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Artemi Panarin, Jimmy Vesey Out Day To Day

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Rangers forwards Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey missed Wednesday’s practice and are out on a day-to-day basis with lower-body injuries, per the team’s public relations department. Both players were banged up in yesterday’s win over the Stars but did not miss significant chunks of the game.

Vesey is one of the Rangers’ most valuable depth talents, posting 12 goals and 18 points in 54 games despite extreme even-strength shutdown usage. Now 30 years old, Vesey is in his second go-around with the Rangers after spending the first three seasons of his NHL career there from 2016 to 2019.

Averaging 12:26 per game, Vesey has been elevated into the top six alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad after Blake Wheeler sustained a season-ending leg injury last week. Alex Belzile is on the roster as a 13th forward and will make his season debut against the Devils tomorrow if one of Panarin or Vesey can’t play, and the Rangers have roster and cap space for an additional recall if both miss time.

Rangers Extend Jonny Brodzinski

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The Rangers have signed center Jonny Brodzinski to a two-year extension, according to a team announcement Wednesday. The contract is a one-way deal with a cap hit of $787.5K, Peter Baugh of The Athletic and Mollie Walker of the New York Post report. In total, the contract will earn him $1.575MM.

Brodzinski, 30, was in the final season of a two-year, two-way $1.525MM extension signed in 2022. Without a new deal, he would have been a UFA for the third time in his career this summer.

The minor-league mainstay has been a quietly important piece on the Rangers’ third line. With four goals, 15 points and decent possession numbers in 37 games, he’s helped shoulder the season-ending injury to Filip Chytil that’s kept him out since November.

Centering a solid two-way depth unit between William Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko, Brodzinski’s games and points marks are the highest of his career. This year is the most NHL action he’s seen since logging six points in 35 games with the Kings in a limited role in the 2017-18 campaign.

A fifth-round pick of Los Angeles in 2013, Brodzinski has never inked a full one-way contract. He did earn a one-way salary of $650K in the 2018-19 season as part of the second half of a two-year deal with Los Angeles.

The now-former captain of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack has recorded over a point per game in all four seasons with the Rangers’ primary affiliate since joining the organization as a free agent in 2020. Dating back to his pro debut in 2015 after wrapping up his collegiate career with St. Cloud State University, Brodzinski has 126 goals, 141 assists and 267 points in 313 AHL games across nine seasons.

His pro career has been split entirely between the Kings and Rangers, aside from a one-year stint with the Sharks in 2019-20. He’s been a decent per-game producer in his limited NHL opportunities thus far, scoring 32 points in 138 career big-league games, but his 0.41 points per game this season is a career-high.

Brodzinski will earn the league-minimum salary of $775K in 2024-25 and $800K in 2025-26, per CapFriendly. He will be a UFA upon expiry.

Artem Anisimov Released From AHL Tryout

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  • 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.

Ryan Lindgren Evaluated For Upper-Body Injury

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  • 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.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Could Brodzinski's Emergency Negate The Need To Add At Center?

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  • 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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