In this latest edition of New York Rangers News & Rumors, a potential reunion with Patrick Kane is starting to seem a bit more possible. In other news, after a truly disastrous preseason, goaltender Jonathan Quick did well during his regular-season debut with the Blueshirts. Meanwhile, Chris Kreider has been red-hot for the Rangers so far during this young season. Lastly, through the Rangers’ first four games, is much changing under new head coach Peter Laviolette? Let’s discuss all of this in today’s (Oct. 21) Rangers News & Rumors column now.
Could Kane Return to the Rangers?
Kane is the top free agent still available, and there has been some speculation about a potential return to the Rangers since the offseason. Yet, now as we inch closer to the end of the first month of the season, Kane is once again garnering some buzz as a potential target for the Rangers. Per NHL insider Seravalli, the Rangers “are paying attention to Kane.” With that, the NHL insider also added this:
“You saw what they had to give up last year to get him. They knew at the time he wasn’t fully healthy. It didn’t quite come together like it probably should have, but I think they were really impressed with the way he entered and was a leader. They were just kind of hoping, wishing, and praying he’d be at the Kane 88 showtime level we are used to. I think in the back of his mind, he’s also certainly intrigued on what it would be like to go back there. Maybe sort of finally put that piece back together.”
Frank Seravalli
For a potential Kane reunion to occur, the future Hall of Famer would either need to take a notable discount or the Rangers would need to move out salary. One clear trade candidate on their roster is Barclay Goodrow and his $3,641,667 cap hit. Yet, moving him would likely force the Rangers to move a sweetener or two because of his expensive cap hit as a bottom-six forward.
Kane, 34, was also linked to the Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings by Seravalli. With that, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported that the Dallas Stars have a legitimate shot of landing Kane. Thus, the Rangers have plenty of competition if they truly hope to bring back the three-time Stanley Cup winner.
Quick Performs Well In Debut for Rangers
The Rangers suffered a tough loss to the Nashville Predators on Oct. 19, losing to the Nashville Predators by a 4-1 final score. It was their worst game of the season thus far, and Igor Shesterkin particularly had a tough night. The superstar netminder allowed four goals on just 18 shots before being pulled. From there, Quick made his Rangers regular-season debut, and he was noticeably steady, stopping all nine shots he faced.
Related: 1 Trade Candidate From Each Metropolitan Team in 2023-24
Although the sample size was small in this appearance, it is still quite encouraging to see Quick put together a strong performance in relief. The three-time Stanley Cup champion had a brutal preseason and struggled in all of his appearances. Perhaps this solid debut for the Rangers could be an indicator that Quick is ready to turn things back around.
Kreider Having Hot Start to the Season
It is hard not to love what we are seeing from Kreider this season. After scoring 52 goals in 2021-22 and 36 last season, Kreider is making an impact with his scoring once again so far this campaign. In four games, the Massachusetts native has four goals to go along with an assist.
Kreider’s game has taken a major step forward in recent years, and it appears that he could be in for another excellent campaign based on his hot start. The Rangers will be certainly hoping he does, as he is a key part of their forward group and will play a big role in their success this season.
Coaching Change Not Bringing Change to Rangers… Yet
In a recent article from The Athletic, several writers discussed one thing that we have learned from each team so far this season (from ‘One thing we’ve learned about every NHL team early in the 2023-24 season, The Athletic, 10/21/23). For the Rangers, Arthur Staple brought up that the Rangers are still having trouble with structure, even with the hiring of Laviolette.
Team structure was a clear issue under Gerard Gallant, and it has not yet changed with Laviolette running things. Staple noted in his section that are once again at the bottom half of the NHL in allowing off-the-rush chances to start the season. This is something that Laviolette will have his team work to improve as the season rolls on.