The Rangers have given their fans something they haven’t had much of lately: reasons to feel good.
After two seasons that came with plenty of misery, New York’s strong start has changed the mood fast. Dylan Garand has held up well in a starting workload, and that alone has helped the present look sturdier than expected. The future, too, suddenly feels brighter for the Blueshirts.
That doesn’t mean the spotlight has disappeared from the weak spots. Pavel Dorofeyev’s scoring drought through his first 12 games stands out, especially because of the hot start around him, the contract he signed, and the significant trade cost New York paid in the offseason.
He’s become the obvious frustration point for fans who are thrilled with the team’s play everywhere else. But the rest of his game has been there, and the goals are expected to come.
Garand, meanwhile, has been forcing people to reconsider what they thought about him. The rumors around goalie moves aren’t going away, and nobody is pretending he’s going to put up Igor Shesterkin-type numbers.
Joonas Korpisalo remains in the picture, but his foot infection is more complicated than originally expected. He still hasn’t skated, so he is at least 2-3 weeks away.
The Rangers still need a backup, and that’s the right way to look at it. Even so, there’s plenty to appreciate in watching Garand settle into the job.
That bigger picture is the real story here: this doesn’t feel like a lost season. There will be bumps, but it won’t resemble the last two years of ugly hockey and miserable energy.
New York is not just surviving games now; it’s winning them. And it’s winning the kind of games that, in recent seasons, would have gone sideways in a hurry.
A lot of that starts on the blue line. Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi have given the defense a much steadier look.
Braden Schneider hasn’t been exposed as a weak point, and Alberts Smits has chipped in early. Up front, Alexis Lafreniere is looking like a real NHL star, Gabe Perreault has avoided any sophomore slump, and Mika ZIbanejad continues to play like a first line center.
There’s been a noticeable shift behind the bench, too. Mike Sullivan has used Oliver Bjorkstrand, Tye Kartye, and Eeli Tolvanen the right way.
Will Cuylle also looks much more comfortable on the third line, even if that placement is still fair game for debate. The difference now is that the arguments are about fit, not survival.
That may be the clearest sign of all. The Rangers finally look like a competent organization again after back to back years of pain, pain, and more pain.
There are still things to clean up, sure, but that’s true for every team. The bigger point is simpler than that: expectations were low entering this season, and every win now feels like a bonus.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Hartford Closely
The Hartford Wolf Pack finally got a result they could build on, ending a five-game skid with a 2-0 shutout of the Providence Bruins. For Rangers fans keeping one eye on the affiliate, it was a notable night because James Reimer stepped in for his Wolf Pack debut and looked very much like a veteran stabilizer, while Hartford got goals from Liam Greentree and Carey Terrance to snap the slump.
Reimer stopped 35 shots and gave the Wolf Pack the kind of calm, steady performance they had been missing during the losing streak. The bigger payoff for Hartford, and potentially for the organization, came from the way the game tightened late before Greentree delivered the key goal on the power play in the third period, giving the Rangers' minor-league club something to build around after a rough stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Must Avoid One Blue-Line Mistake Fans Have Already Seen
The Rangers added some depth on the blue line before heading into Ottawa by recalling Matthew Robertson from Hartford, a move that looked more like insurance than a guarantee of ice time. With the back end still being managed carefully, Mike Sullivan said Sean Durzi would be evaluated before the game, leaving the club with some uncertainty as it sorts out its defensive combinations on the fly.
Robertsons presence also comes with a wrinkle the Rangers have to monitor closely, since his NHL game count remains tied to contract-status considerations. If Durzi is unable to go, the more immediate question may not be whether Robertson dresses at all, but how Sullivan chooses to arrange the pairings and which defenseman gets the next look in a lineup that still has one moving part left to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Have An Oliver Bjorkstrand Problem They'd Love To Solve
Oliver Bjorkstrand has done exactly what the Rangers hoped he might do, only in a role that has made the fit look a little awkward so far. Even while skating on the fourth line, he has already scored multiple goals, giving the club a useful scoring punch from a spot in the lineup that usually does not produce much offense. For a team still sorting through its forward mix, that kind of production has made Bjorkstrand impossible to ignore.
Mike Sullivan has made it clear he wants to get Bjorkstrand on the ice more often, and the Rangers are looking at different ways to make that happen without creating another hole elsewhere. The addition of Luke Glendening was meant to help steady the center depth after Joe Veleno's injury, but it also adds another layer to the lineup puzzle as the Rangers try to balance veterans, depth needs and the best way to use one of their most productive scorers. [Read more 🡒]