The Rangers after nearly a week ago take on the red-hot Oilers on Saturday at MSG. Edmonton comes in 4-0-0 after a 4-3 shootout win over the Devils on Thursday. Following Saturday's contest, the Rangers - clearly in need of more days off (sarcasm dripping) - don't play again until Thursday when they head to the Prudential Center to face New Jersey.

David Quinn after practice:

“It’s going to be good to play a hockey game — that’s for sure.” #NYR Coach Quinn talks about lineup decisions ahead of Saturday’s game and a long, long week of practice. pic.twitter.com/NGu25DQ1J1

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 10, 2019

The first three lines will remain the same, so:
Panarin-Zibanejad-Buchnevich
Kreider-Strome-Kakko
Lemieux-Howden-Fast

Quinn confirms that McKegg will step in on the 4th line, so expect to see him with Andersson and Smith on Saturday. #NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 10, 2019

Quinn on the second line:

DQ offered some insight on the situation with Ryan Strome:

“Strome and I have had some conversations. He certainly knows he's got to pick his game up. He's not happy with the way he’s played.”

Here’s what I wrote about the 2nd line struggles: https://t.co/aYYoLGubqb#NYR #NHL

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 10, 2019

More DQ on line 2:

"It starts in the D-zone, where No. 1, we're not supporting the puck enough. And when we get it, we're not going north with it. ... I just don't think they're playing fast enough, and a little bit too much circling. Not physical around the puck."#NYR #NHL

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 10, 2019

“[There’s] a little too much circling, not physical around the puck enough. That’s something our group needs to do a better job of. As I’ve said, we need more out of that line in general and we need a little bit more out of each guy. But I’m feeling pretty good about them.”

Kreider has two assists, while Ryan Strome and Kakko are still pointless, though Kakko has looked solid the first two games. When asked if Howden or Andersson could challenge for Strome’s spot, Quinn didn’t hesitate. “Without question, that’s on the table,” he said. “If their play warrants it, they’ll certainly get that chance. I really was happy with the way both of them played on Saturday night.”

Strome is on the hot seat, though his ridiculous 70.4% faceoff percentage is a major positive. Howden saw a major bump in ice time in game 2 while Andersson got a mild bump from game 1 to game 2, yet still too low for most of us. In addition, expecting success with the linemates he had and will have seems foolish and shortsighted. Down the road, when they are ready Filip Chytil or Vitali Kravtsov could vie for the 2c role. It's possible Kakko is tried there with the one of the other two rookies on the wing. If Andersson can play as he did this training camp, he could be the next one to try his shot at the 2c role. Down the road, New York could look to acquire a second line center, though a lot still needs to play out before that occurs.

Defensive pairs are also the same as against Ottawa:
Hajek-Trouba
Staal-DeAngelo,
Skjei-Fox

Like Hajek on with Trouba, Staal has been relatively steady to begin the season. Skjei has been the weakest link while Fox has been solid. As mentioned in the blog comment, Blueline station wrote a blog that Skjei could end up in Seattle if his game doesn't pick up. The gist that the Rangers D pipeline could make Skjei expendable and he could be a perfect addition for the expansion team. If the situation warranted, the Rangers could entice Seattle with a pick to take Skjei, protecting others. Amazing that this is even a thought a few years after Skjei's stellar rookie campaign. It's a bit early to be writing his exit papers, but his decline the past two seasons and his inability to re-find his game might land him in another organization before his current deal expires.

Larry Brooks on additional rationale for the Vladislav Namestnikov deal:

When you get the chance to move a $4 million fourth-liner, which is what Vlad Namestnikov would have become by Saturday’s match against the Oilers at the Garden, you jump at it the way the Rangers did on Monday in sending No. 90 to the Senators.

You don’t wait for weeks or months, hoping to marginally increase the return for the impending rental property from a fourth-rounder and an AHL defenseman to perhaps a third-rounder plus.

Players get injured. Circumstances change. Opportunities vanish as quickly as they arise, which, we’re told was the case in Ottawa’s sudden interest in the 26-year-old pending free agent. Fact is, general manager Jeff Gorton had been seeking to move Namestnikov since last year’s deadline and had no takers throughout the summer, even with the Blueshirts offering to pick up between $1 and $2 million of the contract.

There is, however, an additional and heretofore overlooked reason Gorton was correct in moving expeditiously on the deal. That is its potential impact on next year’s cap.

Before the trade, the Rangers had approximately $1.4 million in space for this season while carrying between $4 million in potentially realistic entry-level contract performance bonuses. Earned bonuses that push teams over the cap are applied to the following season’s ledger.

Therefore, the Blueshirts could have gone into next summer with around $2.5 million in overages applied to the 2020-21 cap that would have hamstrung the organization’s decision-making process. Imagine adding that much more dead space to a team that already is faced with handling just over $7.49 million in sunk cost next season. Would be devastating.

But by excising $3,145,161 from Namestnikov’s tab (the Rangers, picking up $750,000 on the contract, had already been charged $104,839 for his six days on the roster (thanks Capfriendly.com), the club is currently about $4.6 million under the cap and has a rather secure buffer zone against being charged with overages.

Which means that while Gorton has ample space with which to maneuver this year, neither he nor the organization has the license to be profligate and throw money away, say, on an expensive stopgap in the middle if the second-line center spot becomes an open wound. Because, repeat after me and not for the last time, this is not about this year. And moving Namestnikov this early gives the Rangers a head start on next year.

This was my earlier tweet on this: "Cap room for performance bonuses. A key potential point. If Chytil, Kravtsov and/or Kakko don’t meet those targets, then NY will have even more cap room at the trade deadline in case they need it." As the way things currently stand, you would presume that Chytil and Kravtsov will be the most challenged to reach those bonuses, since there is no target date for their promotion. The bolded part lays out the rationale for the deal nicely. Dealing Nam could mildly impact winning this year. But Chytil and/or Kravtsov could fill that role at some point and New York still can be aggressive before the deadline if need be. In addition, they added the type of pick that might be part of the future return for Nam, albeit in 2021 not 2020, but in the reasonable range.

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