Rangers

Larry David wasn’t happy Kakko was benched in Calgary

Posted on by Adam Rotter

1/9/20 | On Thursday, David Quinn was asked about David’s comments and while laughing said “listen, I’ve watched a few bad Seinfelds and Curbs, but I still love Larry David and his work.” (NYR)

1/8/20 | On Tuesday, Larry David was on The Michael Kay Show and said the following about the Rangers:

  • “I’m really into the Rangers this year.”
  • Don La Greca says he’s calling the game on Tuesday, “I wish I could go, but we have this event.”
  • When did you get so dialed into the Rangers, “are you serious? Always. By the way, I couldn’t watch the first two periods of the Messier game, I was too nervous. I was so nervous for that Devils Rangers game that I couldn’t watch it.”
  • Why did you turn it on in the third, “I had to check in. They were losing and I thought that at this point it doesn’t matter.”
  • While discussing that he roots for both the Mets and Yankees and Jets and Giants, unless they are playing, Larry says that rooting for both the Rangers and Islanders is “different. That I don’t get. They are playing 20 times a year, that is a whole different thing.”
  • Larry changes subjects and says, “why did he bench Kakko in that third period. First goal in 14 games, and an assist and he benches him because he took a bad penalty? Come on, that is ridiculous. You think that putting him on the bench, you don’t think he knows he took a bad penalty? He knows, benching him isn’t going to do anything, they need another goal.”
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Ryan Lindgren

Ryan Lindgren will have a hearing for his hit on Donskoi last night

Posted on by Adam Rotter

9PM: The NHL Department of Player Safety determined that Lindgren would not receive discipline.

They tweeted, “While there was significant head contact on this play, Lindgren took a proper angle of approach, did not extend outward or upward and hit through Donskoi’s core. Therefore, under Rule 48.1 (i), the head contact was determined to be unavoidable.”

10:08AM: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Ryan Lindgren will have a hearing on Wednesday for an illegal check to the head of Jonas Donskoi in last night’s first period.

Lindgren was not penalized on the play.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar said after the game that he hadn’t talked to the trainers but “news isn’t good if he didn’t come out for the rest of the game. I watched the replay, shoulder right to his jaw and his cheek, no call, so we have to take care of it ourself and that is what we did.”

The NHL’s Time on Ice sheet lists Donskoi as playing an eight second shift in the second period last night. That is the only time he played after suffering the hit.

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Chris Kreider, Chris Kreider Trade Rumors

There is a “ton of interest” in Chris Kreider (Updates)

Posted on by Adam Rotter

1/8: Kreider is ranked 1st on The Athletic’s Trade Big Board with Craig Custance writing that neither the Rangers nor Kreider are “rushing” potential contract extension talks.

Custance lists Tampa as a team where Kreider might be a fit and says that the Rangers can point to the Kevin Hayes return of a 1st round pick, Brendan Lemieux and a conditional pick as a starting point for negotiations. (The Athletic’s)

12/31: Elliotte Friedman writes there is “lots and lots” of interest in Kreider but the Rangers have not made any decision yet on his future. (Sportsnet)

Friedman writes that while there is speculation Montreal would be a fit for Kreider, his partial no-trade clause might impact that. (Sportsnet)

12/30: On Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman said “all the contenders from Colorado to Boston to St. Louis to Pittsburgh are all believed to be interested” in Chris Kreider. (Sportsnet)

He added that teams don’t believe that Kreider has been made “available” yet but if the Rangers decide to trade Kreider “there is a ton of interest.” (Sportsnet)

Kreider is believed to be the top rental forward on the market.

He is in the final-year of a four-year contract that has a cap hit of $4.625 million.

Adam Rotter: There are many different factors with Kreider, some of which we won’t know until much closer to the deadline. If the Rangers stumble, go on a losing streak and take a step back, it’s much easier to trade Kreider. If the Rangers get better, or really even stay where they are right now, it’s much harder to trade Kreider and subtract a major top-six forward and leader. The Rangers don’t want another year of selling at the deadline unless the playoffs are totally out of reach. The Rangers are one of five teams in the East that are within a game or so of each other, and still four points out of the playoffs, so the standings can/will change constantly.

The big wild card is Kreider being the best rental forward on the market and the package they could get in return. If the Rangers are able to create a bidding war and get something similar to the core of what they got for Rick Nash (1st round pick, prospect, roster player) or Kevin Hayes (1st round pick, young roster player) it might be worth it. I think that the Rangers preference would be to get players who can step in right away, maybe someone like Tyson Jost from Colorado, and then tie draft picks to conditions on how far a team goes in the playoffs or whether Kreider re-signs.

I do think that in a perfect world the Rangers would like to sign Kreider, and that they kept him at the deadline last year with the intent of doing so, but Artemi Panarin signed, Kaapo Kakko was picked and Kevin Shattenkirk’s buyout cap hit, all make that unlikely now.

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2019-20 Rangers

What David Quinn said after the Rangers win over Colorado

Posted on by Adam Rotter

David Quinn met with the media following the win over Colorado and said (NYR Game Notes):

  • On Shesterkin, “we didn’t hesitate to give him a taste of Ranger hockey, but to be able to be mentally tough to pull himself together, just like our team, I thought we played really well down 2-0. There was a lot I liked about our game, not just our goalie, we played a thorough game and built off what we did in Vancouver and I think that everyone in the locker room realizes that if we are going to have a chance to have the season we think we are capable of having, we certainly can’t play the way we have the first 30 games where we have the inconsistencies and pond hockey approach from time to time. The last two games I think we look like a different, purposeful hockey team.”
  • Did you feel good even early on, “without question, down 2-0 I’m thinking to myself that we are just continuing to do the things we did in Vancouver. We made a couple of plays – net front play, we have to continue to get better in that area but I thought we did some good things. We are not going to go from where we are to where we need to be overnight, there has to be a progression and I think we have been making a lot of progress, in particular the last two games we have played.”
  • On the third period, “I thought we just continued to play, we didn’t take our foot off the pedal. I think that happened to us in Toronto, we had two good periods and then we were on our heels a bit, where tonight we kept playing and established our forecheck and defended well. Another big kill in the third period. I just really liked the feel, a lot of energy before the game. Hopefully we will continue this maturation where, after the first period in the Calgary game where we gave up three and I get the feeling that our guys said enough is enough and we can’t play like this. I know we gave up three tonight but we limited chances and it wasn’t the fire drill it can be in our end, that up and down game that can really hurt you in a game like this.”
  • On Ryan Lindgren, “we kept him out for precautionary reasons, we think he will be fine.”
  • Did the team have more energy because of Igor, “maybe that had something to do with it. We got home, got some rest, had a short practice yesterday and our guys were ready to play. I think they wanted to continue what happened in Vancouver from a playing standpoint, certainly not a results standpoint. Everyone has been talking about Igor for a long time and for good reason, he has earned the accolades and this opportunity.”
  • Did you sense his nervousness, “he didn’t look nervous when he made that 70ft saucer pass when we were down 2-0, so that might have calmed his nerves a bit. He certainly settled in.”
  • Will you go back to him, “we haven’t decided, we will go day by day.”
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2019-20 Rangers

Panarin, Zibanejad, Shesterkin lead Rangers to 5-3 win over Avs

Posted on by Adam Rotter

1st Period:

  • J.T. Compher (6) ASST: Samuel Girard (22), Andre Burakovsky (13)
  • Nathan MacKinnon (26)
  • PPG – Chris Kreider (13) ASST: Ryan Strome (27), Tony DeAngelo (22)
  • Mika Zibanejad (17) ASST: Tony DeAngelo (23), Jesper Fast (9)

2nd Period:

  • Brady Skjei (6) ASST: Adam Fox (18), Artemi Panarin (34)
  • J.T. Compher (7) ASST: Andre Burakovsky (14), Valeri Nichushkin (9)
  • Ryan Strome (12) ASST: Jesper Fast (10), Artemi Panarin (35)

3rd Period:

  • EN – Artemi Panarin (23) ASST: Mika Zibanejad (16), Jesper Fast (11)

Ryan Lindgren left the game with an upper body injury after fighting with Nazem Kadri in the first period.

3 Stars:

  • 3: Tony DeAngelo
  • 2: Ryan Strome
  • 1: Artemi Panarin

Stats:

Adam Rotter:

  • Well, we got a glimpse of the Rangers future, and possibly present, with Igor Shesterkin and it looked good.
  • Shesterkin, and the team in general, moved past the two early goals against and settled in as the game went along. He was great in the third period.
  • In a season where he has had so many outstanding games and moments, Artemi Panarin was just outstanding tonight. He dominated every time he had the puck, made plays out of nothing and sure showed the Avs what could have been had he taken their offer in the summer. Mika Zibanejad was also terrific.
  • On the whole the Rangers played a solid game against one of the best and most talented teams in the league. When Colorado gets going up the ice they are as dangerous as anyone and the Rangers did a fairly good job of neutralizing them. The Rangers are playing a smarter, tighter game that will be needed if they want a chance at the playoffs.
  • The short-term result of tonight was two points and a nice win over the Avs but it’s what tonight showed about the long-term and future that made it so fun. While so much of the Rangers lineup on any given night is likely to be part of the core and group that they move forward with, tonight was the first night that we got to see the player we believe, and have been told, will succeed Henrik Lundqvist. No offense to Alex Georgiev, who has done nothing but overachieve and succeed compared to what may have been expected, but replacing Henrik Lundqvist has always been Igor Shesterkin’s job to lose. In a season that has seen many big players debut (Panarin, Kakko, Trouba, Fox), Shesterkin arguably had the biggest one. It’s different when he’s the goalie, as opposed to a skater, and such a focus at all times but it was easy to see how ready and excited the crowd was not only for Shesterkin to be there but to embrace him as the one to carry on about 15-years of incredible goaltending.
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Alex Georgiev, Alex Georgiev Trade Rumors, Hartford Wolf Pack, Igor Shesterkin

What happens now that Igor Shesterkin has been called up

Posted on by Adam Rotter

1/8 | Craig Custance writes that the Rangers asking price for Georgiev is not believed to be cheap. (The Athletic)

1/7 | Igor Shesterkin will make his NHL debut tonight against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Rangers are currently carrying three goaltenders, Shesterkin, Henrik Lundqvist and Alexander Georgiev.

Shesterkin, 24 last week, is in the first-year of a two-year entry level deal and his contract includes an ability to leave the Rangers and return to Europe.

Lundqvist, 38 in March, has the remainder of this season and next season with a cap hit of $8.5 million and a full no-move clause in his contract.

Georgiev, 24 in February, is in the final-year of his entry-level contract and is slated to be an RFA at the end of this season. Georgiev also now must pass through waivers to be sent to the AHL.

On the season:

  • Shesterkin in the AHL: 15-4-3, 1.93 GAA, .932 save percentage, 3 shutouts in 23 games
  • Lundqvist: 9-9-1, .909 save percentage, 3.17 GAA, 0 shutouts in 24 games (22 starts)
  • Georgiev: 10-9-1, .910 save percentage, 3.10 GAA, 2 shutouts in 20 games (19 starts)

Adam Rotter: Including tonight, the Rangers have seven games before the All-Star break and bye week and my guess is that Shesterkin will get three games, Lundqvist two and Georgiev two. If Shesterkin steps in and carries his AHL/KHL performance and numbers to the NHL then he will remain with the Rangers and ultimately team with Henrik Lundqvist. That scenario leaves Alex Georgiev as the odd-man-out and make it extremely likely that he gets traded by the deadline. Goalies don’t often move at the deadline but Georgiev is cheap ($792,500) and would draw interest from any number of teams that have starter who are struggling or need a back up.

If Shesterkin struggles or needs some more time in the AHL then it’s easy for the Rangers, he goes back to Hartford and they punt the goalie decision to the offseason. The belief from almost everyone around the league is that the Rangers intend for Shesterkin to follow Henrik Lundqvist and that Georgiev will ultimately be moved. The Rangers have seen a lot from Georgiev and on the whole he has impressed and made this a tougher decision than they probably ever anticipated.

Why was this decision to bring up Shesterkin made now? That is hard to say but it’s probably a combination of his performance in the AHL, maybe a promise made that Shesterkin would be in the NHL by a certain point, to avoid him returning to Europe, and a chance to gauge his readiness for the NHL as teams begin calling about Georgiev’s availability. Should the Rangers have made this move a few weeks ago when they could have still had the flexibility to send Georgiev to Hartford? Maybe, but sending him to Hartford at any point would have likely decreased his value. It’s a tricky situation because having three goalies around long-term just doesn’t work. You dress two goalies per game and there are only two nets at practice. Unless injuries strike the only way this gets resolved is by Shesterkin going back to Hartford, unlikely unless he struggles, or Georgiev is traded. I’d expect that the Rangers will return from the All-Star break with a plan of action and it’s hard to think that the plan will include keeping three goalies around.

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