Rangers Notes: Kakko, Gustafsson, Quick
2019 second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko hasn’t burst out of the gates to start his NHL career as many expected he would, but those who have paid close attention to both the New York Rangers and the young Finnish forward could clearly tell the steady progress Kakko has made since his difficult rookie season. In an overview of New York Rangers training camp and preseason performances, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple writes that Kakko is now “the unquestioned RW1” on Broadway. (subscription link)
It’s a major opportunity for Kakko, who looks poised to move from a “kid line” next to fellow youngsters Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafrenière. As things stand, Kakko looks slated to begin the season playing right wing on the Rangers’ first-line, next to franchise first-line center Mika Zibanejad and former 50-goal scorer Chris Kreider. With this opportunity, it’s easy to envision a second consecutive season where Kakko sets career-highs in production, as last season he managed a career-best 18 goals and 40 points.
Some other notes from Manhattan:
- Another Ranger who has had an impressive preseason is summer signing Erik Gustafsson. According to Staple, Gustafsson has “seemingly won the sixth defense spot with ease.” 2019 68th overall pick Zac Jones has been Gustafsson’s primary competition for the role, but seeing as Gustafsson scored 42 points last season and has familiarity with new head coach Peter Laviolette, it’s no surprise that Gustafsson beat out Jones. Gustafsson’s assumed victory does cast some doubt over Jones’ long-term future in New York, though, as he is waiver-eligible for the first time. Cap constraints may cause the Rangers to keep veteran Ben Harpur on their opening-night roster over Jones, and since Jones remains a well-regarded prospect who scored 31 points in the AHL last season, he could be a popular name on the waiver wire.
- In net, the Rangers could be staring down a difficult situation behind superstar starter Igor Shesterkin. Veteran netminder Jonathan Quick is one of the defining goalies of the past generation of hockey, but now at 37 years old time has started to catch up to him. Quick struggled to the tune of an .882 save percentage last season, and the athleticism that he relied on to make him one of the NHL’s best goalies in his prime has begun to seriously deteriorate. While there was some hope that highly regarded Rangers goalie guru Benoit Allaire would help Quick rebound, Quick posted a grisly .807 save percentage in the preseason. Staple writes that Quick “should have some options for a couple of starts in the first two months.” But if he fails to improve, the Rangers could quickly be in need of a new backup goalie early in 2023-24.
Dylan Garand Returned To AHL
- The New York Rangers have sent goaltender Dylan Garand back to the AHL after recalling him just two days ago. While backup goaltender Jonathan Quick has struggled this preseason, the 21-year-old former WHL star is not yet believed to be under legitimate consideration for the backup role behind superstar netminder Igor Shesterkin. He’ll begin the year in Hartford, where he’ll look to continue the progress he made late last season into 2023-24, potentially becoming the Wolf Pack’s true number-one goalie over veteran Louis Domingue.
Tyler Pitlick Out Day-To-Day
New York Rangers forward Tyler Pitlick is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, according to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. Walker also relays word from Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette saying that Pitlick would be re-evaluated today. Pitlick, 31, was an offseason signing of the Rangers and had been in contention for a fourth-line role while playing on a $787.5k cap hit.
One how this injury might impact the ongoing battle for the Rangers’ fourth-line right winger spot, if at all. Fellow offseason signing Alex Belzile was waived and sent to the AHL despite holding the versatility to play both center and wing and having outscored Pitlick on a point-per-game basis last season, so if Pitlick remains out Belzile could get another chance. But what’s more likely is that Belzile remains in the minors as he’s already cleared waivers, with Pitlick’s job instead for the time being going to prospect Will Cuylle, whose situation we covered in the recent Big Hype Prospects piece.
New York Rangers Recall Dylan Garand
Posting solid numbers already in two preseason games up to this point, the New York Rangers will once again get a look at one of their top goaltending prospects within the organization. The team has announced they have recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Garand will likely serve as a backup option during the team’s upcoming back-to-back matchups against the New Jersey Devils, and Boston Bruins, respectively.
With both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick penciled in as the goaltending tandem for the Rangers this season, it is more than likely that Garand will swiftly be moved back down to Hartford for the 2023-24 season. In his first full season in Hartford last year, Garand played in 32 games, securing a 13-14-3 record, garnering a .894 SV% and a 3.01 GAA. Sporting mediocre numbers at best during his first season in the AHL, Garand nearly willed the Wolf Pack to the Calder Cup Finals last year. In eight playoff games, Garand accrued a 5-3-0 record, showing an impressive SV% at .935, and a GAA of 1.76. The team went on a tear out of the gate, before eventually being ousted by the eventual champions, the Hershey Bears, in the Division Finals.
In the 2020 NHL Draft, Garand was the eighth goaltender off the board, falling to the 103rd overall pick, winning Goalie of the Year honors in the WHL for the Kamloops Blazers two years later in the 2021-22 season. In 45 games, Garand earned a 34-9-1 record, posting a .925 SV% and a 2.16 GAA, losing in the WHL Conference Finals to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Garand still needs to work through some growing pains at the AHL level and should be able to work through that nicely playing in Hartford specifically. If all goes well, and Garand continues to improve in professional hockey, he could potentially compete for the backup role in the next two to three seasons.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/02/23
AHL training camps are beginning to kick into gear as NHL teams make some of their final training camp cuts. As always, we’ll keep track of those roster moves here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
D Trevor Carrick (to San Diego, AHL)
D Drew Helleson (to San Diego, AHL)
D Tyson Hinds (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jaxsen Wiebe (to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team release)
F Josh Doan (to Tucson, AHL)
F Curtis Douglas (to Tucson, AHL)
F Conor Geekie (to Wenatchee, WHL)
F Milos Kelemen (to Tucson, AHL)
D Michael Kesselring (to Tucson, AHL)
D Patrik Koch (to Tucson, AHL)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (to Tucson, AHL)
F Ben McCartney (to Tucson, AHL)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to Tucson, AHL)
F Austin Poganski (released from PTO to Tucson, AHL)
F Aku Räty (to Tucson, AHL)
F Nathan Smith (to Tucson, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
F John Farinacci (to Providence, AHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
Chicago Blackhawks (via The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus)
G Drew Commesso (to Rockford, AHL)
D Louis Crevier (to Rockford, AHL)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to Rockford, AHL)
F Dave Gust (to Rockford, AHL)
F Mike Hardman (to Rockford, AHL)
F Gavin Hayes (to Flint, OHL)
F Paul Ludwinski (to Kingston, OHL)
F Ryder Rolston (to Rockford, AHL)
D Filip Roos (to Rockford, AHL)
F Brett Seney (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via Twitter)
G Arvid Holm (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ivan Ivan (to Colorado, AHL)
Dallas Stars (via team release)
F Francesco Arcuri (to Texas, AHL)
F Ben Berard (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
G Christopher Gibson (released from PTO)
D Artem Grushnikov (to Texas, AHL)
D Michael Karow (released from PTO to Texas, AHL)
D Christian Kyrou (to Texas, AHL)
F Kyle McDonald (to Texas, AHL)
F Keaton Mastrodonato (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie (released from PTO to Texas, AHL)
D Jacob Murray (released from PTO)
G Matt Murray (to Texas, AHL)
F Scott Reedy (to Texas, AHL)
F Matthew Seminoff (to Texas, AHL)
F Antonio Stranges (to Texas, AHL)
G Bryan Thomson (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
D Gavin White (to Texas, AHL)
D Benjamin Zloty (released from ATO to Texas, AHL)
Florida Panthers (via team release)
F Liam Arnsby (to North Bay, OHL)
D Mike Benning (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Riley Bezeau (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Santtu Kinnunen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Ryan McAllister (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Evan Nause (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Calle Sjalin (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Zachary Uens (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Ludovic Waeber (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Jake Wise (to Charlotte, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release)
F Lias Andersson (to Laval, AHL)
F Philippe Maillet (to Laval, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Utica, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Michael Vukojevic (to Utica, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
G Louis Domingue (to Hartford, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
G Kevin Mandolese (to Belleville, AHL)
D Tyler Kleven (to Belleville, AHL)
D Nikolas Matinpalo (to Belleville, AHL)
F Zack Ostapchuk (to Belleville, AHL)
F Cole Reinhardt (to Belleville, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
D Louis Belpedio (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Adam Brooks (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Matt Brown (released from PTO to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Brendan Furry (released from PTO to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Rhett Gardner (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Olle Lycksell (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Matteo Mann (to Saint John, QMJHL)
F Cooper Marody (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Victor Mete (to Lehigh Valley, AHL) pending waiver clearance
St. Louis Blues (via Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
F William Bitten (to Springfield, AHL)
D Wyatt Kalynuk (to Springfield, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Springfield, AHL)
F Matthew Peca (to Springfield, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)
F Nicholas Abruzzese (to Toronto, AHL)
F Joseph Blandisi (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
G Luke Cavallin (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D Nolan Dillingham (released from ATO to Toronto, AHL)
F Max Ellis (to Toronto, AHL)
D Matt Hellickson (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
G Dennis Hildeby (to Toronto, AHL)
F Roni Hirvonen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Braeden Kressler (to Toronto, AHL)
F Robert Mastrosimone (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D Topi Niemelä (to Toronto, AHL)
F Dmitri Ovchinnikov (to Toronto, AHL)
F Jay O’Brien (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
G Vyacheslav Peksa (to Toronto, AHL)
D Matteo Pietroniro (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D Marshall Rifai (to Toronto, AHL)
F Logan Shaw (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Neil Shea (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Tate Singleton (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Josiah Slavin (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Alex Steeves (to Toronto, AHL)
F Keenan Suthers (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
F Ryan Tverberg (to Toronto, AHL)
D Jonny Tychonick (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
D William Villeneuve (to Toronto, AHL)
F Ty Voit (to Toronto, AHL)
F Tyler Weiss (released from PTO to Toronto, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release)
D Chase Priskie (to Hershey, AHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via Twitter)
F Colby Barlow (to Owen Sound, OHL)
F Wyatt Bongiovanni (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Chaz Lucius (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Kristian Reichel (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Elias Salomonsson (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Danny Zhilkin (to Manitoba, AHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day
Filip Chytil Progressing From Day-To-Day Injury
- Filip Chytil skated individually prior to the New York Rangers practice, indicating that he’s progressing in his return from an upper-body injury sustained earlier in the week. The injury was labeled as an unserious, day-to-day injury and Chytil’s return to the ice seems to further indicate that he won’t be out for long.
[SOURCE LINK]
Training Camp Cuts: 9/30/23
With AHL camps set to start in the coming days, there will be some more cuts coming across the NHL today. We’ll keep track of those moves here:
Anaheim Ducks (via team Twitter)
G Gage Alexander (to San Diego, AHL)
F Davis Codd (to San Diego, AHL)
F Ben King (to San Diego, AHL)
F Blake McLaughlin (to San Diego, AHL)
D Luka Profaca (to San Diego, AHL)
G Tomas Suchanek (to San Diego, AHL)
D Nick Wolff (to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via team Twitter)
D Maveric Lamoureux (to Drummondville, QMJHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)
D Vsevolod Komarov (to Quebec, QMJHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Alex Peters (released from PTO, to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Olivier Rodrigue (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Carter Savoie (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release)
F Owen Beck (to Peterborough, OHL)
D Tobie Bisson (to Laval, AHL)
F Gabriel Bourque (to Laval, AHL)
F Jared Davidson (to Laval, AHL)
D Stanislav Demin (to Laval, AHL)
F Isaac Dufort (to Laval, AHL)
G Zachary Emond (to Laval, AHL)
D Olivier Galipeau (to Laval, AHL)
F Brandon Gignac (to Laval, AHL)
D Noah Laaouan (to Laval, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Laval, AHL)
G Strauss Mann (to Laval, AHL)
F Riley McKay (to Laval, AHL)
F Filip Mesar (to Laval, AHL)
F Jan Mysak (to Laval, AHL)
F Jakov Novak (to Laval, AHL)
D Christopher Ortiz (to Laval, AHL)
D/F John Parker-Jones (to Laval, AHL)
F Joshua Roy (to Laval, AHL)
F Xavier Simoneau (to Laval, AHL)
F Ty Smilanic (to Laval, AHL)
D Jayden Struble (to Laval, AHL)
D Miguel Tourigny (to Laval, AHL)
F Alex-Olivier Voyer (to Laval, AHL)
G Joe Vrbetic (to Laval, AHL)
F Nolan Yaremko (to Laval, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Alex Belzile (to Hartford, AHL)
F Anton Blidh (to Hartford, AHL)
F Turner Elson (to Hartford, AHL)
D Connor Mackey (to Hartford, AHL)
F Riley Nash (to Hartford, AHL)
F Adam Sykora (to Hartford, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
F Jordy Bellerive (released from PTO, to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Elliot Desnoyers (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Jacob Gaucher (released from PTO, to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Helge Grans (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
F Adam Gaudette (to Springfield, AHL)
Tampa Bay Lightning (via team release)
G Ben Gaudreau (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Bennett MacArthur (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Cole Koepke (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Daniel Walcott (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Daniel Walker (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Declan Carlile (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Devante Stephens (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Emil Lilleberg (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Felix Robert (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gabriel Dumont (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gabriel Szturc (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Gage Goncalves (to Syracuse, AHL)
G Hugo Alnefelt (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Ilya Usau (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jack Finley (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Jack Thompson (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Jaydon Dureau (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Joe Carroll (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Logan Brown (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Louka Henault (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Lucas Edmonds (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Maxwell Crozier (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Maxim Groshev (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Mitchell Chaffee (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Philippe Myers (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Roman Schmidt (to Syracuse, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Shawn Element (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Tristan Allard (to Syracuse, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via team release)
D Layton Ahac (to Henderson, AHL)
F Tyler Benson (to Henderson, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jakub Brabenec (to Henderson, AHL)
D Daniil Chayka (to Henderson, AHL)
D Lukas Cormier (to Henderson, AHL)
F Adam Cracknell (to Henderson, AHL)
F Jakub Demek (to Henderson, AHL)
F Mason Morelli (to Henderson, AHL)
G Jiri Patera (to Henderson, AHL)
D Christoffer Sedoff (to Henderson, AHL)
G Jesper Vikman (to Henderson, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release)
F Brad Lambert (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Daniel Torgersson (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Nikita Chibrikov (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Simon Lundmark (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Dmitri Kuzmin (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Artemi Kniazev (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Tyrel Bauer (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Dean Stewart (released from PTO, to Manitoba, AHL)
G Oskari Salminen (to Manitoba, AHL)
G Thomas Milic (to Manitoba, AHL)
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Waivers: 9/30/23
With the start of the NHL season now just ten days away, daily waiver activity will be continuing league-wide. Here is a listing of the players that are on the wire today per various team announcements and TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).
Buffalo Sabres
G Devin Cooley
F Justin Richards
G Dustin Tokarski
Edmonton Oilers
F Drake Caggiula
F Greg McKegg
Montreal Canadiens
D Nicolas Beaudin
F Lucas Condotta
D Brady Keeper
F Mitchell Stephens
Nashville Predators
F Anthony Angello
D Kevin Gravel
G Troy Grosenick
D Jordan Gross
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
F Josh Currie
D Dillon Heatherington
F Garrett Pilon
D Lassi Thomson
While Ottawa’s players were announced as being waived on Friday, it was after the 1 PM CT cut-off which means their waiver clock starts today.
Vegas Golden Knights
F Byron Froese
D/F Mason Geertsen
D Dysin Mayo
F Gage Quinney
F Sheldon Rempal
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Most of the forwards on this list have cleared waivers in the past with Condotta being the lone exception as this is his first time eligible for waivers. He spent most of last season in the minors but scored in his lone NHL appearance. Quinney and Rempal were productive in the minors last season, averaging just shy of a point per game while Caggiula had over 50 points as well.
Among the defensemen, Thomson could be one to keep an eye on for a potential claim. The 23-year-old was the 19th overall pick in 2019 and is still on his entry-level contract. He hasn’t had much success at the NHL level so far but as a young right-shot defender, a rebuilding team or two might be inclined to take a flyer on him.
Mayo logged nearly 21 minutes a night on the back end for Arizona back in 2021-22 but cleared waivers last season and was eventually traded to Vegas in exchange for Shea Weber’s LTIR-eligible contract. He has two years left on a one-way deal worth $950K per season which could scare teams off. Beaudin is a former first-rounder himself back in 2018 (27th overall) but has just 22 NHL games under his belt, none of which came last season between Montreal and Chicago.
Grosenick and Tokarski are no strangers to the waiver wire. Tokarski has cleared all five times while Grosenick has cleared six out of eight times he has been waived over the years. This will be Cooley’s first time on waivers but while he had a decent season in Nashville’s system last season (posting a .909 SV% with AHL Milwaukee), it would be surprising to see him picked up.
Each player will be available to teams until 1 PM CT on Sunday.
Sharks Claim Ty Emberson Off Waivers From Rangers
There was one player claimed from Friday’s batch of waivers as Chris Johnston of TSN reports (Twitter link) that the Sharks have claimed blueliner Ty Emberson off waivers from the Rangers.
The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Arizona back in 2018 (73rd overall) out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. He was the player who came to New York when they dealt two draft picks to the Coyotes to take on the remainder of Patrik Nemeth‘s contract (which has since been bought out). The change of scenery seemed to work quite well for Emberson as he went from 11 points in his final season with Tucson to 27 points last season with AHL Hartford although it didn’t land him an NHL look.
That helped secure Emberson a qualifying offer from the Rangers although he ultimately accepted less than that in exchange for a higher AHL pay. He’s on a one-year deal that pays $775K in the minors and $85K at the minor league level. He’ll be a restricted free agent once again next summer.
San Jose is an interesting landing spot for Emberson since they already have seven blueliners on one-way deals plus Jacob MacDonald who is on a two-way deal but played in 58 NHL games last season. However, the Sharks are a team that’s squarely in the middle of a rebuild so from that standpoint, it makes sense that they would want to take a look at a young right-shot defender.
Friday's Rangers vs. Islanders Preseason Contest Postponed To Saturday
- Moving East, watchful eyes may have noticed tonight’s preseason Battle of New York between the Islanders and Rangers didn’t go on as scheduled. That’s because the game was postponed earlier today due to the local state of emergency declared due to extreme flooding in Brooklyn and throughout the New York metropolitan area. A home game for the Islanders at UBS Arena, the tilt has been pushed to Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT or 7 p.m. local time.