The Rangers take on the Devils in their second of four straight matchups tonight. Tuesday, New York rode the shutout goaltending by Igor Shesterkin, the first of his career, and an early Mika Zibanejad goal to the win. In the contest, Pavel Buchnevich's empty-net tally was the 20,000 marker in franchise history, presuming you could the 79 goals scored at the shootout winner. Following this contest, the two teams meet twice more on Saturday and Sunday in a home-and-home.
The next two days we are Islanders' fans, as the team faces the Bruins, who have a four point lead on the Rangers with two games in hand.
Larry Brooks compared the Rangers' blue line depth, at least prospect wise, to what the Devils had during their Cup run, during which they traded several defensemen to bolster other spots. Right now, New York is not at the same spot Jersey was, since in 1995, the Devils won their first Cup after falling in the ECF the prior year to the Rangers. But the point is that difficult decisions will need to be made. in addition, prospects are prospects, not all will pan out and the growth of all will not be linear. Plus, as we have seen with Ryan Lindgren, some prospects who are not thought of as highly will take a major step forward, surpassing expectations and others in the pecking order.
The prevailing view is that the Blueshirts need a second line center. Time will tell if that is 100% the case, and with Jack Eichel just having neck surgery, it's possible New York shifts their focus to Aleksander Barkov if/when he becomes a free agent after next season. In addition, it's also possible that if Eichel has no lingering effects, the rumors of acquiring him will ramp up again. If so, which blueliner are you moving?
Would you deal K'Andre Miller for him? There is no way I am trading Adam Fox in a deal for Eichel, even if we knew Eichel was 100% healthy. Jacob Trouba, due to his current salary and age, is not a viable option to be included in a trade. Are you dealing Lindgren as part of a much larger package? As seen in the paragraph below, other options exist, but which one would be the most palatable to move?
Zac Jones is here and 20-year-old Matthew Robertson (selected 19 spots ahead of Jones in 2019) is coming. On the other side, Nils Lundkvist (28th overall in 2018) will be here next season, presuming the Rangers can sign the brilliant 20-year Swede, with Jeff Beukeboom-esque 19-year-old Braden Schneider (19th overall in 2020) right behind. They’re not the only ones.
This from Rick Carpinello, as was also reported by others. To me, this indicates a few things: 1) coach David Quinn is comfortable in his own skin and with his job status, 2) Trouba is clearly a leader on this team, which we pretty much already knew and 3) the team responded to what Trouba told his mates between periods
Quinn made another interesting move Tuesday night. Or rather, a non-move. For the first time this season, he said, he did not go into the locker room between the lousy second and textbook third periods.
“(Jacob) Trouba kind of took over,” Quinn said. “Maybe that’s our new recipe – between periods, me staying out of the locker room. I just thought that we really made a commitment to playing winning hockey in the third period, respected the game, respected our opponent.”
Trouba was a monster, by the way. He was ultra-physical and just solid, and in addition to the leadership role he has taken on full-bore, he’s played that way for quite a stretch now, even as he helps rookie partner K’Andre Miller continue to grow.
One victory down Tuesday, a second needed today. As I wrote the other day, seven points out of the eight available is a must. Then the hard work really begins.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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