New York Rangers

Vladimir Tarasenko is headed to Ottawa after the Senators announced on Thursday that they have agreed to terms on a one-year, $5 million contract.

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise as Tarasenko had high praise for the New York Rangers organization following the team's first-round playoff elimination loss to the New Jersey Devils in May and kept the door open for a return.

"I like everything. I cannot say a single bad word about my time. I enjoyed everything… I and my family were taken care of very well. This is one of the top organizations in the league for the players," Tarasenko told reporters.

Tarasenko spent the 2022-23 season split between the St. Louis Blues and the Rangers. The Blues traded him to the Blueshirts at the trade deadline.

The 31-year-old wasn't as effective as he could have been in New York, and that could be a reason why the franchise opted to move on. In 31 games with the Rangers, he tallied eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points, adding three goals and one assist for four points in seven playoff games.

Tarasenko spent 10-and-a-half seasons with the Blues before being traded to the Rangers.

St. Louis selected the Russian in the first round of the 2010 draft, and he emerged as one of the best forwards in franchise history, tallying 262 goals and 291 assists for 553 points in 644 games.

The Blues opted to trade him during the 2022-23 campaign as they were out of playoff contention and wanted to get some assets to accelerate a partial rebuild.

Tarasenko now figures to play a key role for the Senators in 2023-24 and beyond as they aim to win a Stanley Cup for the first time.

Former Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers forward Patrick Kane is one of the top players available on the free-agent market this summer, but the star winger is in no rush to sign a deal.

Kane is not expected to sign with a team until the 2023-24 season begins, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. Kane's agent, Pat Brisson, told ESPN he is "very comfortable" waiting things out.

"There's no rush. This is one I'm very comfortable with. I'm very calm," Brisson said. "You could offer me a one-year deal or a two-year deal right now at $7 million or so. I don't even know if I want to entertain it, because it's not what he needs. We'll see, at the right time, how he feels, where he's at, and then we'll take it from there."

Kane, who is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, underwent a hip resurfacing procedure on June 1 with an expected recovery timeline of four to six months.

Brisson told ESPN he believes the winger will be ready to play by December, at which point he will select the destination "he feels is the best fit and with the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup," per Wyshynski.

Brisson added: "Let's make sure he is 100 percent and that he feels great. Then we can decide where he's going to go. There's going to be plenty of teams doing good, plenty of teams doing bad. There are going to be teams using [long-term injured reserve].

"We'll pick where we want to go. I don't think too many teams will turn him down."

The Blackhawks selected Kane with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft and he spent the first 15 and a half seasons of his career in Chicago, helping the franchise capture three Stanley Cup titles, before being moved to the Rangers at the 2022-23 season's trade deadline.

Kane, who is widely considered one of the best American-born players in NHL history, was always considered a player that could potentially retire with the Blackhawks, but his trade to New York came as part of a massive rebuilding effort in Chicago that resulted in the franchise landing the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, which it used on elite prospect Connor Bedard.

In 1,161 games with the Blackhawks, Kane notched 446 goals and 779 assists for 1,225 points.

The 34-year-old appeared in 19 games for the Rangers last season, amassing five goals and seven assists for 12 points. In seven postseason games against the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs, he notched one goal and five assists for six points.

When Kane is finally healthy enough to get back on the ice, it's going to be interesting to see what kind of contract he signs and where he will end up. Brisson told ESPN that teams have already called with interest in the veteran, and that likely won't change come winter.

Veteran goaltender Jonathan Quick and the New York Rangers have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $825,000 million contract, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

He'll serve as Igor Shesterkin's backup, which likely means the end of Jaroslav Halak's time in New York. Halak is also a free agent.

Quick spent the 2022-23 campaign split between the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights.

The Kings traded the 37-year-old to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal that included Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo. Columbus then flipped him to the Golden Knights in exchange for goaltender Michael Hutchinson and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

In 41 games split between the Kings and Golden Knights in 2022-23, Quick posted a 16-15-6 record with a 3.41 goals-against average, .882 save percentage and two shutouts in 41 games (36 starts).

He had spent his entire career with the Kings before being traded to the Golden Knights, appearing in 743 games across 15-and-a-half seasons.

During his tenure with the Kings, he led L.A. to three Western Conference Finals and two Stanley Cup titles. He posted a 370-275-82 record, 2.46 goals-against average and .911 save percentage during his tenure with the franchise.

Quick is widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders in NHL history, and his number is expected to be retired by the Kings once he hangs up the skates. However, he has been on the decline over the last several seasons and will be a backup in New York.

Playing for the Rangers is somewhat of a homecoming for Quick, who grew up in Connecticut and played college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

While it'll likely be a dream come true for the veteran, it's hard to imagine he'll see much ice time with 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner Shesterkin expected to command the majority of starts in the crease.

Still, this is a solid signing for the Blueshirts and one that could pay off down the line given his championship pedigree.

Blake Wheeler found a new home in free agency rather quickly.

Following his buyout by the Winnipeg Jets, the veteran winger has signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers, per multiple reports. It's reportedly worth $800,000 with up to $300,000 in bonus money.

Wheeler, 36, had another solid season in the 2022-23 campaign, putting up 16 goals and 39 assists. While he's no longer the player that posted 91 points in consecutive seasons between 2017-18 and 2018-19, he's a safe bet to accumulate around 50 points and add depth to the forward position for New York.

He's also posted 30 or more assists in every season since the 2013-14 campaign. While he isn't a dynamic goal-scorer—his career high is 28 goals, and he hasn't hit the 20-goal threshold in the past three seasons—his ability to set the plate for his teammates is valuable.

He also brings leadership to New York, having served as a team captain for the Jets between 2016-22.

"We are incredibly grateful for the contributions that he has made during his 12 seasons with the franchise," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said in a statement after Wheeler was placed on unconditional waivers and had his contract bought out. "Most notably, the seven years when he served as the captain of the Jets and helped lead the team to the 2018 Western Conference Final."

"From the first conversations Blake and I had when I became general manager, I saw his determination to make our club a success," he added. "In our time together, I always saw his drive to make himself and his teammates the best they could be through his work on and off the ice."

It's the latest veteran addition for the Rangers as they retool for another Stanley Cup pursuit. The team also reportedly signed veteran goalie Jonathan Quick to serve as Igor Shesterkin's backup.

Analyst Kevin Weekes of NHL Network and ESPN reported it's "highly likely" that unrestricted free agent Jonathan Quick signs with his childhood favorite team, the New York Rangers, when free agency opens Saturday.

**Keep an Eye 👁️ on**
Barring anything unforeseen, I think it’s highly likely that CT Born G and UFA Jonathan Quick signs w his childhood fave team ; @NYRangers . @espn @NHL @NHLNetwork @TSNHockey @DKSportsbook #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/uG29AZLphQ

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 30, 2023

Quick is a three-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender, most recently this past season with the Vegas Golden Knights. He made a career of getting hot at the right times, leading teams deep into the postseason and cashing a few of those trips in to hoist the most coveted prize in pro hockey.

Age and Father Time have been opponents of Quick, though, as he had suffered through injuries and diminishing play.

The 37-year-old out of Milford, Connecticut appeared in only 41 games in 2022-23, his win-loss record a middling 16-15.

He allowed an average of 3.41 goals per outing, had a .882 save percentage that was his worst since his rookie season in 2007-08, and did not look anything like one of the elite-level goaltenders he had been a decade ago when he was capturing his first Cup.

He does not have to be in New York, though.

Shesterkin is a top-tier goalie, or close to it, who accumulated 37 wins in 58 starts, played 3,489 minutes and delivered a .916 save percentage. Throw in another seven playoff starts, and an even better save percentage (.931), and you are set at the starter position.

Quick enters the picture behind Shesterkin, where there is a hole thanks to the impending departure of Jaroslav Halak. The team cannot afford Halak's deal and the goalie has expressed his desire to test the free agency market, per his agent.

Halak was very good from a save percentage, stopping roughly 90 percent of pucks that came his way. With that said, he was still only 10-9 as a starter, averaging 2.72 goals against in his time in the net.

Those numbers are still better than Quick's but with free agency calling and the Rangers being as cash-strapped as they currently are, there is no way to hold onto him and ensure depth behind Shesterkin should injury or fatigue arise.

So, Quick will come in on a deal that is likely team-friendly and hope to do with New York what he did with Los Angeles and Vegas: hoist another Stanley Cup while bringing veteran leadership to a team chasing the ultimate prize.

As long as he can muster some of his best stuff in key situations, the Rangers have a shot at a title. This is a team that took the New Jersey Devils to seven games in the playoffs and will have greater expectations of itself in the coming season.

Quick knows what it takes to get over that proverbial hump and achieve what every squad in the league wants. He brings knowledge, experience, and an understanding of how to perform at the most crucial of moments.

He may not have an excess of strong hockey left in him, but those attributes, as well as his ability to step in and perform when Shesterkin needs an off night, make him valuable to New York and the pursuit of their first title since 1994.

After winning the 2023 Stanley Cup as a backup goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights, Jonathan Quick will hit the open market this summer in search of a new deal.

It may not take the three-time Stanley Cup champion to find a new home either, with ESPN's Kevin Weekes reporting that "barring anything unforeseen" it's "highly likely" the veteran signs with his hometown New York Rangers.

Quick was born in Connecticut and played college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, so suiting up for the Rangers would be somewhat of a homecoming for the 2005 third-round draft pick.

However, he likely wouldn't see much playing time for the Blueshirts with 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin set to play the majority of games. He made 58 appearances last season and it's possible he could make more in 2023-24.

Quick began his career with the Los Angeles Kings and spent 15 and a half seasons with the franchise before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal that included Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo.

The Blue Jackets then flipped Quick to the Golden Knights in exchange for goaltender Michael Hutchinson and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

The 37-year-old is widely expected to have his number retired by the Kings after leading the franchise to three Western Conference Finals and two Stanley Cup titles. He posted a 370-275-82 record, 2.46 goals-against average and .911 save percentage during his tenure in Los Angeles.

Entering the 2023-24 season, it'll be important for Rangers fans to recognize that Quick isn't the same Vezina Trophy contender that he once was.

In 41 games (36 starts) split between the Kings and Golden Knights last season, Quick posted a 16-15-6 record with a 3.41 goals-against average, .882 save percentage and two shutouts. He did not play a single postseason game for Vegas during the team's title run.

Quick can still be a valuable backup, but it seems quite clear that the Rangers intend to lean even more heavily on Shesterkin next season.

Peter Laviolette's unemployment didn't last long, as the former Washington Capitals head coach has been tapped to replace Gerard Gallant with the New York Rangers.

The Rangers announced Laviolette's hiring on Tuesday, with general manager Chris Drury touting his "extensive experience" as a head coach in the NHL.

"We are thrilled that Peter will be the next Head Coach of the New York Rangers," Drury said. "With Peter's extensive experience as a Head Coach in the National Hockey League, as well as the success his teams have had at several levels throughout his career, we are excited about what the future holds with him leading our team."

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, the contract is for three years and will be worth "just under" $5 million per season.

The Rangers and Gallant agreed to a mutual parting of ways on May 6 after the team lost in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the New Jersey Devils.

Gallant led the Rangers to back-to-back seasons with more than 100 points in the regular season. They lost in the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2021-22 season in six games after taking a 2-0 series lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Prior to Gallant's hiring in June 2021, the Rangers hadn't won a playoff series since the 2016-17 season.

Laviolette parted ways with the Washington Capitals on April 14, one day after the end of the regular season. The Capitals missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 2013-14. Their 80 points were the fewest for the franchise in an 82-game season since 2006-07 (70 points).

The 58-year-old Laviolette went 115-78-27 in three seasons with Washington. He has 21 years of head coaching experience in the NHL with five different teams dating back to 2001-02. His teams have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final three times, including a win with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06.

Laviolette's 752 career wins as a head coach are the eighth-most in NHL history.

The game of NHL head coach musical chairs has stopped once again with Peter Laviolette landing on Broadway. The 58-year-old will be announced as the 37th head coach in franchise history Tuesday.

The Rangers, following a demoralizing first-round exit, fired Gerard Gallant after just his second season on the job. He leaves New York in search of his fifth NHL head coaching job and is replaced by a 58-year-old who will soon command his sixth NHL team. Retread out and retread in.

Sort of.

Hockey fans are rightly critical of the sport's struggle to embrace diversity and innovation in deference to familiarity and comfort. Or, in the worst cases, full-blown cronyism.

But to categorize Laviolette and Gallant as interchangeable would be a disservice. Specifically, to Laviolette.

The narrative surrounding "recycled NHL coach" is a lazy one, with 16 of the league's 32 coaches currently on their first NHL head coach jobs. (17 if you include Andrew Brunette, who was interim in Fla.) That said, I can't make any sense of the Rangers hiring Peter Laviolette.

— Ken Campbell (@Ken_Campbell27) June 12, 2023

For one, their resumés are incomparable. Gallant wore out his welcome rapidly everywhere he has been, following up immediate success that was sometimes goaltending-driven and fumbling once the team needed new ideas.

Laviolette, meanwhile, typically stays where he ends up. Prior to his three seasons in Washington, the former Rangers defenseman had stints in Nashville (six years), Philadelphia (five years), and Carolina (five years.) He reached the Stanley Cup Final with each of those teams, winning with the Hurricanes in 2006.

His longevity in multiple places speaks to, if nothing else, at least a belief from his superiors in his ability to build and sustain something over a length of time; something that Gallant has never inspired. And three Cup Finals appearances with three different teams are hard to knock. At a minimum, he maintained control of the locker room and did not impede good teams. That is often half the battle for NHL head coaches.

There is a particular reason to believe that Laviolette might be the right hire for the Rangers from a tactical perspective. Hard-bent on the idea that the team needed to be more physical and tougher to play against, Gallant attempted to instill a forechecking identity that relied on lots of throwing pucks forward aimlessly and chasing them down.

The tactics were sloppily applied. Yet it's difficult to imagine a well-executed approach in this mold. The Carolina Hurricanes aren't just a great forechecking team because of head coach Rod Brind'Amour's tactical genius but because management builds him a roster that plays directly into his desired approach.

The Rangers were not and are not built to play like that. The likes of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and Chytil bring significant speed in possession while others such as Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniére are highly skilled puck handlers.

As currently constructed, this team is not built to send pucks behind defenders and chase. Rather, the Rangers' makeup demands lots of creating zone entries with possession and scoring from quick sequences. Lots of speed on transition rushes and lots of east-west passing upon entering the zone.

That should have been all the more obvious once Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane arrived.

They tried a forechecking game regardless. The results against the Devils were quite obvious. The Rangers could not gain the zone against the Devils and, when they did, could not set up a cycle. The Devils were simply too fast to pucks and too skilled at getting them back into the neutral zone quickly.

An interesting note about the playoffs is that goals off the rush are happening at the same rate as last year (45% of goals), but rush play has fallen off dramatically. 3-4 fewer shots per 60 off the rush & average Carry% dropped from 48% to below 44%. pic.twitter.com/1yJ3s2BKTG

— Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine) June 8, 2023

Enter Laviolette. Both Washington and Nashville played styles more in-line with a rush-offense initiative. Both teams would defend well and defenders would send the puck forward for quick strikes on rushes the other way.

In Washington, this rush offense was catalyzed by high-end puck movers in the back such as John Carlson, Dimitri Orlov, and Nick Jensen while Nashville had Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and PK Subban.

This is where things become dicey in New York. As the data collected by All Three Zones indicates, the defensive group was very poor at moving the puck up the ice with possession last season.

Adam Fox is one of the league's top puck-moving defensemen. Ryan Lindgren is competent, making respectable passes up the ice when he isn't deferring to Fox. The second pairing was atrocious at zone exits. Braden Schneider has the ability to match Lindgren as a secondary puck-mover but he received no help on the left side and has been forced in over his head.

It will be tough for general manager Chris Drury to build a defense in Laviolette's image. The club is extremely tight on cap space without any obvious potential departures who can make room for much beyond a frugal depth defenseman.

This is where Laviolette must earn his paycheck. If the team can't improve its breakouts and zone entries through additions, then it will be up to the coaching staff to make the necessary adjustments. Trouba had better results in Winnipeg. K'Andre Miller certainly has wheels. Zac Jones, the team's top defense prospect, plays like Fox but suffered an identity crisis under Gallant.

Some of the adjustments must come via Laviolette and his assistants getting the Non-Fox defensemen to improve their zone exits individually. The other half of the equation will be coaching the team to break out of their own defensive zone in cohesive, supporting structures that were lacking under Gallant.

Unless management can pull off something astounding to open up significant cap space, the Rangers will return with close to the same roster, only without the trade-deadline acquisitions. Drury is putting his hopes in Laviolette to prove that the roster he built struggled not because of makeup but rather tactics.

The New York Rangers and Peter Laviolette are reportedly "gaining momentum" toward an agreement for the 58-year-old to be the team's next head coach, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and NHL Network.

There is word this afternoon the NYR and Peter Laviolette are gaining momentum. Nothing is done until it’s done, but, barring a swerve, looking like Laviolette as next Rangers head coach.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 12, 2023

New York is looking for a new coach after parting ways with Gerard Gallant after two seasons. The Blueshirts went 47-22-13 last year before exiting the first round of the playoffs in a seven-game defeat to the New Jersey Devils.

Laviolette has been an NHL head coach since 2001, when he joined the New York Islanders bench. He's coached the Isles (2001-2003), Carolina Hurricanes (2003-2009), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-2014), Nashville Predators (2014-2020) and Washington Capitals (2020-2023).

Laviolette's teams have amassed 752 wins, 503 regulation losses, 25 ties and 150 overtime defeats. He's been to the playoffs 13 teams and guided the 2005-06 Hurricanes, 2009-10 Flyers and 2016-17 Predators to the Stanley Cup Finals. The 'Canes won it all after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

The Caps and Laviolette parted ways after missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Washington general manager Brian MacLellan described the decision as "mutual" and provided kind words upon his departure.

"We are grateful for Peter's leadership and dedication to our organization for the last three seasons," MacLellan said in a statement, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

"Peter is a first-class individual who has represented our club with integrity and guided our team through many difficult circumstances in his tenure as our head coach. We wish him all the best moving forward."

Prior to his coaching career, Laviolette played professional hockey as a defenseman from 1986-1997, mainly in the AHL. He was with the New York Rangers organization from 1987-1992 and played 12 games for the Blueshirts during the 1988-89 season.

The Rangers have been looking for a coach for over a month after firing Gallant on May 6. That long look appears to finally be nearing its end as Laviolette may be returning to back to the organization after three decades.

Wayne Gretzky ended his legendary NHL career with the New York Rangers in 1999, and a jersey from his final game was just sold at an auction for an eye-popping number.

Grey Flannel Auctions lists the final closing price for The Great One's last game-worn jersey at $595,933, and it was sold for $715,120 with the Buyer's Premium. There was a total of 21 bids made before closing, and the bidding started at $50,000.

Gretzky, who spent the majority of his career with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, recorded an assist for his 2,857th and final career point during his last game with the Rangers. To this day, no other NHL player has scored 2,000 career points.

Upon his retirement, Gretzky was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, earning a special exemption to avoid the normal waiting period. His No. 99 remains retired league-wide, and he is the only player ever to receive such an honor.