- For years, Rangers winger Ryan Reaves has been a consistent presence on the fourth line for several teams. However, that hasn’t been the case this season as he has only played in three games so far this month, spending the rest of the time as a healthy scratch. Accordingly, Larry Brooks of the New York Post opines that New York could opt to waive the 35-year-old in order to free up some extra cap space both now and at the trade deadline. They wouldn’t be able to clear his entire $1.75MM cap hit off the books if he was to be sent to AHL Hartford (they’d only get a prorated $1.125MM in space) but if he’s going to continue to have a limited role, it’s a move they’ll have to seriously consider.
Rangers Rumors
Latest On Ryan Reaves
- Ryan Reaves has been a rare sight in the New York Rangers lineup in recent weeks, appearing in just one of the past five games as a frequent healthy scratch. The imposing veteran winger spoke to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks today, saying that he had a “very brief” conversation with the coaching staff about his dwindling role. Reaves has no points in 12 games and has played just 8:27 per game, and opting to waive him and assign him to the minors would save valuable trade deadline cap space for the Rangers.
Vitali Kravtsov Will Miss Second Straight Game With Flu, Dental Issue
- According to head coach Gerard Gallant, New York Rangers forward Vitali Kravtsov, who missed yesterday’s game at the Nashville Predators with an illness, will be out of the lineup tonight at home against the Arizona Coyotes too, as relayed by Arthur Staple of The Athletic. Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports adds that Kravtsov not only has the flu, but a dental issue as well, which necessitated a trip to the dentist this morning.
Brennan Othmann Expected To Be Dealt In OHL
- There hasn’t been an NHL trade since the Ethan Bear deal on October 28th, and certainly no blockbusters in a while, but it looks as though a big time OHL deal will be going down. New York Rangers 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann is expected to be dealt by the Flint Firebirds to the Peterborough Petes, says Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek. Othmann, 19, is off to a red-hot start to this season with 11 goals and 13 assists in 16 games. Ironically, Flint is in Peterborough this evening to take on the Petes, however Othmann, who is suspended, did not play.
- Nashville Predators forward Yakov Trenin will not play in tonight’s game against the New York Rangers, the team announced. According to the Predators, Trenin is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old has one goal and three assists through 14 games this season.
Vitali Kravtsov Out Saturday With Non-COVID Illness
- The Detroit Red Wings have had themselves an up-and-down start to the season, currently holding a record of 7-4-3. While many had high hopes for the team after a busy offseason, their record through 14 games may be better than it seems given the team’s difficult injury issues early on. In fact, some of those injury woes may be resolving themselves shortly, says Michigan Live’s Answer Kahn. As Kahn writes, rookie forward Elmer Soderblom, who missed Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers, is still considered day-to-day. Defenseman Jake Walman, who had shoulder surgery this offseason, is expected to return to the lineup and make his season debut at some point during Detroit’s four game road trip, which begins tonight in Los Angeles against the Kings and concludes a week from tonight against the Blue Jackets in Columbus. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who suffered a broken hand just two games into the season, is expected to return Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
- New York Rangers forward Vitali Kravtsov will not play tonight when the Rangers take on the Predators in Nashville. The forward is dealing with a stomach bug, reports Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Kravtsov, 22, has just one point in six games so far in his return to North America.
Filip Chytil Nearing Return
- New York Rangers center Filip Chytil expects to play in the team’s game tomorrow afternoon against the Red Wings. While Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant did not confirm that Chytil would be in the lineup, the forward did tell USA Today Sports’ Vince Mercogliano that he feels 100%. Still, Gallant is hopeful he can play Sunday. Chytil, who hasn’t played since October 23rd, was believed to be dealing with a concussion, said Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old had three points in six games prior to the injury.
Conditioning Stint Might Be Best For Kravtsov Once Cleared To Return
- Going to the AHL has been a point of contention for Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov in the past. However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that he should give some consideration to doing so if New York approaches him about a conditioning stint once he’s cleared to return from his current upper-body injury. This season has seen multiple stops and starts already which is hardly ideal for a young player that’s trying to get reacclimated to playing in North America. A conditioning stint – which can last for up to two weeks and would not require waivers – would give him a chance to ease into a few games which would be preferable for New York but the 22-year-old would have to agree to go down there.
New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Ben Harpur; Place On Waivers
10/28/22: As reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Harpur has cleared waivers. He will now be able to remain with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL.
10/27/22: The New York Rangers are adding a little defensive depth, agreeing to terms with Ben Harpur after his solid showing in the minor leagues. Harpur had been playing with the Hartford Wolf Pack on a PTO but will convert that into a one-year NHL contract. PuckPedia reports that it is a two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level and $300K in the AHL. The team has placed him on waivers, a necessary step for him to stay in the AHL.
Harpur, 27, has 156 games of NHL experience, plus a handful of matches in the postseason over his career so far. The 6’6″ defenseman suited up 19 times last season for the Nashville Predators, registering one assist and 27 penalty minutes. He won’t offer much offense – in fact, he has just a single NHL goal to his name – but is a big body who can defend well enough to hold his own on a third pair.
The Rangers don’t necessarily need that right now, but there wasn’t much experience in the system to call up if they deal with injuries. Harpur will represent a body that can bounce between the NHL and AHL without any concern for his development.
A deal like this could have potentially happened in Columbus, where he spent training camp on a PTO, but Harpur suffered an injury and missed a good chunk of the action. He’s found a spot now, though, and will just add some extra depth to the Rangers organization for the long season ahead.
Vitali Kravtsov Listed As Day-To-Day
- When the Rangers recalled winger Julien Gauthier earlier today, it was expected that he’d take the place of either Mika Zibanejad or Vitali Kravtsov who were banged up last night against Colorado. It turns out that he’s taking the case of the latter as Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that the winger has been listed as day-to-day with what’s believed to be an upper-body injury. Kravtsov has had a very quiet return to the NHL so far having only played in three games while logging just under eight minutes per game. He’s waiver-eligible now so they will likely be patient with him to give him a chance to play himself into a regular role once he’s cleared to return.
New York Rangers Recall Julien Gauthier
The New York Rangers will be headed out on the road for the next three games, and have called up an extra forward for the trip, recalling Julien Gauthier. With Filip Chytil out for a little while, the team had just 12 healthy forwards on the active roster so have added another one for the time being.
There were also concerns about Mika Zibanejad and Vitali Kravtsov, who both looked to have suffered minor injuries during last night’s game, though neither one has been addressed by the team. The Rangers will start their trip with a visit to Belmont Park to face the New York Islanders, before heading to Dallas and Arizona on the weekend.
Gauthier, 25, has scored twice in four games with the Hartford Wolf Pack this season after clearing waivers earlier this month, and appears to have lost all of the prospect shine he once had. The big, fast winger has shown flashes of brilliance over the years but lacks any kind of offensive consistency needed to become a top-nine regular in the NHL. In 49 games last season with the Rangers he scored just three goals and seven points, and it’s hard to see him becoming an impact player with them at this point.
Still, he is a nice depth piece to bring up for injury insurance as the team tries to right the ship. After a strong start, the Rangers have lost three in a row including a 5-1 defeat against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a divisional opponent.