NHL Metropolitan

The Big Apple's core appears to be rotting.

In certain ways, this Rangers season is business as usual. They're comfortably in playoff position and on pace for 102.5 points. Generally lackluster performances are bailed out by elite goaltending, special teams play, and individuals carrying the rest of the group. The prescription in previous seasons was to grin and bear it until the trade deadline.

This time around feels different. The Rangers' 12 wins represent almost exclusively the beating up of terrible teams. Against more formidable opponents—Winnipeg, Florida, Washington—they were formidably outclassed.

Most alarming is that veteran players, who are supposed to lead the team both in their play and attitudes are, at best, struggling to find their games and, at worst, looking indifferent to the cause at hand. This is not a flawed but committed team looking to work out the kinks. This is a group that seems content to sleepwalk to the playoffs.

The team's management and coaching staff, in contrast, seem to see an urgent need for change. The team called up Brett Berard and Matt Rempe, two energetic players, from the AHL for Monday's game against St. Louis. The bigger news was a not-so-subtle leak indicating that the Rangers are looking to change the mix.

Chris Kreider's inclusion is stunning. The 33-year-old has been a tether to stability in New York throughout multiple eras of turnover. Never before has his performance been questioned so far as to evoke trade speculation.

He scored 39 goals last season but struggled at five-on-five; a trend that has escalated this season. Kreider has two points in 19 games at even strength.

Mika Zibanejad, who centers Kreider's line, has been worse. He too is barely generating offense at five-on-five and his 200-foot game is MIA. Zibanejad does not appear engaged in the details, losing puck battles without much fight and making soft turnovers. He's clearly battling the mental side of the game. One has to worry if he's also losing his legs. Zibanejad, who historically creates offense off the rush, has seen a sharp decline in both his peak speed and his 20+ MPH skating bursts over the last two seasons. If the Rangers could even find a taker for his $8.5 million cap hit through 2029, he could block it with his full no-move clause. This could be a problem for the summer.

Which brings the discussion back to Kreider. He showed more signs of life last season and his $6.5M cap hit through 2027 is far more manageable. Teams yearn for players with his size, speed, and experience. He can only block trades to 15 of the 31 other NHL teams. Perhaps Kreider is name-dropped only to make the locker room less comfortable, but if the Rangers are truly intent on shaking it up, they have to work with the players other teams might actually want.

Jacob Trouba is a less surprising addition to the discourse. The Rangers attempted to move him during the summer before he blocked it. His play has not matched his $8M cap hit at any point during his Rangers career, but he's taken a dramatic step back the last few seasons. The team bleeds chances when he's on the ice, and he has no goals and six points through 20 games. If this newest trade rumor was supposed to ignite a fire under him, it did not work. He was the team's worst defenseman against St. Louis on Monday.

Ryan Lindgren also continues a trend of players who do not look the same for a second straight season. One has to wonder if his propensity for putting his body on the line every game has taken its toll even at age 26.

He also does not look like a fit for the team's systems. Under the previous coaching staff, which kept things very simple, conceded possession, and emphasized keeping play to the perimeter in the defensive zone, Lindgren was better off. Head coach Pete Laviolette demands his defensemen be more engaged in all three zones and stand up at the blue line. It's not working with Lindgren.

Lindgren signed a one-year deal for $4.5 million last summer and seems increasingly likely to leave as a free agent next July. Maybe the Rangers decide to expedite the process with a winter trade.

For better or worse, Drury has left the Rangers' roster surprisingly untouched from when he first inherited it in 2021. In recent years, the only real extractions have been nibbles around the edges. Ryan Strome was swapped out for Vincent Trocheck in 2022 and depth forward Barclay Goodrow was waived to San Jose last summer.

Over the last few seasons, Drury has patiently let this core group of players try to make it work. To the extent he has ever changed anything, it was almost always to add to the group and try to fill the weak spots.

One can debate certain trades or roster decisions, but the core group of players in New York cannot claim that Rangers management has not exhausted available avenues to try to make it work for them. For four offseasons, the group was left mostly untouched and usually reinforced with heavy investment for playoff runs. The only heads to ever roll were those of the coaches.

Has that built a culture of complacency? A core of players who take for granted that their place in New York is safe? A group of veteran leaders who are content to shuffle the responsibility of answering for these struggles to younger players? It's hard to know from the outside.

It sure seems that, inside, Rangers brass feels that the team's mainstays need to feel more insecure about their futures in New York. Maybe loud announcement of trade explorations first serves as a scare tactic.

The surest way the players can nip these discussions is by playing capable hockey in the next few weeks. But it would be a mistake to think Drury is making empty threats. This roster is long overdue for seismic turnover, and they won't have the chance to coast into the summer before it occurs.

The New York Rangers "have made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster," according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Friedman cited left winger Chris Kreider and defenseman Jacob Trouba as players who could be on the way out.

New York is fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 25 points through 19 games. The team does at least occupy the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

But claiming a wild-card berth would be a disappointing outcome for a franchise coming off a record points haul (114) and a second Eastern Conference Final appearance in three seasons. Friedman's report points to the sense of urgency the front office is feeling right now.

Unloading Kreider in particular would be a divisive decision in the Big Apple. The 33-year-old has spent his entire career with the Rangers. He's 10th all time in appearances (834) and third in goals (313).

Kreider's production this year (nine goals and zero assists) leaves a lot to be desired, though, and he's due to count for $6.5 million annually for the next two years. Leaving sentiment aside, trading him for the right offer makes sense.

With his $8 million salary for 2025-26, Trouba makes sense as another outgoing trade chip. Whether he actually gets moved is another matter considering the Rangers went down this road in the offseason and didn't have any takers.

The Rangers could clearly use some reinforcements because they have some glaring holes on the roster. Chris Drury may have a hard time upgrading the roster in a meaningful way, however, when aging vets such as Kreider and Trouba could have a limited market and the front office has already sacrificed so many young players and draft picks to assemble this roster.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby became the 21st player in NHL history to record 600 career goals with a milestone power-play tally on Saturday against the Utah Hockey Club.

Crosby joins Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin as the only active players to hit the 600-goal milestone.

He also joins Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic and Bobby Hull as the seventh NHL player to score 600 goals for a single franchise.

The goal, which marked Crosby's eighth of the season, was a sharp-angle tally on an assist from Erik Karlsson that cut visiting Utah's lead to 2-1.

Crosby was standing at the same spot beside the goal line when he scored his 500th career goal during a power play against the Philadelphia Flyers in February 2022.

Both milestones were met with a standing ovation at PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins are now the second team in history to have two 600-goal scorers with Crosby and Lemieux. The Detroit Red Wings previously saw both Howe and Yzerman hit the milestone.

"It means a lot, obviously been here for a long time. To be able to do it at home, and have another memory with so many others, family here, it's special," Crosby said after the milestone on the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast.

Crosby can now continue climbing the list of the most goals scored with a single franchise. Five more goals will move him past the Chicago Blackhawks' Bobby Hull for the sixth on the list.

The Penguins center meanwhile needs two more goals to move past Jari Kurri and crack the top 20 on the NHL's all-time goalscoring leaderboard.

This isn't the first time Crosby has celebrated a milestone this season. He recorded the 1,600th point of his career during an Oct. 16 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres to become the 10th player in NHL history to clear the milestone.

Crosby already headed into the season with Jaromir Jagr for the fifth-most playoff points in NHL history with 201 in 180 career postseason games.

Through the first 22 games of the 2024-25 campaign, Crosby has gone through multiple goalscoring droughts as the Penguins struggled to a 7-11-4 start.

Since scoring career goal No. 599 against the San Jose Sharks last Saturday, Crosby was held off the scoreboard in an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and regulation loss to the Winnipeg Jets before getting the chance to reach the milestone.

Crosby signed a two-year extension in September that is set to keep him in Pittsburgh through his age-39 season in 2026-27. He holds the all-time franchise record with 1,295 games played for the Penguins.

Alex Ovechkin's quest to surpass Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record will be put on hold for at least another month.

The Washington Capitals announced Thursday that further consultation with team doctors revealed that the Russian—who was already on injured reserve—had a fracture to his left fibula and would miss at least the next 4-6 weeks.

Ovechkin suffered the injury on Monday night during a collision with the Utah Hockey Club's Jack McBain.

"Everyone's bummed out," winger Tom Wilson told reporters. "We were sitting there saying: 'This is weird. Like, it's unbelievable that he's actually hurt.' It's one of those things where like, 'He's going to miss games'? I've been around a long time, and it's new to me."

Ovechkin, 39, is currently just 26 goals shy of Gretzky's NHL-record of 894 career tallies. It appeared he might top the mark this season after he scored 15 goals in his first 18 games, a blistering pace.

One major factor in his pursuit of the goals record—a record once deemed unlikely to be broken, given Gordie Howe is the only other player in NHL history to reach 800 goals (801) alongside Gretzky and Ovechkin—has been his durability.

Before this injury, the 13-time All-Star had only missed 59 games total in his first 19 seasons, and only 35 of those due to injury, while maintaining an aggressive, fearless approach.

"He doesn't go out there and just coast around," Wilson noted. "He's played 20 years every shift running over guys and skating. He's a power forward, the best goal-scorer ever maybe, and he's a power forward that plays the game really hard."

One record Ovechkin won't be touching, though, is Gretzky's incredible assists record, which stands at 1,963, over 700 assists clear of Ron Francis in second place (1,249). But that was never Ovechkin's game.

Assuming Ovechkin returns at some point in late December or early January, he will have around 45 games to top Gretzky's goals record this season. Given his torrid scoring pace to start the season, it's certainly a possibility.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is "week to week" with a lower leg injury, the team announced Tuesday.

After being evaluated further on Wednesday in D.C., the superstar captain was placed on injured reserve, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Additionally, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery confirmed Ovechkin's injury is not season-ending. A more specific timeline for his return is expected Thursday after further evaluation.

Ovechkin suffered the injury Monday during the Capitals' 6-2 road win over the Utah Hockey Club.

The injury occurred during a third-period collision with Utah's Jack McBain. Ovechkin attempted to skate off the setback but struggled to put weight on his left leg and eventually left for the locker room.

Ovechkin was in the middle of a goalscoring tear that saw him find the back of the net five times in the Capitals' last two games.

His career goal total currently sits at 868, leaving him 26 tallies shy of matching Wayne Gretzky's all-time goalscoring record.

Ovechkin has been one of the most durable forwards in the NHL over his 19-year career and is consistently Washington's best player.

He finished the 2021-22 season with 50 goals and 40 assists for 90 points in 77 games and followed that with 42 goals and 33 assists for 75 points in 73 games during the 2022-23 campaign.

Through 79 games last season, Ovechkin tallied 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points and finished far behind Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews for the Rocket Richard trophy as the NHL's leading goalscorer. He is typically a perennial contender for the award, but he struggled to find the back of the net consistently last year.

This season, Ovechkin is back to his old goalscoring dominance as he leads the NHL with 15 goals through 18 games.

When Ovechkin is sidelined, the Capitals don't have anyone to make up his scoring production, especially with T.J. Oshie out for the year with a back injury. That said, Connor McMichael has 12 goals in 18 games of what is proving to be a breakout season for the fifth-year forward.

The Capitals lead the Metropolitan Division with a 13-4-1 record. With Ovechkin set to miss time, Washington will face a steep road to holding the division lead over challengers like the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers.

NHL referee Mitch Dunning was taken off the ice on a stretcher during Monday's game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Colorado Avalanche after a first-period collision with a player.

Dunning was transported to the hospital as a precaution but is reportedly communicative and able to move all his extremities, according to a NHL Public Relations' statement.

The incident occurred during the contest between the Flyers and Avalanche at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

While skating backward, Dunning collided with Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson, who was skating at high speed near the offensive zone blue line. The impact sent the official backward, causing him to hit the ice.

Alexis Lafrenière and the New York Rangers have agreed to a seven-year, $52.15 million extension, per USA Today's Vince Z. Mercogliano.

The reported deal will keep the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NHL draft in New York through his age-30 season in 2031-32.

Lafrenière was previously set to become a restricted free agent following the July expiration of his two-year bridge deal.

The 23-year-old winger recorded a career-high 28 goals and 57 points in 82 games for the Rangers last season.

Lafrenière then added eight goals and 14 points in 16 playoff games to help the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

His contract is front-loaded with bonuses and includes an eight-team no-trade list for the final five years of the deal, according to PuckPedia.

At the time Lafrenière inked a two-year, $2.325 AAV extension with the Rangers last summer, he was playing third-line minutes on New York's "kid line" alongside Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil.

Two years later, the Rangers' usage of Lafrenière has skyrocketed. The former No. 1 pick started the 2024-25 season opposite Artemi Panarin on Vincent Trocheck's wing. Getting top-line minutes and playing a key role on the second power-play unit now has Lafrenière skating almost 18 minutes per night and producing at a point-per-game pace through seven contests.

Signing Lafrenière in the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign allows the Rangers to get ahead of the possibility that his contract value could climb even further. Should he record another career-best season, Lafrenière could have potentially commanded something closer to fellow 2020 draft pick Tim Stützle's eight-year, $8.35 million AAV deal with the Ottawa Senators.

The contract also gives the Rangers some clarity as to what their future salary cap will look like. Before the Lafrenière signing only Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox were signed with the team past 2028.

The Rangers are still left with uncertainty regarding the future of star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who reportedly turned down an eight-year, $88 million offer from the team this offseason and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers honored Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau before Columbus' home opener on Tuesday night.

Prior to dropping the puck, the Blue Jackets shared a video celebrating Johnny's life on and off the ice:

Friends and family members of the Gaudreaus were on hand for the game and watched a banner with his No. 13 jersey raised toward the rafters of Nationwide Arena.

The tributes continued as the game got underway:

The Jackets previously announced they'll wear a commemorative helmet decal with the Gaudreaus' jersey numbers throughout the 2024-25 NHL season. They and the Panthers had Johnny's name and number on their pregame warmups.

The Blue Jackets also have a memorial to the brothers set up inside their home arena:

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was teammates with Johnny for six seasons on the Calgary Flames. An illness kept Tkachuk out of the lineup on Tuesday, but he found a special way to pay homage to Gaudreau.

Panthers rinkside reporter Katie Engleson reported he arranged for Panthers players to arrive with purple Gatorade and a pack of Skittles since both were staples for Gaudreau.

"Unfortunately, I won't be there tonight in Columbus," Tkachuk said in a statement shared by the Panthers. "Johnny was a huge part of the hockey community but to me he was much more than that. A great friend, teammate, and family man. Not a day goes by without me thinking about Johnny and Matthew.

"The biggest thing I'm going to miss about tonight is not being able to see Meredith, Noa, little Johnny, Guy and Jane. Would love to give them all big hugs! Johnny will be my teammate forever."

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey in August.

Johnny spent 11 years in the NHL, his first nine with the Flames and his last two in Columbus. Matthew skated for Boston College, following in his older brother's footsteps, and eventually returned to his high school alma mater, Gloucester Catholic, as its coach.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin declined an eight-year, $88 million contract offer from the team, according to ESPN's Kevin Weekes.

An $11 million average annual salary would've made him the highest-paid goalie ever, surpassing the Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price.

Shesterkin is entering the final year of his contract and will make $5.7 million for the 2024-25 season.

The 28-year-old signed his last extension in 2021, and it became clear within a matter of months he would be collecting a sizable pay raise when he was in line for a new contract. He was the Vezina Trophy winner for 2021-22 after leading the NHL in save percentage (.935) and goals-against average (2.07).

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported on Sept. 24 that the Rangers indicated to Shesterkin's representatives they're willing to exceed Price's $10.5 million average salary. Mollie Walker of the New York Post previously reported in June the veteran netminder might be wanting as much as $12 million, though, which Weekes' newest reporting backs up.

Shesterkin's asking price has raised larger questions about the value of goalies and whether it's a wise investment to devote so much of the cap to the position. He has never started more than 58 games in a season, and he could soon have a salary that makes him a top-five earner in the NHL.

All things considered, the idea that goaltenders don't play a full 82-game schedule belies how long they're actually on the ice.

If the Rangers let Shesterkin hit the open market, another suitor could easily be willing to offer him $12 million or more as long as he puts together another strong season. He's arguably the best goaltender right now and Bleacher Report's Lyle Fitzsimmons ranked him ninth overall across all positions.

For a contending team such as New York, Shesterkin would leave a massive void between the pipes if he were to walk in the offseason.