- Artem Anisimov’s time in the Rangers organization has come to an end as he was released from his PTO with AHL Hartford, per a team release. The 35-year-old joined the Wolf Pack early last month and got into 18 games but managed just a goal and three assists. A veteran of 771 career NHL games, it looks unlikely that Anisimov will be adding to that total.
Rangers Rumors
Ryan Lindgren Evaluated For Upper-Body Injury
- New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren is being further evaluated for an upper-body injury according to Vince Mercogliano of USA Today-Sports. An upcoming restricted free agent at the end of the season, the beloved Minnesota native has skated in 53 games for New York already this season, scoring two goals and 10 points in the process. With more information on the matter expected tomorrow, Lindgren has only missed two games for the Rangers this season.
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Could Brodzinski's Emergency Negate The Need To Add At Center?
- With Filip Chytil out for the season, many have expected the Rangers to target center help before next month’s trade deadline. However, Newsday’s Colin Stephenson wonders if the recent performance of Jonny Brodzinski might lessen the need for New York to target a middleman. The 30-year-old is up to 14 points in 30 games since being recalled in late November while the line he’s on has had some recent success. With impact centers in very short supply, Brodzinski maintaining this level of production would certainly lessen the need to pay a big price to get one in the coming weeks.
Blake Wheeler Placed On LTIR, Out For Regular Season
After appearing to hurt his leg in last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the New York Rangers are placing veteran forward Blake Wheeler on Long-Term Injured Reserve, and the injury will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. Johnston also indicated that Wheeler could be out for the rest of the year, but that will largely be dictated by his recovery process and how deep the team goes in the playoffs.
It is unpleasant news for both player and team, as this injury will likely become the unceremonious end to Wheeler’s first season outside of the Winnipeg Jets organization since 2010-11. After being bought out by the Jets this past summer, Wheeler settled for a one-year, $800K contract with the Rangers with $100K bonuses after 10, 20, and 30 games played, respectively.
Although coming off another solid offensive year in Winnipeg throughout the 2022-23 season, his first campaign in New York did not start particularly well. Even with the team getting off to a strong start, it would take Wheeler 11 games to record his first assist, and another two games after that to register his first goal with the club.
Even as the month turned over into December, Wheeler’s offensive output had completely cratered, managing only two goals and six points through the organization’s first 26 games. However, since the team’s December 12th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wheeler had certainly reacquired some offensive touch, scoring seven goals and 15 assists over the next 28 contests.
For the Rangers specifically; the team has already been keeping tabs on the forward market for this season’s upcoming trade deadline, as they’re hoping to replace some of the lost value of center Filip Chytil who will also miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Now that Wheeler has suffered the same fate, it is almost certain the Rangers will make a move to beef up their forward depth by the end of the day on March 8th.
Rangers Recall Matt Rempe
The Rangers recalled forward Matt Rempe from AHL Hartford on Friday, per a team announcement.
While New York has recalled the 21-year-old once already this season without appearing in a game, this occasion will likely result in his NHL debut. The Rangers were down to 12 healthy forwards after Blake Wheeler left last night’s 7-4 defeat of the Canadiens with a lower-body injury, so Rempe comes up to serve as a bottom-six option in his absence.
Head coach Peter Laviolette has recently opted for a youth movement on the team’s fourth line, parting ways with Nick Bonino and waiving Tyler Pitlick to provide an opportunity for 23-year-old Adam Edstrom to get an extended look in the lineup. That indicates Rempe is likely to slot in alongside Edstrom and Barclay Goodrow at right wing, allowing 32-year-old call-up Alex Belzile to serve as a healthy scratch for the second straight game when the Rangers face the Islanders in this weekend’s Stadium Series game.
A sixth-round pick of the team in 2020, the 6-foot-8 Rempe projects as a fourth-line force if he does end up sticking in the majors. Now in his second year of pro hockey with Hartford, he has eight goals and 12 points in 43 games this season, adding a -9 rating and 96 PIMs. He has one season remaining on his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $820K, and he’ll be an RFA in 2025.
Wheeler Ruled Out Of Tonight's Game
New Jersey Devils writer Sam Kasan tweeted an update today on Devils’ defenseman Dougie Hamilton. In speaking with the media New Jersey head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters that Hamilton remains “quite a ways away” from returning to action. The 30-year-old rearguard hasn’t played since November 28th and had surgery on a torn left pectoral muscle in early December. There was no timetable given at the time of the procedure and it appears to be status quo for the time being.
Hamilton’s injury dealt a huge blow to a Devils team that had dreams of contending for the Stanley Cup this season. Hamilton has received Norris Trophy consideration in six of the last seven seasons and was playing well for New Jersey this year with five goals and 11 assists in 20 games.
In other Metropolitan Division notes:
- Ruff also offered an update on Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler who has been sidelined since January 6th with a broken foot. No specific timetable was given at the time, but the 26-year-old did take part in practice today dressed in a regular jersey. The Zurich, Switzerland native lined up on the team’s fourth defensive pair alongside Nick DeSimone and will be a big boost for the Devils’ defense core when he is ready to return to the lineup.
- New York Rangers forward Blake Wheeler left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury and will not return. Wheeler was hit by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble and fell back awkwardly and appeared to trap his right leg under his body as he hit the ice. Wheeler was in visible pain on the play which looked eerily similar to the injury of Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. Wheeler reached for his knee in obvious discomfort and was ruled out for the evening. If Wheeler has suffered a similar injury to Sergachev it is possible he could be done for the rest of the regular season. Wheeler is having one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, but he has provided the Rangers will depth scoring and would need to be replaced if he is sidelined long-term.
New York Rangers Sign Brandon Scanlin To Two-Year Extension
The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Brandon Scanlin to a two-year, one-way contract extension. The new deal carries Scanlin through the 2025-26 season and pays a $775K base salary in both the NHL and AHL, per CapFriendly. Scanlin has spent all season in the AHL, playing in 43 games and scoring 14 points, split evenly, with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
This season marks Scanlin’s third professional season, making his debut with the Wolf Pack at the end of the 2021-22 season. Scanlin joined the team as an undrafted free agent after his junior season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha ended. He’s since totaled 119 career AHL games and 30 points. It’s been a step down in scoring from his collegiate days when he managed 62 points across 98 games in Omaha.
New York has been clear about rewarding their young minor leaguers this season, recently holding Matt Rempe on the NHL roster during a break in the schedule, earning him a brief taste of an NHL paycheck. Now the 24-year-old Scanlin earns a major pay raise and potentially more NHL consideration, signing a one-way deal. The Rangers currently have $5.178MM in cap space, getting a boost from Filip Chytil’s move to long-term injured reserve. The 24-year-old centerman is out for the season with an upper-body injury that required him to return to his home country of Czechia.
Rangers Assign Tyler Pitlick To AHL
Feb. 14: Pitlick cleared waivers and can be assigned to Hartford, Friedman said Wednesday.
Feb. 13: The Rangers placed winger Tyler Pitlick on waivers Tuesday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Hartford, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Pitlick, 32, hits the waiver wire after being scratched Monday against the Flames in favor of rookie Adam Edstrom. He’s only played in six of the Rangers’ last 17 games due to a handful of healthy scratches and a lower-body injury.
Rangers GM Chris Drury acquired Pitlick in free agency last summer, signing him to a one-year deal worth $787.5K. He was brought in to provide a solid defensive presence in New York’s bottom six and to aid their penalty kill, but it hasn’t quite worked out.
Pitlick is averaging only 17 seconds per game on the penalty kill, and his 41.8% Corsi share at even strength ranks near the bottom of the team. However, his line with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey has a respectable 51.2% expected goals share in over 230 minutes of action together, per MoneyPuck.
Still, it’s clear the Rangers would like to try a higher-ceiling option offensively as they try to jumpstart their secondary scoring outside of their top six. Pitlick had one goal and three assists in 34 games.
If he clears waivers and suits up for Hartford, it will be his first AHL stint since 2015-16 as a member of the Oilers organization. Since entering the league with Edmonton in 2013, Pitlick has 56 goals, 53 assists, 109 points, and a -6 rating in 420 games.
Pitlick will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and given today’s news, it seems unlikely he’ll extend his time in New York. The Rangers are Pitlick’s eighth team of his NHL career and his fourth in the past three years.
Snapshots: Pelletier, Guhle, Rempe, Romanov
Rookie Calgary Flames forward Jakob Pelletier left the team’s Monday night game after receiving a hit from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Pelletier is being listed as sustaining an upper-body injury, though the hit seemed to specifically hit Pelletier’s left shoulder.
Pelletier started the season on season-opening injured reserve with a shoulder injury that required surgery. The injury has limited him to just eight games on the season – split evenly between the AHL and NHL. The 22-year-old winger has scored three points in the AHL and one point in the NHL on the year. Calgary acquired Pelletier in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has become a popular name on the Flames, injecting a burst of speed and energy that’s been missing form the 25-23-5 Flames lineup.
Other notes from around the league:
- Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle is expected to make his return to the lineup on Tuesday. The 22-year-old defenseman suffered an undisclosed injury on Sunday and was questionable to miss time. That won’t be the case, though, as Guhle will look to build on the four goals and 12 points he’s managed through 48 games this season.
- The New York Rangers have sent down centerman Matt Rempe, who was recalled to the NHL roster for a few days of inactivity. The move is largely a paper transaction, likely to get Rempe experience with the NHL club and NHL payroll. The 21-year-old forward has eight goals, 12 points, and 96 penalty minutes in 43 AHL games this season. He ranks in the top 10 of the league, and leads the Hartford Wolf Pack, in penalty minutes.
- New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov has returned to the team’s practices as a full participant after missing their Saturday game. Romanov, 24, has appeared in 51 games this season and averaged over 22 minutes of ice time each game. He’s managed five goals and 13 points – a slightly lower scoring pace than the 22 points he managed in 76 games last season, his first year with the Islanders.
Rangers Recall Matt Rempe And Adam Edstrom
The New York Rangers made a series of moves late last night by recalling forwards Matt Rempe and Adam Edström from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. In addition to the recalls, New York also assigned forward Jake Leschyshyn to Hartford.
If he can get into the lineup, the 21-year-old Rempe will be looking to make his NHL debut during his recall. He is in his second AHL season and has a career-high eight goals and four assists in 43 games this season. On the surface, his eight goals don’t seem like much, but they actually have him tied for the team lead in five-on-five goals.
Edström is in his first full AHL season and has eight goals and two assists in 25 games this year. He made his NHL debut earlier this season with the Rangers and made it a memorable one by notching his first career NHL goal. The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the Rangers back in 2019 and is an intimidating presence on the ice standing 6’8” tall and weighing 225 pounds.
Leschyshyn is being returned to Hartford after his latest NHL recall and hasn’t suited up for the Rangers since January 11th. The 24-year-old has spent the bulk of his season in Hartford suiting up in 19 games for the Wolf Pack. The native of Raleigh, North Carolina has four goals and six assists this season in the AHL as he continues to shuttle back and forth between the NHL and AHL for the third consecutive season.