility up front

If the Rangers wish to shake up the roster more, than it’s going to come by moving out a forward or two. That’s where the money is and that’s where the opportunity for the most significant change is. We all know that if Drury can trade Chris Kreider and his $6.5 million cap hit, he’ll do it. But what about Mika Zibanejad ($8.5 million AAV) or Alexis Lafreniere ($7.45 million AAV) or even Artemi Panarin on an expiring $11.64 million AAV? It all seems unlikely, but, who knows? All bets are off with Drury, though working around no-move clauses makes things more difficult. And remember, you ship one of these players out, you’ve got to replace them in the top-six forward group.

It still feels like Drury wants to make at least one more major change to this core. Maybe it ends up being Miller who gets dealt. But more likely it’ll be a forward.

In the Rangers’ best world next season, 2023 first-round pick Gabe Perreault is playing, and excelling, in a top-six role after signing his rookie entry-level contract. And Brennan Othmann takes that next step to be a productive everyday forward, too. That’ll help grow the base of talent and be cost effective with two key contributors on rookie deals. Again, that’s a best-case scenario. And not one Drury will likely count on when he goes shopping this summer.

The Rangers were nine minutes and change away from securing an inspiring victory over the first-place Capitals. But leading 2-1 midway through the third period, the Rangers allowed Alex Ovechkin to tie the score with a power-play goal. Then with 53 seconds remaining in overtime, Tom Wilson finished off another Capitals comeback victory, beating Igor Shesterkin for his 28th goal of the season.

TOM WILSON AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN… OT GAME WINNER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Lj8mtDxvyk

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 6, 2025

With the loss, the Rangers (31-26-5) again failed to win a third consecutive game after back-to-back shutout victories over the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders on Sunday and Monday. New York last won three games in a row Nov. 14-19.

The overtime loss, coupled with a 4-3 overtime win by the Ottawa Senators over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, dropped the Rangers to ninth place in the conference. They are tied with the Senators in points (67) but have played one more game. The Rangers visit the Senators in their next game, Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre.

Shesterkin finished with 23 saves for the Rangers, including a beauty with his glove to rob Ovechkin on a wicked snap shot 2:02 into overtime. His counterpart, Charlie Lindgren of the Capitals, made 16 saves, including a one-on-one stop to rob Zac Jones point blank 54 seconds into OT.

Artemi Panarin and Sam Carrick scored for the Rangers, who have points in eight of their past 11 games (7-3-1).

Ovechkin moved within 10 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record of 894, when he tied the game at 10:28 of the third period. It was also the 1,599th point of his illustrious career.

Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for Washington, which is now 6-10-5 when trailing after two periods this season. Wilson, who relishes playing the role of heel at Madison Square Garden, added an assist for a two-point night.

The Rangers were swept in the season series against the Capitals (0-2-1).

Related: Rangers should chase down Devils ‘not just wild card,’ Marty Biron tells Forever Blueshirts

Washington Capitals 3 – New York Rangers 2 (OT)

Though the Rangers allowed a goal just 64 seconds into the game, they rebounded quickly and gave as good as they got in an evenly-played spirited game, where emotions ran high with a playoff-type feel.

Dubois opened the scoring, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 1:04 of the first period, when he whipped a pass from Wilson past Shesterkin for his 16th goal of the season. The goal came after a face-off to Shesterkin’s right and and good work by Wilson down low.

Washington nearly coughed up the lead at 8:30 following a turnover in its own end. But Lindgren took Vincent Trocheck’s wide-open look in the midsection and then lunged to his right to make a toe save on Panarin’s rebound attempt.

Two minutes later it was Shesterkin’s time to shine. No one picked up Lars Eller flying down the center, accepting a pass and driving to the net, but the Rangers goalie stretched to his left for the pad save.

Panarin’s deflection of a pretty feed into the middle by Jones tied the game 1-1 at 13:37. It was Panarin’s team-high 26th goal and extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.

Artemi Panarin steers Zac Jones' shot in to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/BxVF9iwA8o

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 6, 2025

Shortly before picking up the secondary assist on Panarin’s goal, Alexis Lafreniere leveled Washington’s Nic Dowd with a reverse check, one of his three hits in the first period and one of 16 credited to the Rangers in the first 20 minutes.

The Rangers added 12 more hits in the second period, one that saw an uptick in physical and chippy play on both sides and featured a pair of fights. Plus the Rangers scored the only goal in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

Carrick scored the go-ahead goal at 8:05, though it came with a hint of mild controversy. On a Rangers zone entry, Carrick collided with Connor McMichael in the neutral zone, knocking the Washington forward down, creating a 5-on-4 for a bit in the offensive zone. Carrick could’ve been called for interference, but instead scored seconds later.

K’Andre Miller made an excellent keep at the left point on a Capitals clearing attempt. The Rangers defenseman then made a heads-up pass into the slot to Carrick, who skated around Matt Rempe in front before sending a backhand shot just out of the reach of Lindgren. It was Carrick’s sixth goal of the season, which extended his point streak to three games.

K'Andre Miller keeps the puck in the zone and Sam Carrick buries the backhand 💪 pic.twitter.com/GtX5F00SBC

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 6, 2025

That 2-1 lead carried to the second intermission after Shesterkin made one really sharp save against Rasmus Sandin, and Lindgren had a pair of beauties on open looks for Panarin and Trocheck. That latter chance came on a rare power-play scoring chance; the Rangers were 0-for-4 on the power play, including a failed four-minute advantage late in the first period following a double minor high-sticking penalty when Brett Berard was clipped by Ethen Frank.

Carrick and Brandon Duhaime squared off for a fight at 12:54 of the second period, one that was more wrestling match than boxing. Then at 14:58, Juuso Parssinen got into a scrap with Matt Roy, and after missing with a pair of wild swings, the recently-acquired Rangers center was sent to the ice by the Capitals defenseman.

That second fight broke out when Roy roughed Brennan Othmann — who had five hits through two periods in limited ice time — from behind by the boards. Roy received an extra minor penalty, but the Capitals killed that one off, too.

Juuso Parssinen drops the gloves with Matt Roy after Brennan Othmann took a big hit pic.twitter.com/TkhR2vOkFO

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 6, 2025

The Rangers had to like their start to a low-event third period. But with Jones in the penalty box serving a hooking minor, the Capitals tied the game 2-2 when Ovechkin buried a power-play goal from in tight at 10:28. It was his 32nd goal in 46 games played this season, and fourth in three games against the Rangers.

ALEX OVECHKIN DOES IT AGAIN!

HE'S NOW JUST 10 GOALS AWAY FROM BREAKING GRETZKY'S GOAL-SCORING RECORD ‼️ 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ecMdmMvc1Q

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 6, 2025

To make matters worse for the home team, Will Borgen was assessed a hooking penalty as Ovechkin was shooting the puck into the net, and Washington went right back to the power play. Shesterkin had to make a sharp glove save on Ovechkin’s patented one-timer from the left circle at 12:10 but the Rangers killed off the rest of the penalty.

Playing with extra jump after tying the game, the Capitals nearly took the lead at 14:51, but a left-wing shot by Taylor Raddysh off a 2-on-1 rush kissed the near post.

There were five shots combined in overtime, with, first Jones then Ovechkin, getting Grade-A looks. But Washington scored on its third shot of the extra session, after Dylan Strome carried the puck in on a 2-on-1, slowed to let a diving Braden Schneider slide by, before zipping a pass to Wilson, who chipped it past Shesterkin.

This was New York’s fifth loss (22-2-3) when leading after two periods, dropping the Rangers to 2-5 in OT this season.

They’ll have two days to sit on this one — including the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday — before playing that crucial games in Ottawa on Saturday and then an equally as important home game Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the top wild card in the East.