The Rangers have turned a season-threatening loss into something much more interesting.
When Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending injury on October 9, it looked like the whole early New York story was about to collapse. The Rangers had started fast, then suddenly faced the same problem that burned them last year: life without their franchise goalie.
Instead, they’ve kept rolling. New York has gone 3-1-1 since losing Shesterkin and is still hanging onto second place in the Metropolitan Division.
A big part of that comes from Alexis Lafreniere, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, who is tied for third in the NHL with seven goals. Dylan Garand has helped steady things too, posting a .929 save percentage since taking over as the top netminder.
On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton and former NHL video coach Steve Peters dug into what’s behind the surprise.
“There’s so many storylines around the NHL right now, and there’s always that, it’s only October… We always say November 1 or American Thanksgiving. You kind of figure out what kind of team you’ve got, and whether it’s injury woes or what’s been going on, but the Rangers last night, another statement game from them… Right now, they’re 6-0 at home. Petey, what do you take away from the Rangers so far?”
Peters pointed to the difference between this version of the Rangers and the one from a year ago, when home ice was no advantage at all.
“It’s funny with this Rangers team. You look at a team a year ago that couldn’t win at home.
Heck, they couldn’t score at home a season ago. I’ll be honest, I thought it was a bad mix of players a season ago.
I didn’t think they had a team that could provide offense, and I’ve got to give Drury credit. He has taken this team down, rebuilt it with some speed and some youth.
Without doing a complete rebuild, where you have to start completely over, he’s been able to sprinkle in pieces along with Zibanejad, along with Miller, that have helped this team become quick. And this team is fast, and they play quick through the blue lines.
They’re playing with pace. Gabe Perreault’s having a breakout season.
Lafreniere’s starting to come on offensively… I think Dorofeyev’s only going to get better. They’re defending better than I thought.
But most importantly, as soon as they lost their best player… You said okay, well that was fun for five, six, seven games, but this season is now over for New York. Good luck for next year, but their goaltending has been solid.
So this Ranger team, are they for real? I think they might be.”
That’s the question now: not whether the Rangers have survived Shesterkin’s injury, but whether this start is actually the real thing.
In Other News...
Rangers May Have A Sneaky Answer To Their Center Depth Problem
With injuries thinning the roster and Igor Shesterkin already lost for the season, the Rangers have been looking for ways to stabilize the middle of the ice, especially after Joe Veleno went down. One of the quieter answers may be Luke Glendening, a veteran center whose reputation has long been built on reliability, detail and the kind of depth presence teams lean on when the lineup starts to fray.
Mike Sullivan pointed to Glendenings experience as part of what makes him appealing in this role, especially for a team trying to preserve both structure and identity while waiting for healthier days. The fit makes sense on paper for the No. 4 center job, and now the question is whether the Rangers see enough to keep moving forward with him as more than a temporary look. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Sullivan Is Challenging A Rangers Debate Fans Already Feel
Mike Sullivan is already nudging into one of the Rangers familiar gray areas: how much trust to place in defensive numbers when they do not line up neatly with what coaches see on the ice. As training camp and roster evaluation grind on, Sullivan has stressed that context has to matter when looking at the blue line, especially when certain pairings are being used in harder defensive situations against stronger opposition.
One pairing he highlighted was Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi, the new second pair he believes has supplied solid minutes even if the underlying metrics do not always flatter them. It is the kind of debate that can shape how the Rangers are judged internally and by fans, because the team will keep trying to balance analytics with the more traditional eye test while sorting out who really fits where on defense. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Prospect Pipeline Has One Encouraging Sign Fans Should Notice
A handful of Rangers prospects in Europe kept their seasons moving last week, and the most encouraging signs came from players starting to show a little more offensively. Tom Chrenko has been part of HK Nitras recent winning stretch in Slovakia, Ivan Patrikhayev is back in CSKA Moscows lineup with more ice time and an assist, and Mikkel Eriksen added his second SHL goal for Frjestad BK, all useful reminders that the system still has young players making progress in different leagues.
Rico Gredig also got into action for EV Zug in Switzerland and put three shots on goal, while Samuel Jung skated for KalPas U20 team in Finland as he works his way back from a concussion. For the Rangers, the bigger takeaway is less about any single box score and more about seeing several prospects stay active, contribute in different ways, and keep building momentum overseas while the club continues to track its pipeline. [Read more 🡒]