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Rangers’ Jimmy Vesey Unhappy With Lack Of Playing Time

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Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey has spent most of his time in the press box as of late after missing only three regular-season games for New York over the prior two seasons. The 31-year-old winger was candid with Larry Brooks of the New York Post (subscription required) on Thursday, telling him he “feels like I have no role or purpose on this team.”

“It seems that I have fallen out of favor and have just been cast aside over an extended period of time,” Vesey told Brooks. “I’m kind of dying by being here.”

Vesey is one of many Rangers veterans to see time in the press box this season amid difficult campaigns. He’s no longer a factor on the team’s penalty kill, due in part to starting the season on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body issue, and is thus averaging a career-low 10:04 per game when dressed. He hasn’t played in back-to-back games since the first week of January and last entered the lineup on Jan. 11 against the Golden Knights.

In 26 appearances this season between injuries and scratches, Vesey has three goals and an assist with a minus-two rating. He’s lost the physical edge that made him an effective bottom-six checker over the past few seasons, only recording 14 hits after averaging well over a hit per game between 2021-22 and 2023-24. His possession numbers have been middle of the pack on a Rangers team that struggles to control play at even strength, posting a 47.4 CF% and a -0.8 expected rating that actually ranks eighth among New York skaters with at least 10 games played.

The Blueshirts just haven’t clicked offensively with Vesey on the ice, though, making other options with comparable defensive metrics like Jonny Brodzinski and Arthur Kaliyev more preferred options in the lineup for head coach Peter Laviolette. The Rangers have scored just 1.6 goals per 60 minutes with Vesey on the ice at even strength, the worst such figure on the club.

But the lack of playing time isn’t helping the pending UFA’s confidence. He told Brooks that he’s had disagreements with Laviolette about how his extended run as a healthy scratch is affecting the likelihood of him landing a contract elsewhere on the open market this summer. “It’s the anxiety of not having a contract and feeling like this might be the end. [Laviolette] doesn’t necessarily agree with that.”

Vesey declined to say whether he’s submitted a trade or waivers request to general manager Chris Drury, saying that he loves being a Ranger “but I know I’m unhappy and don’t see this changing. I know I have value to teams in this league, I know I could help teams.”

The Rangers wouldn’t have any trouble moving Vesey, who’s in the back half of a two-year, $1.6MM deal with an $800K cap hit that could easily be waived and buried in the minors if he doesn’t work out with a new club. He’s coming off back-to-back seasons of significant PK usage with 10-plus goals, which is sure to draw intrigue from other teams with no financial downside.

Ryan Lindgren Wants To Stay With Rangers Past Trade Deadline

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If he has things his way, Rangers pending UFA defenseman Ryan Lindgren will remain in New York past the March 7 trade deadline, he told Larry Brooks of the New York Post on Monday (subscription required).

Lindgren, whose stay-at-home play has been hampered by injuries over the past few seasons, spent nearly a month as a restricted free agent last summer before coming to terms on a one-year, $4.5MM deal three days before his scheduled arbitration hearing. Since the deal walked him to unrestricted free agency in 2025, most assumed this would be Lindgren’s last season in Manhattan, either because he’d be traded at the deadline or let loose on the open market.

His play this season hasn’t done much to change that assumption in the public eye. The soon-to-be 27-year-old missed the first five games of the season with an upper-body injury and has since embarked on a rocky campaign, posting overall negative possession impacts for the second season in a row.

He’s still spent most of his time on the Blueshirts’ top pairing with Adam Fox and is averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. However, the difference in Fox’s play away from Lindgren is jarring. The Fox-Lindgren pairing has controlled 49.7% of expected goals together through nearly 500 minutes, while Fox has controlled a league-leading 67.1% of expected goals in nearly 300 minutes with K’Andre Miller on his left side. Most of that difference is accounted for by Miller’s offensive prowess, but the Miller-Fox pairing also allows 0.7 fewer xG per 60 minutes than the Lindgren-Fox duo.

Of course, Lindgren continues to do what he does best – block shots. His 86 are tied with Braden Schneider for the team lead. It hasn’t translated into great shutdown results at 5-on-5, though, especially when paired with his lack of offensive upside.

His role moving forward got muddied when the Rangers signed righty William Borgen to a five-year, $20.5MM extension over the weekend. Borgen is a more direct and economical Jacob Trouba replacement after New York traded him to the Ducks earlier this year. However, he still eats into their cap space for next season and will likely mean the Rangers look to spend Lindgren’s cash on a different style of player – potentially a forward upgrade.

Lindgren has posted better results in the past few weeks, namely six assists and a plus-three rating in 13 games since New Year’s. But his rapidly increasing injury history and inconsistent play over the last two seasons make it understandable that his name pops up in trade speculation, even as the Rangers look to rebound and secure a playoff spot following a harrowing 4-15-0 record in their last 19 games of the 2024 calendar year.

“I just try and block it out,” Lindgren said about that speculation. “I don’t like hearing or seeing my name included in these rumors but I know where I am with my contract and I get it, I’m just trying to do my best, focus on hockey, with what the team needs and try and enjoy it.”

Lindgren didn’t comment on any potential extension talks with the Rangers, but did reaffirm he wanted to see out the season in New York. While drafted by the Bruins in the second round in 2016, he was traded to the Rangers in 2018 in the Rick Nash deal before making his NHL debut. He’s skated in all of his 377 career NHL games as a Ranger, posting 12 goals, 80 assists, 92 points, and a +99 rating while averaging just over 19 minutes per game.

New York Rangers Extend Will Borgen To Five-Year Contract

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5:50 p.m: Per a team announcement, the Rangers have made the five-year contract official.

5:13 p.m: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the New York Rangers are closing in on a five-year, $20.5MM extension with defenseman William Borgen. He’s been a stable top-four defenseman for the Rangers since being acquired from the Seattle Kraken in mid-December.

It’s a significant increase over Borgen’s current $2.7 million salary. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career on July 1, but he will sign on for another five years with the Rangers.

It’s also a major vote of confidence from the Rangers organization. Borgen is only 17 games into his tenure with New York after being the main piece acquired in the Kaapo Kakko trade with the Seattle Kraken.

After primarily serving in a bottom-pairing role with the Kraken through the beginning of the season, Borgen has been thrust into a top-four role with the Rangers. He’s scored one goal and two assists in 17 games averaging 18:35 of ice time per game. He’s continued being a physical defenseman in New York, racking up 30 hits and 29 blocked shots.

His peripherals are also solid, averaging a 48.2% CorsiFor% at even strength and an 89.8% on-ice save percentage in the same situation — higher than he ever produced in Seattle. Should he continue producing at the same level in New York, his $4.1MM salary could become a steal through the expected prime years of his career.

It’ll also give the Rangers more clarity regarding their blue line. Borgen gives them three right-handed defensemen signed through next season. Braden Schneider will become a restricted free agent next year but they’ll still have two years of team control.

Unfortunately, the same doesn’t hold for the left side of the defense. Every remaining blue liner on the active roster becomes a restricted free agent or unrestricted free agent at season’s end giving the Rangers plenty of remaining work.

Lightning Acquire Ryder Korczak From Rangers

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward prospect Ryder Korczak from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward prospect Lucas Edmonds. Both players are in the midst of their third AHL season, after third-round selections in the 2021 and 2022 drafts respectively.

Neither player has managed much scoring in their early pro careers. Korczak has spent slightly longer in an NHL system. He was originally selected 75th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, after a season of being heralded as a second-to-third round pick. He was admired for his hard-working two-way play, high scoring, and leadership abilities through four years with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He worked his way up to a staggering 69 points in 48 games in 2022-23, his final WHL season, before joining the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for five games at the end of the year. Korczak has since worked his way through a middle-six role in Hartford. He scored 20 points in 67 games last season and is currently riding 11 points in 35 games this year. It’s commendable depth scoring, but far from what New York was hoping for from their gritty third-rounder.

After not landing a draft selection in 2019, 2020, or 2021 – the early-birthday Edmonds finally earned the 86th-overall selection in 2022 after posting 113 points in 68 games with the Kingston Frontenacs. He moved to the AHL in the following season and posted a commendable 15 goals and 27 points in 49 games as a rookie. But Edmonds has struggled to match those numbers since, totaling just 21 points in 71 games through the last two seasons.

Korczak and Edmonds share a lot of parallels – and will now get a chance to use a change of scenery to try and return to the heights of their junior scoring.

J.T. Miller Receiving Interest From Additional Eastern Conference Teams

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Canucks center J.T. Miller remains in Vancouver for now after a reported trade to the Rangers fell through over the weekend. That deal never got close enough for the Canucks to ask Miller to waive his no-movement clause, multiple members of The Athletic’s NHL staff reported Monday, but it did potentially involve New York sending young top-nine center Filip Chytil, pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Lindgren, and multiple “future-focused assets” to Vancouver.

A disagreement on the conditions around the prospective first-round pick was the principal reason the deal fell apart, per The Athletic’s report. It doesn’t mean the Blueshirts are out of the running on Miller entirely, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet told CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal on Monday that the Rangers and Hurricanes are the two likeliest parties to land Miller, who prefers a trade to the Eastern United States. Friedman mentioned the Stars, Devils, and Islanders as interested but less probable outcomes.

If the reported return for the now-nixed trade is a strong blueprint for other potential Miller deals, though, it signals a continued rocky path for the Canucks down the stretch. The total value of what they’re getting isn’t bad – they need short-term help on the blue line, Chytil still has top-six potential when healthy, and the first-round pick will likely be in the teens – but it doesn’t give them a direct replacement for the near point-per-game Miller.

Even amid a down year for J.T. and time missed due to personal leave, he leads Canucks forwards in scoring with 31 points (8 G, 23 A) in 35 games. That’s below expectations, considering he’d averaged 96 points per 82 games over the prior three seasons, but still elite-level production that’s due for a rebound. His 11.8% shooting rate stands as his lowest in 10 years.

If Carolina wins out with a similar return, it would seemingly involve 24-year-old pivot Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who the Canucks demonstrated interest in acquiring when they nearly dealt Elias Pettersson to the Hurricanes last season. He’s likely a lower-value pickup than Chytil, with an iffy $4.82MM cap hit running through 2030 and just 19 points in 46 games this season. The Canes could easily make up for that by giving Vancouver a higher-value defenseman in return than the Rangers can with Lindgren, though.

Rangers Activate Chris Kreider, Reassign Bo Groulx

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The New York Rangers have activated winger Chris Kreider off of injured reserve and reassigned Benoit-Olivier Groulx to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Kreider has missed the Rangers’ last four games with an upper-body injury. He had three points in three games prior to his injury – the longest scoring streak of Kreider’s season.

It’s been a year to forget for Kreider. He has just 13 goals and 15 points in 34 games on the year, putting him on pace for a career-low 36 points across a full season. He ranks ninth on the team in scoring, despite receiving the fifth-most minutes, on average, of any Rangers forward. Even worse, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette chose to healthy scratch Kreider in their match against Tampa Bay on December 23rd, their last game before the holiday break. New York still lost that match 5-0, and didn’t rebound much when Kreider stepped back into the lineup. But the team has found some footing while he’s been on the shelf. They’re 3-1-0 in their last four games, already reaching four wins in January – a mark the team fell short of in December.

Filip Chytil also returned to full practices on Monday and Tuesday, per Walker, and could soon return from his own upper-body injury. If he does, Chytil and Kreider will likely both step into roles on New York’s third-line and second power-play unit. That will likely bump Jonny Brodzinski and Jimmy Vesey back out of the lineup. Brodzinski contributed a goal and an assist while serving as Kreider’s relief, while Vesey hasn’t scored since December 22nd. Also notable, Kreider and Chytil could line up next to Arthur Kaliyev at even strength. The Rangers claimed the 2019 33rd-overall pick off of waivers from Los Angeles last week. He’s since played in two games with his new club, recording three shots on net and three hits but so far no scoring. While a lineup shakeup is far from ideal for a Rangers team that seemed to finally be in a groove, the pair of returnees could be the piece that helps Kaliyev find his footing in New York.

Meanwhile, Groulx will return to the minors still waiting for his first game in the Rangers lineup. Groulx signed a one-year, two-way, league-minimum contract with New York this summer and received his first call-up of the season on January 10th. While he didn’t receive any NHL ice time, Groulx has been surprisingly productive in the minors – ranked second on the Wolf Pack in scoring with 11 goals and 29 points in 32 games. That type of production could soon make him an invaluable piece of New York’s bottom-six, and give Groulx a chance for a better NHL showing after posting just two points in 45 games with Anaheim last season.

Rangers Recall Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Reassign Brett Berard

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The New York Rangers are making a small swap at the bottom of their forward core. The organization announced they’ve recalled Benoit-Olivier Groulx from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, and reassigned Brett Berard in a corresponding roster move.

According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the roster move should be short-lived. Walker shares that center Filip Chytil is a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s contest against the Vegas Golden Knights leaving the Rangers without any extra options down the middle.

Should Chytil’s injury prohibit him from playing tomorrow night, Groulx will likely make his debut with the Rangers. He had spent the first four years of his professional career with the Anaheim Ducks organization before signing a one-year, $775K contract with New York as an unrestricted free agent this past summer.

He’s quickly become the top AHL call-up option at center for the Rangers. Groulx has scored 11 goals and 29 points in 32 games for the Wolf Pack this season good for second on the team in scoring behind Alex Belzile.

Berard may suit up for Hartford given they have a few upcoming home games this weekend. He won’t be down in the AHL long given how he’s played for the Rangers this season. He’s scored three goals and seven points in 19 games averaging 11:20 of ice time in the team’s bottom six.

Despite playing nearly half as many games as the rest of his teammates in New York, Berard has already climbed to 13th on the team in hits with 27. He still has a few things to clean up defensively but Berard’s physicality and ability to stay out of the penalty box has made him a solid addition to the Rangers this season.

Rangers To Activate Igor Shesterkin From Injured Reserve

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11:03 a.m.: Domingue has been assigned to Hartford as expected, per a team announcement.

9:55 a.m.: The Rangers will activate star netminder Igor Shesterkin from injured reserve ahead of Thursday’s game against the Devils, head coach Peter Laviolette told Peter Baugh of The Athletic.

Shesterkin, 29, will start for the first time since Dec. 30 after missing over a week with an upper-body injury. The Blueshirts don’t have an open roster spot, so they’ll likely return No. 3 goalie Louis Domingue to AHL Hartford today after recalling him on New Year’s Eve in Shesterkin’s absence.

The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner struggled in his last two starts before his injury. He allowed nine goals on 38 shots (.763 SV%) in back-to-back losses against the Lightning and Panthers, including being pulled in the second period against Tampa after allowing five goals on 13 shots.

Shesterkin had allowed just five goals on 106 shots in his three prior starts, further evidence of what’s been a streaky 2024-25 campaign for the all-world netminder. On the whole, he’s tracking for the worst campaign of his six-year career with a .906 SV%, 3.10 GAA, 11-15-1 record, and one shutout in 27 starts.

Quite a bit of his struggles can be attributed to the team in front of him, though. He’s still managed to save 9.5 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, good for 11th in the league. On a per-hour basis, he’s saving more goals above expected than his 2020-21 and 2023-24 seasons in which he had save percentages of .916 and .912.

He’s still shown better throughout his career, namely his sparkling .935 SV% in 53 games in 2021-22. After signing him to a record-breaking eight-year, $92MM extension last month, the Rangers are hoping he’s closer to that form down the stretch than to the numbers he’s put up over the past few months.

The Rangers went 2-1-1 in Shesterkin’s four-game absence. Domingue stopped 25 of 27 shots in a 6-2 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday, the lone appearance of his call-up. Veteran Jonathan Quick started the other three, posting a .879 SV%.

The 32-year-old Domingue will presumably return to Hartford, where he’s struggled to the tune of a .888 SV%, 3.64 GAA, and a 4-9-2 record through 14 games. The veteran has lost his grip on the minor-league starting job to prospect Dylan Garand, who’s begging for an NHL promotion after logging a .929 SV% through his first 16 outings this season.

Florida Panthers To Host Winter Classic, Tampa Bay Lightning To Host Stadium Series

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The Commissioner of the National Hockey League has followed through with his vague promise from the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. The Florida Panthers announced they would host the New York Rangers in the 2026 Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park, home of the MLB’s Miami Marlins. Their intra-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they would host the Boston Bruins in the 2026 NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’ll be the southernmost outdoor event the NHL has attempted since successfully pulling off the 2020 NHL Winter Classic in Dallas, Texas. Unlike the Cotton Bowl Stadium, LoanDepot Park has some flexibility with the weather thanks to a retractable roof. There’s a high chance the roof will be used for a hockey event given that the temperature in Miami on January 1st, 2025 reached a high of 81°F (27°C ).

The Panthers organization will take part in their first Winter Classic and outdoor event. This is quite different from their opponent, the Rangers, who have already participated in two Winter Classics and three Stadium Series games.

Traveling northwest to Tampa Bay, the Lightning will play in their second Stadium Series contest in franchise history after defeating the Nashville Predators in 2022 at Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Like their in-state counterpart, it’ll be the first time the Lightning have hosted an outdoor event in franchise history.

Unfortunately, unlike the stadium amenities at LoanDepot Park, Raymond James Stadium does not have a roof and is exposed to the elements. Tampa is relatively milder than Miami in terms of heat, but still recorded a high of 64°F (18°C) in February of 2024 which could make the ice conditions more unpleasant.

Rangers Rumors: Zibanejad, Trocheck, Jones

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In the written edition of his “32 Thoughts” blog Tuesday night, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet expanded on a report yesterday from Josh Yohe of The Athletic that the Canucks turned down a one-for-one trade proposal from the Rangers that would have seen the clubs swap struggling top-six fixtures J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad.

Friedman “believe[s] he’s correct — with some semantics.” Those Miller-for-Zibanejad rumors, which started when the former took a brief leave of absence from Vancouver for personal reasons, were vehemently shut down by New York. At the same time, Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford quickly said that his team wasn’t interested in trading Miller, at least not while he was still on leave.

Fast forward to today, and all indications point to Miller and star pivot Elias Pettersson at least entering trade conversations amid speculative reports of a locker-room clash between the pair. But, as Friedman wrote, the Rangers didn’t quite come as close to landing their desired swap as it may have seemed at first glance.

Friedman doesn’t believe that Zibanejad, who has a no-move clause, “was ever approached” by Rangers management about accepting a move to Vancouver. There were likely other moving parts in the framework of the deal being discussed, namely up-and-coming Blueshirts defender Braden Schneider, that New York wasn’t willing to move to make happen. Friedman adds this is the second time the Rangers have rejected an attempt from the Canucks to acquire Schneider, now in his fourth NHL season after being selected 19th overall in 2020.

There’s more from Friedman on the Rangers’ trade plans leading up to the deadline:

  • Should they enter an aggressive sell-off mode, New York’s highest-value trade asset would be center Vincent Trocheck. He’s having a more productive season offensively than Zibanejad, albeit slightly, with a still-disappointing 27 points in 40 games. Like Zibanejad, he carries a no-movement clause but costs a far more affordable $5.625MM against the cap through 2029 than Zibanejad’s $8.5MM cap hit through 2030. Nonetheless, Rangers general manager Chris Drury won’t entertain the idea of trading him, Friedman reports, going so far as to suggest he could be Jacob Trouba’s successor to the captaincy after the latter was traded to the Ducks last month.
  • One player definitely on the block for the Rangers is defenseman Zac Jones, who Friedman reports the Rangers have permitted to speak to other teams about a longer-term fit. The pending restricted free agent was expected to land a more prominent role this season with Erik Gustafsson out the door in free agency, but he’s still been a healthy scratch for a good portion of the campaign – suiting up in 26 of the Blueshirts’ 40 games. Jones, 24, has a goal and seven assists for eight points with a plus-two rating, ranking second among Rangers defenders behind Schneider’s plus-six. He’s averaging a career-high 16:42 per game when dressed, seeing expanded power-play usage but posting mediocre possession numbers.

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