The New York Rangers are getting a rare kind of reset this week.
After Monday’s 6-3 home loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Blueshirts entered a five-day stretch between games, with their next matchup set for Sunday night at Madison Square Garden against the Edmonton Oilers. Outside of All-Star breaks and international tournaments like the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, that kind of breathing room doesn’t come along often in the NHL.
Mike Sullivan is taking advantage of it. The Rangers skated Tuesday, then were given Wednesday and Thursday completely off before returning to practice Friday and Saturday.
“The physical grind takes its toll, but the mental grind is real,” Sullivan said Tuesday. “To give them an opportunity to get away from the game a little bit, get away from the rink a little bit, re-charge your batteries so you can come back with a certain level of enthusiasm, is an important element.
“I think that’ll be good for all of us.”
It’s an especially timely pause for a team that has already played a League-high 14 games and, by the look of things, is feeling it. The break is only temporary, though.
Once Sunday arrives, the Rangers jump straight into a brutal November stretch: eight games in 16 days, including a four-game trip through the Pacific Northwest and Alberta. Then, almost comically, another five-day break shows up right after that.
The time off also opens the door for a full week of Rangers coverage off the ice. Expect report cards, deeper dives on where this team stands a month into the 2026-27 season, and prospect updates from around the organization. There will also be two Rink Rap podcasts this week, including one Wednesday on the major Rangers storylines and another Thursday with former Rangers goalie Marty Biron discussing the goaltending issues, the Connor Hellebuyck trade to the Devils, and more.
Around the team, the notebook is full. John Kreiser has the latest from Tuesday’s practice, including updates on all three goalies and a self-scout from Dylan Garand.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period says the Rangers have a “bigger issue” to solve than goaltending. Tom Castro looks at the situation facing Scott Morrow, who has been a healthy scratch in all 14 games and still can’t crack the lineup.
In Hartford, Steven Voogel has the latest on Marc Del Gaizo being named captain, Liam Greentree’s power-play work, and more. Mika Zibanejad also zeroed in on what has been dragging the Rangers through their three-game losing streak.
Elsewhere around the league, TSN’s latest Insider Trading report says 10 teams called the Detroit Red Wings about holdout RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson. Pierre LeBrun said Darren Dreger also reported the Nashville Predators are among them and are trying to move veteran players as they look to get younger in their core.
Connor Hellebuyck made a solid first impression with the New Jersey Devils, turning aside 17 of 18 shots in a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars just days after the blockbuster deal sent him there.
Daniel Amoia of New Jersey Hockey Now also caught up with another former Winnipeg Jets player on the Devils roster, Brenden Dillon, who described the emotional swings of being healthy scratched and hearing trade chatter to open the season.
Elsewhere, Ben Kindel was back at practice with the Penguins and talked about the “vasovagal episode” he experienced on the team charter last week in Utah, when he briefly lost consciousness. Marc Dumont wrote in Montreal Hockey Now that the Canadiens are heading in the right direction after an uneven opening to the season.
Anthony DiMarco at Daily Faceoff broke down the Flyers’ options to fill their center hole and what it might cost. Pro Hockey Rumors also had injury updates on Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey and Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart.
In Other News...
Panarin Just Reopened A Brutal Rangers Reality At MSG
Artemi Panarins return to Madison Square Garden once again put a spotlight on what the Rangers gave up when they moved on from him. In his second visit back since the trade, he was right in the middle of the action, scoring a goal and adding an assist as his new club handled the building with ease. For a Rangers team still trying to settle into life without him, it was another reminder of how quickly an old star can make a new place feel like home.
Panarin has been productive from the start this season, piling up seven goals and four assists in 10 games for the Los Angeles Kings, while the Rangers continue to look for answers from the player they brought in to replace him. Pavel Dorofeyev has managed only three goals in 14 games, and his recent move down to the third line only deepens the concern about whether New York has found the right answer yet. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Still Have One Big Pavel Dorofeyev Debate Hanging Over Them
The Rangers have enough problems without having to worry about one of their big offseason additions, but Pavel Dorofeyevs early stretch in New York has become part of the conversation anyway. In a season where the club has dropped five of its last six and has had to navigate the ripple effects of Igor Shesterkins injury along with its own defensive issues, Dorofeyevs adjustment has been closely watched because he was brought in to help add more bite to the attack.
His numbers through 14 games have lagged a bit behind what he showed with the Vegas Golden Knights, but there are signs he is settling in. Dorofeyev has started to flash more of the offense the Rangers expected, and his recent run of productivity suggests this is still a work in progress rather than a finished judgment on the move. The bigger question now is whether the Rangers can count on that trend to keep building as they try to steady themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Prospects Are Starting To Build Real Momentum Overseas
A handful of Rangers prospects kept busy overseas last week, and there were signs that the organizations development pipeline is starting to pick up some real traction. Rico Gredig got on the board for EV Zug in Switzerland, while Mikkel Eriksen continued to hold a prominent role for Frjestad BK in Sweden, where he has been seeing top-six minutes and finding ways to stay involved offensively.
For a Rangers system that is always under the microscope, those kinds of updates matter because they show more than just ice time. Gredigs first goal of the season and Eriksens steady work in Sweden were part of a broader stretch that also included other prospects getting reps in their own leagues, a useful sign that several young players are building confidence at once rather than waiting for one breakout to carry the group. [Read more 🡒]