Liam Greentree Shows the Fire the Rangers Are Missing Right Now
On a night when the New York Rangers looked flat and lifeless in a 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden, one of their newest prospects-Liam Greentree-was showing something the big club desperately needs: emotion, urgency, and a little edge.
Now, Greentree didn’t light up the scoresheet for the Windsor Spitfires in their 5-4 shootout loss to the North Bay Battalion. He didn’t score in regulation or in the shootout. But what he did show was a pulse-something that’s been in short supply for the Rangers lately.
Midway through the third period, with Windsor clinging to a one-goal lead, Greentree took a minor penalty for holding. Frustrated with the call, he let the officials know about it-and got tagged with a 10-minute misconduct for abuse of officials.
Not ideal, especially for a team captain. Windsor didn’t give up a power-play goal during his time in the box, but they did surrender the tying goal at even strength while Greentree sat out the rest of the game.
He didn’t take another shift, eventually coming in cold for the shootout, where he was denied.
Is that the kind of penalty you want your top players taking? Of course not.
But let’s be real-there’s something to be said for a guy who cares enough to get fired up. And right now, the Rangers could use a whole lot more of that.
This is a team that’s been called “fragile” by its own players. Braden Schneider and Mika Zibanejad didn’t mince words earlier this season, and Thursday night’s performance didn’t do much to change that narrative.
J.T. Miller, expected to be a tone-setter, looked disengaged against Carolina-and afterward, his postgame comments didn’t exactly scream urgency.
"I don't know. We just need to enjoy or take time - I literally don't know. Come back with a better mindset I guess."
That’s not exactly the rallying cry you want heading into the Olympic break. The Rangers looked like a team ready for vacation, not one battling for playoff position.
So yeah, seeing some fire-even in the form of a mistake-from a 20-year-old prospect playing his heart out in the OHL? That stands out.
Greentree came over in the Artemi Panarin trade with the Los Angeles Kings, a move that signaled a shift in direction for the Rangers. And while he’s not expected to be a franchise savior, there’s a lot to like about what he brings to the table.
At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, he’s got NHL size. The knock on him has been that he doesn’t always play as physically as you’d expect from someone with that frame, but his skill is undeniable.
Last season, skating alongside high-end talent, he poured in 49 goals and 119 points in the OHL. That’s not a fluke-that’s elite junior production.
Most scouts project him as a top-nine forward with the potential to slot into a top-six role if he continues to develop. Think Will Cuylle, another Windsor alum, who’s carved out a role with the Rangers by combining size, grit, and just enough scoring touch.
Of course, Rangers fans have seen this movie before. Brennan Othmann was a first-round pick who tore it up in juniors as a big, physical forward-and that transition to the NHL hasn’t exactly been seamless.
So there’s reason to be cautious. But Greentree’s upside is real, and his compete level-especially on a night when the Rangers looked anything but competitive-is worth noting.
And if you want a glimpse of what he can do when he’s on, check out the clip that’s been making the rounds on social media. It’s easy to see why the Rangers were intrigued.
The Panarin trade is now in the rearview mirror, and GM Chris Drury has made it clear: the team is moving forward with a new vision. Head coach Mike Sullivan echoed that sentiment, saying the hope is to “move on” now that the uncertainty is gone. That means it’s time for the current roster to step up-and for the young guns to start pushing from below.
The Rangers are at a crossroads. They’ve got the talent.
They’ve got the experience. But what they need right now is a spark.
Maybe it comes from someone like Greentree. Maybe it comes from a veteran finally snapping out of a funk.
But one thing’s for sure: the current version of the Rangers can’t afford to keep sleepwalking through games.
There’s still time to right the ship. But they’ll need a lot more fire-and a lot less fragility-if they want to make a real run.