NHL 20 GM Mode Logs & Conversation
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kinger8998
Registered User
New York Rangers Franchise Mode
First Half of 2019-2020 NHL Season
Season Preview
The Rangers new additions have them primed to make a jump up the standings this season. Aside from the big three additions in Kaapo Kakko, Jacob Trouba and Artemi Panarin, the Rangers have also added defensemen Dion Phaneuf and David Schlemko on 1-year deals.
GM Brant King said the decision was based upon the organizations belief that Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Yegor Rykov and Aadam Fox would all benefit from starting the season in the AHL.
Henrik Lundqvist returns as the team's bedrock in nets, with Alexandar Georgiev his backup. Czar Igor Shesterkin, hailed the heir of the King's throne when the time comes, starts in the minors.
Although many pundits have the Rangers pegged to make a jump up the standings, the extent of that jump has been a hot button topic. Some have the Rangers dramatically improving, re-joining the dance they were a staple in for so many years. Others, have the Rangers still near the bottom of the league, just better than last season.
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First Half of Season
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First Half Recap
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Alexandar Georigev was expected to build off of last season and keep Henrik Lundqvist rested come a potential playoff birth, but his porous start to the season has forced Hank into a heavier workload than ideal. If the Rangers hope to have their success continue, they may have to deal with the setbacks of a few more GA and hope the offense can pick up. If they eant any chance, they need the King at his freshest and his best.
Henrik Lundqvist is on pace for his highest win total since his Vezina season of 2012, and his SV% would be his highest since the 14-15 Season. Lundqvist has currently set himself up quite nicely to be a Vezina finalist yet again, as he, Rask and Markstrom all seem to be front runners with .920+ SV% and 17+ wins.
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The Brady Skjei-Jacob Trouba never really worked out, but when split up both of their play has improved. Their plus minus suffered in the beginning, but is recovering as the team improves. Tony DeAngelo has seen a drop in offensive production, but his defensive play has been among the best on the Rangers blue line. Jonathan Ericsson, Dion Phaneuf, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith have been exactly what expected for the Rangers, steady defensive stalwarts.
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Artemi Panarin has done most of the heavy lifting for the Rangers, currently operating at a PPG pace despite the team's depth being unable to get the monkey off their back. Also leading the way is Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich, both who are playing spirited hockey. Rookies Vitali Kravtsov and Kaapo Kakko have both been wonderful so far, but Kakko feels primed to break out of his goal socring slump at any time and explode. Filip CHytil has taken yet another step forward in his development while pending UFA Chris Kreider is really making a case for the Rangers to keep him.
Aside from the ones mentioned, along with another pending UFA in Vlad Namestnikov (who is making himself good trade bait), the depth has struggled. Especially Lias Andersson, who once again fails to develop the way he was projected to on his Draft Day in 2017.
In the AHL Hartford, the Rangers don't really have any forwards prospects of note.
On defense, legitimate NHL prospects Aadam Fox and Yegor Rykov are really impressing. Adam Fox leads the entire AHL team in points with 25 in 36 games (5-20-25). Ryan Lindgren has been decent, while Libor Hajek has been very underwhelming.
IN nets, Czar Igor Shesterkin's numbers do not paint a pretty picutre. That being said, much of that can be attributed to a truly putrid defensive performance outside of the aforementioned Rykov and Fox.
Next Post: Second Half of 2019-2020 NHL Season
First Half of 2019-2020 NHL Season
Season Preview
The Rangers new additions have them primed to make a jump up the standings this season. Aside from the big three additions in Kaapo Kakko, Jacob Trouba and Artemi Panarin, the Rangers have also added defensemen Dion Phaneuf and David Schlemko on 1-year deals.
GM Brant King said the decision was based upon the organizations belief that Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Yegor Rykov and Aadam Fox would all benefit from starting the season in the AHL.
Henrik Lundqvist returns as the team's bedrock in nets, with Alexandar Georgiev his backup. Czar Igor Shesterkin, hailed the heir of the King's throne when the time comes, starts in the minors.
Although many pundits have the Rangers pegged to make a jump up the standings, the extent of that jump has been a hot button topic. Some have the Rangers dramatically improving, re-joining the dance they were a staple in for so many years. Others, have the Rangers still near the bottom of the league, just better than last season.
| LW | C | RW |
| Panarin 89 | Zibanejad 87 | Kakko 81 |
| Krieder 83 | Chytil 80 | Buchnevich 82 |
| Namestnikov 80 | Howden 79 | Kravtsov 77 |
| Lemieux 77 | Andersson 76 | Strome 80 |
| Nieves 76 |
| LD | RD |
| Skjei 84 | Trouba 85 |
| STaal 78 | DeAngelo 80 |
| Phaneuf 79 | Schlemko 78 |
| Smith 76 |
| Starter | Backup |
| Lundqvist 90 | Georgiev 81 |
First Half of Season
BREAKING NEWS: Jesper Fast traded to Wild ahead of Season Opener
Sept. 30, 2019
One of the 4 remaining members from the Rangers 2014 run to the Stanley Cup FInals, Jesper Fast, was shipped out of town before the 2019-2020 NHL Season.
GM Brant King had this to say about the trade:
"Obviously trading a guy as liked and as valuable as Jesper is never easy, but we feel with our young guys needing lineup spots and Jesper's expiring contract, it was the right time to do so.
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers win Season Opener off of Kravtsov's 1st NHL Goal
Oct. 3rd, 2019
In the Rangers home and season opener Thursday night, Chris Kreider scored 2 goals, while rookie Vitali Kravtsov scored his first NHL goal as the Rangers went into overtime with the Winnipeg Jets tied 3-3. Then, Tony DeAngelo scored the overtime winner to help the Rangers win their first game of the season.
Alexandar Georgiev was a late call to start because of a Henrik Lundqvist injury sustained in pre-season. Hank will be back after the bye week, at home against Edmonton.
BREAKING NEWS: CHytil stars as Rangers down Devils in first meeting of Season
Oct. 17, 2019
Filip Chytil led the way for New York as the crushed their cross-river rivals 5-2. His 3 points led the way (1-2-3), but Viltali Kravtsov was no slouch, recording his first ever 2-goal game.
Kaapo Kakko has yet to record his first NHL goal and has just 1 point in 5 games to date.
BREAKING NEWS: Ranegrs and Sharks swap forwards, Sorenson comes to New York
Oct. 19, 2019
With the Rangers looking at ways to find players under team control beyond this season with uncertainty regarding their cap situation, they made a shrewd move, acquiring Marcus Sorenson, signed for next season at a modest price of $1.500M, while shedding a pending UFA in Ryan Strome.
While Strome was likely going to leave anyways, any replacement the Rangers would've attempted to find via Free Agency would have been no where near as inexpensive as the 25-year old Swede.
BREAKING NEWS: Kravtsov continues to impress, record hattrick
Oct. 20th, 2019
Vitali Kravtsov continues to make the most of what could have been a 9-game trial, as he scored his 4th, 5th and 6th goals of the seaosn in just 7-games. Obviously such a torrid pace has no chance of continuing, but the scoring is welcome by all means.
The Rangers now sit 4-2-0, a great start for a team that was mired in questions before the season began.
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers acquire Jonathan Ericsson from Wings in exhancge for David Schlemko
Nov. 8th, 2019
New York Rangers coach Kayden Purinton made a plea to GM Brant King for some veteran leadership in the locker room amidst a 4-game mini slump after the teams great start.
So, the Rangers traded for 35-year old defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (50% retained), giving up a bargain bin signing in David Schlemko.
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers sit 11-10-3, are shopping assets passing 1/4 mark of Season
Nov. 30, 2019
The New York Rangers remained mired in mediocrity after their hot start to the season, middling around the .500 mark ever since. That is even despite a herculean effort by Henrik Lundqvist (.914 SV%) behind a defense that hasn't quite managed to figure it out yet.
Artemi Panarin has also put forth a monstrous effort to will the Rangers into the Playoffs, with 27 points in 24 games, while Kaapo Kakko still sits tied for the lead in rookie points (with Jack Hughes) despite just 3 goals and a very low 5.8 SH%.
BREAKING NEWS: Skjei out 1-2 weeks with injury
Dec 10, 2019
The Rangers have been very fortunate so far this season with their injuries, just being minor one game misses. But now, they've lost their #2 defender for what could potentially be 5-7 games. It;s a tough blow at a tough time, especially for a team that needs to get in gear right away if they have any hopes of extending their season beyond April.
Brendan Smith re-enters the lineup in his absence.
| LW | C | RW |
| Panarin 89 | Kravtsov 79 | Buchnevich 82 |
| Krieder 83 | Zibanejad 87 | Kakko 81 |
| Namestnikov 80 | Chytil 80 | Howden 79 |
| Lemieux 77 | Nieves 76 | Sorenson 79 |
| Andersson 76 |
| LD | RD |
| Smith 76 | Ericsson 78 |
| Staal 78 | Trouba 85 |
| Phaneuf 79 | DeAngelo 80 |
| Skjei 84* |
| Starter | Backup |
| Lundqvist 90 | Georgiev 81 |
First Half Recap
| Record | Home | Away | GFPG | GAPG | PP% | PK% | Division | Conference | League | Playoffs? |
| 23-15-3 | 8-10-2 | 15-5-1 | 2.80 (19th) | 2.68 (8th) | 19.0% (11th) | 84.5% (10th) | 2nd | 5th | 12th | Yes. |
| Goalie | Record | SV% | GAA | SO |
| Henrik Lundqvist | 18-10-3 | .921 | 2.42 | 2 |
| Alexandar Georgiev | 5-6-0 | .908 | 3.08 | 0 |
Alexandar Georigev was expected to build off of last season and keep Henrik Lundqvist rested come a potential playoff birth, but his porous start to the season has forced Hank into a heavier workload than ideal. If the Rangers hope to have their success continue, they may have to deal with the setbacks of a few more GA and hope the offense can pick up. If they eant any chance, they need the King at his freshest and his best.
Henrik Lundqvist is on pace for his highest win total since his Vezina season of 2012, and his SV% would be his highest since the 14-15 Season. Lundqvist has currently set himself up quite nicely to be a Vezina finalist yet again, as he, Rask and Markstrom all seem to be front runners with .920+ SV% and 17+ wins.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM |
| Brady Skjei | 38 | 4 | 15 | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| Jacob Trouba | 41 | 5 | 13 | 18 | -14 | 44 |
| Tony DeAngelo | 41 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +12 | 0 |
| Jonathan Ericsson | 33 (31) | 2 (1) | 5 (5) | 7 )6) | +7 (+5) | 16 (16) |
| Dion Phaneuf | 41 | 3 | 2 | 5 | +7 | 14 |
| Marc Staal | 41 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +2 | 26 |
| Brendan Smith | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
The Brady Skjei-Jacob Trouba never really worked out, but when split up both of their play has improved. Their plus minus suffered in the beginning, but is recovering as the team improves. Tony DeAngelo has seen a drop in offensive production, but his defensive play has been among the best on the Rangers blue line. Jonathan Ericsson, Dion Phaneuf, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith have been exactly what expected for the Rangers, steady defensive stalwarts.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM |
| Artemi Panarin | 41 | 13 | 28 | 41 | +3 | 2 |
| Mika Zibanejad | 41 | 12 | 20 | 32 | -2 | 36 |
| Pavel Buchnevich | 41 | 10 | 20 | 30 | +8 | 5 |
| Chris Kreider | 41 | 12 | 15 | 27 | +7 | 36 |
| Vitali Kravtsov | 41 | 16 | 6 | 22 | -5 | 6 |
| Kaapo Kakko | 41 | 6 | 16 | 22 | +2 | 5 |
| Filip Chytil | 41 | 8 | 12 | 20 | +8 | 0 |
| Vlad Namestnikov | 40 | 7 | 12 | 19 | -3 | 2 |
| Brett Howden | 41 | 4 | 10 | 14 | -5 | 14 |
| Marcus Sorenson | 45 (31) | 3 (1) | 9 (7) | 12 (8) | +1 (-2) | 6 (0) |
| Brendan Lemieux | 36 | 5 | 2 | 7 | -2 | 10 |
| Lias Andersson | 25 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 2 |
| Boo Nieves | 22 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
Artemi Panarin has done most of the heavy lifting for the Rangers, currently operating at a PPG pace despite the team's depth being unable to get the monkey off their back. Also leading the way is Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich, both who are playing spirited hockey. Rookies Vitali Kravtsov and Kaapo Kakko have both been wonderful so far, but Kakko feels primed to break out of his goal socring slump at any time and explode. Filip CHytil has taken yet another step forward in his development while pending UFA Chris Kreider is really making a case for the Rangers to keep him.
Aside from the ones mentioned, along with another pending UFA in Vlad Namestnikov (who is making himself good trade bait), the depth has struggled. Especially Lias Andersson, who once again fails to develop the way he was projected to on his Draft Day in 2017.
In the AHL Hartford, the Rangers don't really have any forwards prospects of note.
On defense, legitimate NHL prospects Aadam Fox and Yegor Rykov are really impressing. Adam Fox leads the entire AHL team in points with 25 in 36 games (5-20-25). Ryan Lindgren has been decent, while Libor Hajek has been very underwhelming.
IN nets, Czar Igor Shesterkin's numbers do not paint a pretty picutre. That being said, much of that can be attributed to a truly putrid defensive performance outside of the aforementioned Rykov and Fox.
Next Post: Second Half of 2019-2020 NHL Season
Enjoyed reading through your sim last year (I think it was yours).
I would like to attempt a crack at this also except I like to play both NHL/AHL rather then sim so progress would be far slower. I think I’d get some enjoyment from writing a compelling franchise storyline and maybe someone might enjoy reading it.
Would have to be a weak expansion team
I would like to attempt a crack at this also except I like to play both NHL/AHL rather then sim so progress would be far slower. I think I’d get some enjoyment from writing a compelling franchise storyline and maybe someone might enjoy reading it.
Would have to be a weak expansion team
kinger8998
Registered User
New York Rangers Franchise Mode
Second Half of 2019-2020 NHL Season
Start of Second Half
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Henrik Lundqvist did all he could to will the Rangers into the Playoffs, but the injury to Panarin sealed the Rangers fate. His backup, Alexandar Georgiev, did not live up to expectations. The young netminder struggled the entire season, and will likely be traded this offseason top accomodate the rising Igor Shesterkin.
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Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba were fantastic for the Rangers, aside from their +/- suffering due to the defensive play of forwards, but the real surprise was Jonathan Ericsson. Acquired to be a voice of veteran reason, the defender led the defensive group in +/- and posted 21 points, his highest points total of his career. His play may have even made Marc Staal expendable and susceptible to a buyout. Tony DeAngelo was okay, while Brendan Smith was good too. Adam Fox showed well enough in his stint.
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While Panarin led the way, possible the most surprising player of the season for the Rangers was rookie Vitali Kravtsov, who was the teams only 30-goal scorer. Kaapo Kakko led all rookies in points, as both he and Kravtsov were named finalists for the Calder Trophy. Filip Chytil made huge strides, as did Pavel Buchnevich. Jesse Puljujarvi was underwhelming after the trade, as was Gurianov, but they are long term pieces as opposed to right now worries. Mika Zibanejad saw a slight dip in production, but he was still in the realm of a #1C. Brett Howden improved on his rookie season, while Boucher and Di Giuseppe did fine in replacement roles. Marcus Sorenson is a great depth forward, but Brendan Lemieux and Lias Andersson both disappointed. Overall it was a good enough seaosn where it mattered.
BREAKING NEWS: HWP coach Willie Smith and rest of AHL coaching staff relieved of duties.
Defensive prospects Yegor Rykov (76 GP, 6-30--36) and Ryan Lindgren (76 GP, 2-22--24) impressed, but Libor Hajek (76 GP, 5-7--12) disappointed.
Up front, acquired prospect Jason Robertson matched his point production from Texas (9 points) but did so in 31 games compared to 43. Ty Ronning posted 5 goals and 18 points in 76 games.
Igor Shesterkin showed well in games, but was ultimately spoiled by a terrible Hartford team.
Next Post: 2020 NHL Offseason
Second Half of 2019-2020 NHL Season
Start of Second Half
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers lose Kravtsov to injury amidst 5 game skid
Jan. 22nd, 2020
In a 4-1 loss to the Islanders, the Rangers lost talented rookie Vitali Kravtsov to a LBI on a week-to-week basis. This makes bad matters worse as the team was already struggling to score and defend on their 5 game losing streak (0-5-0) that followed a 3-game winning streak to begin the second half.
Boo Nieves draws into the lineup in his absense.
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers and Stars complete deal sending Kreider to Dallas
Jan. 30th, 2020
Just 2 remain from the 2014 team now. Chris Kreider, along with Dion Phaneuf and the Stars 3rd round pick in this year's Draft (Zuccarello trade) were sent to Dallas in exchange for Denis Gurianov, Jason Robertson and a 4th round pick in 2021.
The acquisition of Gurianov brings in another Russian forward, a trend for the Rangers. They now have Panarin, Buchnevich, Kravtsov, Namestnikov (who is likely on his way out) and now Gurianov.
BREAKING NEWS: Puljujarvi in, Namestnikov out in separate trades for Rangers
Jan. 30th, 2020
In the Rangers second and third trades of the day, they moved out pending UFA Vladislav Namestnikov to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Colorado's 3rd round Draft pick in this years Draft; while they also shipped out their own 2nd rounder in 2021 along with their 3rd in 2020 for reclamation project Jesse Puljujarvi.
Puljujarvi has spent the first half of the season with the Edmonton Oilers after he opted out of his deal in the Liiga when the Oilers promised him a trade by the Deadline. He comes to New York with an opportunity to play with Panarin and Zibanejad as the Rangers search for their match after Kakko failed to click the way many expected.
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Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV Jesse Puljujarvi 79 21 Low Elite RW Sniper 50 GP
10G-13A-23P
+23 ... 18 PIM1/$0.925M
| LW | C | RW |
| Panarin 89 | Zibanejad 87 | Puljujarvi 79 |
| Buchnevich 82 | Chytil 81 | Kakko 81 |
| Lemieux 77 | Howden 79 | Gurianov 75 |
| Nieves 76 | Andersson 76 | Sorenson 80 |
| Kravtsov 79* |
| LD | RD |
| Skjei 84 | Trouba 85 |
| Staal 78 | DeAngelo 80 |
| Ericsson 78 | Smith 76 |
| Starter | Backup |
| Lundqvist 90 | Georgiev 81 |
BREAKING NEWS: Di Giuseppe shines in cameo for Zibanejad
Feb. 1st, 2020
With Mika Zibanejad being out day to day with an undisclosed injury, and Vitali Kravtsov being out for 1 more game, the Rangers needed an emergency call-up to fill in. So, from Hartford, came Phil Di Giuseppe. In his first game, he scored 2 goals, including the GWG, to help New York to a 4-3 victory over the Red Wings.
BREAKING NEWS: Panarin scores twice as Rangers down Jackets
Feb. 14th, 2020
On Valentines Day, the Blue Jackets ex ruined it for them. Artemi Panarin scored twice, while Brett Howden had 3 points (1-2--3)en route to a Rangers 6-4 victory.
The Rangers now sit 32-22-3, good enough for a tie for 2nd in the Metro with the New Jersey Devils. They both trail the Pens by 12 points, so it seems that they will be competing for home ice advantage in these playoffs.
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers silent at Deadline, aside from extensions for Lemieux, DeAngelo
Trade Deadline
The 2 longest holdouts for the Rangers last summer, Brendan Lemieux and Tony DeAngelo, have signed extensions for next season, avoiding a do-over of last summer.
Tony DeAngelo re-upped for 3 years and $7.5M while Lemieux was won over by a 4 year term and $4.6M total.
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Tony DeAngelo 80 24 Med Top 4D D Offensive D 61 GP
6G-11A-17P
+2 ... 10 PIM3/$2.500M Brendan Lemieux 77 23 Med Top 9F LW Power Forward 56 GP
6G-3A-9P
-9 ... 18 PIM4/$1.150M
BREAKING NEWS: McDavid hits 100 points in just 63rd game of Season
League News
On pace for 130-points, McDavid is well on his way to winning yet another Hart Trophy. His linemate, Leon Draisaitl, is second in the league with 86 points.
In Rangers news, Lundqvist has fallen slightly behind in the Vezina Race, but the Rangers still have 2 bids at the Calder Trophy. Kaapo Kakko, still with a low shooting percentage, sits just 2 points behind Hughes, while Vitali Kravtsov leads all rookies in goals with 23.
BREAKING NEWS: Panarin, Zibanejad, Kravtsov explode for 2 big wins.
March 11th, 2020
With the offense running dry, New York Rangers coach Kayden Purinton decided it was time to align leading points, #1|C and leading goal scorer on the same line. So, then the Panarin-Zibanejad-Kravtsov trio came to fruition. Then, in back-to-back nights, the threesome combined for a total of 16 points.
BREAKING NEWS: Panarin injured, out until April 12th.
March 18th, 2020
With just a few weeks before the beginning of the Playoffs, which looked like a lock for the Rangers, they lose their best player to an injury. Now, it seems as though there may be an opportunity for the Rangers to slip up and allow another team to enter the race.
Phil Di Giuseppe re-enters the lineup looking to rekindle his earlier magic in the absence of the Rangers All-star forward.
Adam Fox has also been called up from the AHL and in on the 3rd pair with Jonathan Ericsson.
| LW | C | RW |
| Buchnevich 82 | Zibanejad 87 | Kakko 81 |
| Puljujarvi 80 | Chytil 85 | Kravtsov 79 |
| Di Giuseppe 77 | Howden 79 | Gurianov 75 |
| Lemieux 77 | Andersson 78 | Sorenson 80 |
| Nieves 76 | Panarin 89* |
| LD | RD |
| Skjei 84 | Trouba 85 |
| Staal 78 | DeAngelo 80 |
| Ericsson 78 | Fox 75 |
| Smith 76 |
| Starter | Backup |
| Lundqvist 90 | Georgiev 81 |
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers claim Boucher off waivers from Canucks
March 21st, 2020
Looking for any stopgap to fill the hole of Panarin's injury, the Rangers have claimed former Devils forward Reid Boucher from the Vancouver Canucks. Boucher will enter the lineup for Di Giuseppe, who has just 1 point in his last 10 games after being a PPG player over the first 10 (7-3--10).
| Record | Home | Away | GFPG | GAPG | PP% | PK% | Division | Conference | League | Playoffs? |
| 40-36-6 | 17-21-3 | 23-15-3 | 2.89 (20th) | 2.98 (20th) | 20.6% (6th) | 83.1% (T-16th) | 6th | 11th | 21st | No. |
| Goalie | Record | SV% | GAA | SO |
| Henrik Lundqvist | 31-27-4 | .913 | 2.76 | 4 |
| Alexandar Georgiev | 9-9-2 | .895 | 3.37 | 1 |
Henrik Lundqvist did all he could to will the Rangers into the Playoffs, but the injury to Panarin sealed the Rangers fate. His backup, Alexandar Georgiev, did not live up to expectations. The young netminder struggled the entire season, and will likely be traded this offseason top accomodate the rising Igor Shesterkin.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM |
| Jacob Trouba | 82 | 10 | 33 | 43 | -20 | 71 |
| Brady Skjei | 79 | 4 | 34 | 38 | -20 | 52 |
| Jonathan Ericsson | 74 | 8 | 13 | 21 | +10 | 41 |
| Tony DeAngelo | 81 | 7 | 14 | 21 | +4 | 2 |
| Marc Staal | 82 | 3 | 11 | 14 | E | 38 |
| Brendan Smith | 36 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +1 | 12 |
| Aadam Fox | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 0 |
Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba were fantastic for the Rangers, aside from their +/- suffering due to the defensive play of forwards, but the real surprise was Jonathan Ericsson. Acquired to be a voice of veteran reason, the defender led the defensive group in +/- and posted 21 points, his highest points total of his career. His play may have even made Marc Staal expendable and susceptible to a buyout. Tony DeAngelo was okay, while Brendan Smith was good too. Adam Fox showed well enough in his stint.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM |
| Artemi Panarin | 73 | 26 | 49 | 75 | +11 | 6 |
| Mika Zibanejad | 80 | 24 | 39 | 63 | -7 | 46 |
| Pavel Buchnevich | 82 | 17 | 37 | 54 | -4 | 7 |
| Kaapo Kakko | 82 | 18 | 34 | 52 | E | 18 |
| Filip Chytil | 82 | 16 | 31 | 47 | +5 | 16 |
| Vitali Kravtsov | 78 | 30 | 15 | 45 | -1 | 10 |
| Brett Howden | 82 | 12 | 23 | 35 | -16 | 38 |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | 84 (34) | 13 (3) | 18 (5) | 31 (8) | +16 (-7) | 22 (4) |
| Marcus Sorenson | 68 | 9 | 11 | 20 | E | 6 |
| Phil Di Giuseppe | 24 | 10 | 4 | 14 | -2 | 6 |
| Brendan Lemieux | 77 | 10 | 4 | 14 | -16 | 43 |
| Lias Andersson Denis Gurianov | 62 34 | 3 4 | 7 4 | 10 8 | -11 -3 | 4 2 |
| Reid Boucher Boo Nieves | 14 (7) 28 | 0 (0) 1 | 4 (2) 2 | 4 (2) 3 | +1 (-4) -5 | 6 (6) 2 |
While Panarin led the way, possible the most surprising player of the season for the Rangers was rookie Vitali Kravtsov, who was the teams only 30-goal scorer. Kaapo Kakko led all rookies in points, as both he and Kravtsov were named finalists for the Calder Trophy. Filip Chytil made huge strides, as did Pavel Buchnevich. Jesse Puljujarvi was underwhelming after the trade, as was Gurianov, but they are long term pieces as opposed to right now worries. Mika Zibanejad saw a slight dip in production, but he was still in the realm of a #1C. Brett Howden improved on his rookie season, while Boucher and Di Giuseppe did fine in replacement roles. Marcus Sorenson is a great depth forward, but Brendan Lemieux and Lias Andersson both disappointed. Overall it was a good enough seaosn where it mattered.
BREAKING NEWS: HWP coach Willie Smith and rest of AHL coaching staff relieved of duties.
Defensive prospects Yegor Rykov (76 GP, 6-30--36) and Ryan Lindgren (76 GP, 2-22--24) impressed, but Libor Hajek (76 GP, 5-7--12) disappointed.
Up front, acquired prospect Jason Robertson matched his point production from Texas (9 points) but did so in 31 games compared to 43. Ty Ronning posted 5 goals and 18 points in 76 games.
Igor Shesterkin showed well in games, but was ultimately spoiled by a terrible Hartford team.
Next Post: 2020 NHL Offseason
I got through Columbus in my roster editing so far.
Need to finish that, then a quick once over of the AHL teams, and CHL teams, and then player creating.
So..... maybe this weekend I can start an expansion one.
P.S; my write ups wont be as good as @kinger8998 ....... he/she sets a crazy high expectation
Need to finish that, then a quick once over of the AHL teams, and CHL teams, and then player creating.
So..... maybe this weekend I can start an expansion one.
P.S; my write ups wont be as good as @kinger8998 ....... he/she sets a crazy high expectation
kinger8998
Registered User
New York Rangers Franchise Mode
2020 NHL Offseason
Offseason Notes
2020 NHL Entry Draft
Re-sign Phase
The Rangers had $18.000M in Cap Space to work with heading into the re-sign phase, with very few key players to sign. The biggest name was RFA Jesse Puljujarvi, followed by UFA defender Jonathan Ericsson, who posted a career high in points at the ripe age of 36.
New York signed RFA's Gabriel Fontaine, Brandon Crawley and Ville Meskanen to contracts during the Re-sign period.
The Rangers also signed prospects Nico Gross (64, 20, Med Top 6D) and Jacob Ragnarsson (55, 20, Med Top 6D) to ELC's.
The Rangers qualified RFA's Boo Nieves and Alexandar Georgiev.
The Rangers allowed waiver claim Reid Buucher, Matt Beleskey and Steven Fogarty to walk to Free Agency.
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Free Agency
The Free Agent Frenzy broadcast team:
Host: James Duthie
Deal Breaker Desk: Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Gord Miller
Instant Analysis Panel: Ray Ferraro, Jeff O’Neill, Dave Poulin, Martin Biron, Pierre McGuire
FA Bait: Craig Button
Free Agency Panel: Jamie McLennan, Aaron Ward
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Duthie: Welcome all viewers to the 2020 Edition of Free Agent Frenzy. To those of you in Canada, Happy Canada Day, and to the rest of you, happy Free Agency! We have business to get right into so let's take you right to the deal breaker desk.
McKenzie: The Rangers have acquired star forward Filip Forsberg from the Nashville Predators for their 2021 1st round pick, their 2022 2nd round pick, goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Brett Howden and defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Forsberg has 2 years remaining on his contract at an AAV of $6.000M, a very workable contract for New York.
Ferraro: Nashville was obviously at a disadvantage here when Filip Forsberg requested a trade, as not many teams in the league were willing to fork up a package like this when they knew he wanted out and would be a FA in 2 years anyways. The Rangers avoided giving up any truly elite talents, but they did pay a large sum for a forward who put up just 21 goals last year, and 39 points.
McGuire: That is a large payment, but that same forward is a guy who has 3 seasons of 60+ points and has scored 30 goals twice before. He's an elite talent, and if he refinds his game with the Rangers it would be lethal.
McLennan: The Rangers now boast Kravtsov, Kakko, Zibanejad, Panarin and Forsberg. They also have Pavel Buchnevich and Jesse Puljujarvi. They are going to be an offensive force to be reckoned with.
Dreger: In other news, plenty of big name players have changed places. Former Rangers Anthony Duclair and Dan Girardi signed with Carolina and Dallas respectively. Another former Ranger in Nick Holden signed with Winnipeg. Staying with the trend, Jesper Fast joins Dan Girardi in Dallas, while Vladislav Namestnikov signed with Calgary. Ryan Strome remains a Free Agent.
LeBrun: Detroit has signed elite defenseman Roman Josi to a long term 7-year deal. Mikael Granlund, another former Predator, joins the Florida Panthers on a 5-year term. Calgary signs former St. Louis Blue and Stanley Cup Champion Brayden Schenn to a 4-year contract, while defensemen Sai Vatanen and Jake Gardiner have bolstered the Avs blueline.
Duthie: Anyways folks, that's all the time we've got for right now. We'll see you at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline!
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Next Post: 2020-2021 NHL Season
2020 NHL Offseason
Offseason Notes
BREAKING NEWS: Crosby and Pens defy all critics to win Stanley Cup
End of Playoffs
IN a shocking result, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who dominated the Regular Season to shock all pundits, completed the dream season with a Stanley Cup victory. After a first round sweeping by the Islanders last season, critics and analysts said the Pens were on the decline, but Sid turned back the clock.
The Cup represents their 4th of the Cap Era. And it wasn't the new acquisitions who led the way, it was the old guard. Crosby (9-15--24) and Malkin (9-19--28) dominated while Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist did their thing to support them. Matt Murray, who has his skeptics, didn't do much to disprove them in the Regular Season (.908 SV%), but took the playoffs by the horns (.931 SV%)
The Pens defeated the Winnipeg Jets in 5 games, with Malkin taking home the Conn Smythe.
BREAKING NEWS: Kaapo Kakko wins Calder Trophy
NHL Awards, Las Vegas
Rangers finnish rookie phenom Kaapo Kakko took home the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie, besting his teammate Vitali Kravtsov and Anaheim Ducks center Sam Steel.
Kakko finished the season with just a 9.4 SH%, but his 34 assists helped raise his point total to 52 on the season, while led the league among rookies. He also was a major force on the PP, registering 5 goals and 16 points with the man advantage.
Vitali Kravtsov (2nd) was the only rookie to score 30 goals and finished with 45 points, good for 3rd among all rookies.
Sam Steel (3rd) took the league by storm, putting up 51 goals (15-36--51) while playing LW on Anaheim's 2nd line with Adam Henrique and Ondrej Kase.
Jack Hughes (17-24--41, 4 GWG), Cale Makar (4-15--19, 20:55 TOI), and Quinn Hughes (3-20--23, 16:14 TOI) placed 4th, 5th and 6th in voting respectively.
BREAKING NEWS: Sabres win NHL Draft Lottery
NHL Draft Lottery
The Buffalo Sabres have enjoy limited success recently, and they have been rewarded with another high pick. Moving from 9th - 1st in the Draft via lottery win, a team that already features Jack Eichel, Rasmus Dahlin and Sam Reinhart will now likely feature either Alexis LaFreniere or American prospect Shane Mendez.
BREAKING NEWS: Zdeno Chara announces retirement from NHL.
NHL Offseason News
Veteran defenseman and Stanley Cup champion Zdeno Chara has officially retired from the NHL. The 6'9" defender finished his career with 1567 GP, totaling 669 points (204-465--669). HIs 1567 games played place him 13th on the all-time leaderboard.
Ron Hainsey also announced his retirement from the NHL. A veteran of 1150 games, he retires with 307 career points.
2020 NHL Entry Draft
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers given A+ grade for 2020 Draft by TSN
TSN Draft Recap
With 9 picks in the NHL Entry Draft, the Rangers were well suited to be able to further deepen their prospect pool. At 11th overall, they selected Antonio Stranges, linemate of prospect Matyev Guskov, who was acquired from the Minnesota Wild for Jesper Fast.
Stranges, 18, is a speedy winger with a strong two-way game and an underrated shot.
Then, early in the second round, forward Hendrix Lapierre fell into the laps of the Rangers, who gladly selected the swift skating center.
Among other Draft picks, the Rangers also snagged Josh Lawrence, Pavel Denisov and Jan Mysak.
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Round Pick Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type 1 11 Antonio Stranges 67 18 Med Top 6F LW Sniper 2 42 Hendrix Lapierre 61 18 Med Top 6F C 2 way Forwards 3 88 Pavel Denisov 63 18 Low Top 6F RW Sniper 4 103 Jan Mysak 57 18 Med Top 6F LW Sniper 4 104 William Villeneuve 58 18 Med Top 6D D 2 way Defender 5 135 Josh Lawrence 58 18 Low Top 6F C Playmaker 7 187 Cole Stewart 58 18 Med Bottom 6F RW 2 way Forward 7 197 Yuri Glebov 49 18 Low Top 4D D Defensive Defenseman 7 206 Tobias Akerman 56 20 Med 7th D D 2 way Defender ////// //// ////////// ///// //// ///////// //// ////////// //// //// //////// ///// //// //////// //// /////////
Re-sign Phase
The Rangers had $18.000M in Cap Space to work with heading into the re-sign phase, with very few key players to sign. The biggest name was RFA Jesse Puljujarvi, followed by UFA defender Jonathan Ericsson, who posted a career high in points at the ripe age of 36.
New York signed RFA's Gabriel Fontaine, Brandon Crawley and Ville Meskanen to contracts during the Re-sign period.
The Rangers also signed prospects Nico Gross (64, 20, Med Top 6D) and Jacob Ragnarsson (55, 20, Med Top 6D) to ELC's.
The Rangers qualified RFA's Boo Nieves and Alexandar Georgiev.
The Rangers allowed waiver claim Reid Buucher, Matt Beleskey and Steven Fogarty to walk to Free Agency.
| Player | OVR | Age | Potential | Position | Player Type | Stats | Years/AAV | Thoughts |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | 81 | 22 | Low Elite | RW | Sniper | 84 GP 13G-18A-31P +16 ... 22 PIM | 3/$3.900M | Risky deal for a player w a career high of 31 points. Could pay off if JP finally unlocks potential that made him a 4th overall pick in 2016. |
| Alexandar Georgiev | 81 | 24 | Med Fringe Starter | G | Hybrid | 20 GP 9-9-2, 1 SO .895 SV% 3.37 GAA | Qualifying Offer | With Shesterkin waiting in the wings, Georgiev could be trade bait. |
| Jonathan Ericsson | 79 | 36 | N/A | D | Defensive Defenseman | 74 GP 8G-13A-21P +10 ... 41 PIM | 1/$2.000M | Was one of NYR best D last season. Can't be expected to repeat career high points, but can still play. |
| Phil Di Giuseppe | 77 | 26 | High Bottom 6F | LW/C | 2 way Forward | 24 GP 10G-4A-14P -2 ... 6 PIM | 1/$0.925M | Was great in depth role last season. Will fight for 4th line job this year. |
| Boo Nieves | 76 | 26 | Med Bottom 6F | C | Playmaker | 28 GP 1G-2A-3P -5 ... 2 PIM | Qualifying Offer | Disappointed last yr, surpassed by Giuseppe on depth list. Could be out...or on last leg in NY. |
| Vinni Lettieri | 75 | 25 | Med Bottom 6F | C/RW | Sniper | 76 GP 9G-14A-23P -29 ... 18 PIM (AHL) | 2/$0.825M | Rough szn last year in HFD, but it was for all. With new coaching staff next season, NYR hope Lettieri can be big piece of turn- around. |
| Ryan Gropp | 70 | 23 | Med Top 9F | LW | Power Forward | 36 GP 6G-3A-9P -5 ... 8 PIM (AHL) | 1/$0.750M | Last leg in NYR org. Former 2nd rounder is firmly in probable bust territory. |
| Matyev Guskov | 66 | 19 | Low Top 6F | LW/C | Playmaker | 66 GP 27G-42A-69P +4 ... 38 PIM (OHL) | 3/$0.875M (ELC) | ELC for acquired player Rangers are high on. Very skilled, plays strong 200-ft game. Few years \ away. |
| Calle Sjalin | 61 | 20 | Low Top 4D | D | 2 way Defender | N/A | 3/$0.700M (ELC) | One of the youngest players in the 2017 Draft, Sjalin enduring a long road to get here. Injuries derailed his progress, but it's back on track. Could be dark horse to be in NYR Top 4 one day. |
| Nila Lundkvist | 57 | 19 | Med Top 4D | D | 2 way Defender | 41 GP 0G-3A-3P +12 ... 30 PIM (SHL) | 3/$0.875M (ELC) | NYR love this prospect. Playign against men, the offense needs time to come, but his +/- speaks for itself as to the fact that he can handle the pace. Still a ways away, but he's a prospect to keep an eye on. |
| Yuri Glebov | 49 | 18 | Low Top 4D | D | Defensive Defenseman | 4 GP 0G-0A-0P -1 ... 4 PIM (Russia) | 3/$0.875M | Rangers like what they see from one of three 7th rounders in this years draft. He will go back to Russia, but the ELC is a vote of confidence that they believe he's a steal. |
Free Agency
The Free Agent Frenzy broadcast team:
Host: James Duthie
Deal Breaker Desk: Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Gord Miller
Instant Analysis Panel: Ray Ferraro, Jeff O’Neill, Dave Poulin, Martin Biron, Pierre McGuire
FA Bait: Craig Button
Free Agency Panel: Jamie McLennan, Aaron Ward
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Duthie: Welcome all viewers to the 2020 Edition of Free Agent Frenzy. To those of you in Canada, Happy Canada Day, and to the rest of you, happy Free Agency! We have business to get right into so let's take you right to the deal breaker desk.
McKenzie: The Rangers have acquired star forward Filip Forsberg from the Nashville Predators for their 2021 1st round pick, their 2022 2nd round pick, goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Brett Howden and defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Forsberg has 2 years remaining on his contract at an AAV of $6.000M, a very workable contract for New York.
Ferraro: Nashville was obviously at a disadvantage here when Filip Forsberg requested a trade, as not many teams in the league were willing to fork up a package like this when they knew he wanted out and would be a FA in 2 years anyways. The Rangers avoided giving up any truly elite talents, but they did pay a large sum for a forward who put up just 21 goals last year, and 39 points.
McGuire: That is a large payment, but that same forward is a guy who has 3 seasons of 60+ points and has scored 30 goals twice before. He's an elite talent, and if he refinds his game with the Rangers it would be lethal.
McLennan: The Rangers now boast Kravtsov, Kakko, Zibanejad, Panarin and Forsberg. They also have Pavel Buchnevich and Jesse Puljujarvi. They are going to be an offensive force to be reckoned with.
Dreger: In other news, plenty of big name players have changed places. Former Rangers Anthony Duclair and Dan Girardi signed with Carolina and Dallas respectively. Another former Ranger in Nick Holden signed with Winnipeg. Staying with the trend, Jesper Fast joins Dan Girardi in Dallas, while Vladislav Namestnikov signed with Calgary. Ryan Strome remains a Free Agent.
LeBrun: Detroit has signed elite defenseman Roman Josi to a long term 7-year deal. Mikael Granlund, another former Predator, joins the Florida Panthers on a 5-year term. Calgary signs former St. Louis Blue and Stanley Cup Champion Brayden Schenn to a 4-year contract, while defensemen Sai Vatanen and Jake Gardiner have bolstered the Avs blueline.
Duthie: Anyways folks, that's all the time we've got for right now. We'll see you at the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline!
| Player | OVR | Age | Potential | Position | Player Type | Stats | Years/AAV |
| Filip Forsberg | 84 | 25 | Med Elite | LW/RW | 2 way Forward | 77 GP 21G-18A-39P -27 ... 36 PIM | 2/$6.000M |
Next Post: 2020-2021 NHL Season
kinger8998
Registered User
I'm a he lol! thank you so much, always great to hear when people like your post. i look forward to reading your posts.I got through Columbus in my roster editing so far.
Need to finish that, then a quick once over of the AHL teams, and CHL teams, and then player creating.
So..... maybe this weekend I can start an expansion one.
P.S; my write ups wont be as good as @kinger8998 ....... he/she sets a crazy high expectation
I’m glad @kinger8998 grabbed the brass ring and ran with it since the days of my logs, and @danielpalfredsson ‘s logs. Grab that brass ring.
We all know @Cor absolutely sucks at this thing.
We all know @Cor absolutely sucks at this thing.
I was the only one posting in the franchise thread before 20 basically, @kinger8998 is my friend, guys
Did you ever have logs like mine?
@kinger8998 grabbed the brass ring. He’s my friend. I’m pushing him to the top.
kinger8998
Registered User
thank you! @M.C.G. 31 you and @danielpalfredsson were the ones that inspired me to start doing these in depth. I'm not quite up to what youguys were, but i do my best.
kinger8998
Registered User
New York Rangers Franchise Mode
First Half of 2020-2021 NHL Season
Season Preview
Henrik Lundqvist enters the final year of his contract in a mentorship role with the uber talented Igor Shesterkin. Hank will still be the starter and an elite one at that, but his secondary job is to prepare the heir to his throne to take over eventually. This duo has the potential to be the best in the league, bar none.
The Rangers return the same d-corps from the end of last season. Adam Fox and Tony DeAngelo represent the youth of the unit; Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba represent the horses and Marc Staal and Jonathan Ericsson are the whitebeards. Brendan Smith is the 7th defender.
New York boasts the best forward corps in the entire national hockey league. They return Calder winner and finalist Kakko and Kravtsov, elite forwards in Panarin and Zibanejad as well as progressing forwards Filip Chytil, Jesse Puljujarvi and Pavel Buchnevich. With the departure of Howden, Lias Anderssons steps into the 3C role and looks to finally establish himself as an NHL forward. Denis Gurianov starts his first full NHL season while Phil Di Giuseppe, Brendan Lemieux and Marcus Sorenson represent the depth. New acquisition Filip Forsberg looks to re-establish himself amopng the elite goal scorers, and he couldn't be in a better place to do it.
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First Half of Season
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The Rangers have the best goaltending duo in the League. It would be smaert to ease Hank's workload, but the system that is going right now is working so well, it's hard to argue with anything.
Igor Shesterkin is playing phenominal, albeit in a small sample size.
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Jacob Trouba has taken his level of play to another level, and it would be astonishing if he could keep this going for the entire season. Right now, the Rangers are just enjoying the elite production from the backend. Brady Skjei, Marc Staal and Jonathan Ericsson have the left side on a complete shutdown, combining for a +45. Tony DeAngelo and Adam Fox would certainly like more offense as puck movers, but New York has to be pleased with the defensive efforts so far. Brendan Smith has barely got any action.
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Kaapo Kakko leads the way for the Rangers. Their offensive production is incredible, but more is expected from Panarin and Zibanejad. Forsberg is back on his 60 point pace, while Lias Andersson continued his breakout performance. Vitali Kravtsov is on pace for his 2nd straight 30-goal season to open his career, while Filip Chytil is looking to crack 50-points. Jesse Puljujarvi is disappointing, and could find himself on his way out with the influx of talent the Rangers have.
Aside from those notables, Pavel Buchnevich and Phil Di Giuseppe are both enjoying another great season, while Denis Gurianov and Marcus Sorenson are providing decent depth.
Defensive prospects Yegor Rykov (37 GP, 6-12--18) and Libor Hajek (37 GP, 4-10--14) headline a strong defensive corps for Hartford. Also on defense is Joey Keane (36 GP, 4-2--6), Nils Lundkvist (6 GP, 1-2--3), Tarmo Reunanen (37 GP, 3-8--11) and Calle Sjalin (26 GP, 1-3--4).
Up front, acquired prospect Jason Robertson has played 27 games, posting 14 points, decent production. The real star is porspect Ty Ronning, who has 31 points (10-21--31) in 37 games.
Next Post: Second Half of 2020-2021 NHL Season
First Half of 2020-2021 NHL Season
Season Preview
Henrik Lundqvist enters the final year of his contract in a mentorship role with the uber talented Igor Shesterkin. Hank will still be the starter and an elite one at that, but his secondary job is to prepare the heir to his throne to take over eventually. This duo has the potential to be the best in the league, bar none.
The Rangers return the same d-corps from the end of last season. Adam Fox and Tony DeAngelo represent the youth of the unit; Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba represent the horses and Marc Staal and Jonathan Ericsson are the whitebeards. Brendan Smith is the 7th defender.
New York boasts the best forward corps in the entire national hockey league. They return Calder winner and finalist Kakko and Kravtsov, elite forwards in Panarin and Zibanejad as well as progressing forwards Filip Chytil, Jesse Puljujarvi and Pavel Buchnevich. With the departure of Howden, Lias Anderssons steps into the 3C role and looks to finally establish himself as an NHL forward. Denis Gurianov starts his first full NHL season while Phil Di Giuseppe, Brendan Lemieux and Marcus Sorenson represent the depth. New acquisition Filip Forsberg looks to re-establish himself amopng the elite goal scorers, and he couldn't be in a better place to do it.
| LW | C | RW |
| Panarin 90 | Zibanejad 87 | Kravtsov 84 |
| Forsberg 85 | Chytil 84 | Puljujarvi 83 |
| Buchnevich 84 | Andersson 79 | Kakko 82 |
| Gurianov 79 | Di Giuseppe 78 | Sorenson 80 |
| Lemieux 76 |
| LD | RD |
| Skjei 85 | Trouba 86 |
| Ericsson 79 | DeAngelo 82 |
| Staal 78 | Fox 80 |
| Smith 76 |
| Starter | Backup |
| Lundqvist 90 | Shesterkin 78 |
First Half of Season
BREAKING NEWS: Zibanejad, Chytil, Forsberg have big nights as Rangers win Opener
Oct. 4th, 2020
The Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester-less Blues were no match for the offense of the New York Rangers as Zibanejad, Chytil and Forsberg all recorded 2 goals in 7-1 drubbing of St. Louis.
Lias Andersson recorded 3 assists and Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov each had 2.
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers rout Blues for second time, on back of Kaapo Kakko
Oct. 11th, 2020
Kaapo Kakko scored 4 goals, all assisted by linemate Pavel Buchnevich (0-4--4) in a 6-3 Rangers victory over the Blues. These were the only two matchups between the teams this season, and the Rangers won both by a combined score of 13-4.
Lias Andersson also recorded 2 assists.
BREAKING NEWS: Shesterkin records 1st NHL shutout in win over Islanders
Nov. 1st, 2020
After stopping 42/44 shots in his debut against the Sharks (2-0 L), Igor Shesterkin put his head down and got to work, posting the shutout this time around. Jonathan Ericsson helped out with 2 goals, while Shesterkin stopped 29 pucks to help the Rangers over their rivals.
The win continues to propel the Rangers up the NHL standings, as it is their 3rd in 4 games (3-0-1). Their record is now 8-2-2, good for 2nd in the Metro and 4th in the League.
Lias Andersson leads the team with 15 points in 12 games.
BREAKING NEWS: Kakko leads for Rangers into Second Quarter
Nov. 27th, 2020
With a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres, the Rangers surpassed the Capitals for 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. New York has 33 points (15-5-3), while the Capitals have 32.
Kaapo Kakko leads the Rangers with 24 points (7-17--24), while Henrik Lundqvist has 12 wins and a .926 SV%.
BREAKING NEWS: Rangers lose veteran defender Jonathan Ericsson to injury.
Dec. 8th, 2020
Jonathan Ericsson was once again off to a hot start, with 10 points in 28 games, but the stalwart will now miss some time with a UBI. Brendan Smith draws into the lineup for the first time this season.
The Rangers are currently mired in a 4 game losing streak (0-2-2), their first of such nature this season.
BREAKING NEWS: Kakko continues to impress, powers New York over Kings
Dec. 10th, 2020
In the Rangers first game without Jonathan Ericsson, they put out an impressive defensive performance. Allowing just 23 shots, Henrik Lundqvist turned them all aside for his 3rd shutout of the season.
Brendan Smith played a solid 17:39 while recording 1 SOG.
The biggest story of the game was Kaapo Kakko and Lias Andersson being re-united. The reunion helped Kakko record a hattrick while Lias Andersson assisted all 3.
New linemate Filip Forsberg (replacing Buch, who was elevated to the top line), also had 2 assists.
BREAKING NEWS: Buchnevich injured in loss to Kings
Dec. 18th, 2020
Pavel Buchnevich will be out 1-2 weeks with an undisclosed injury suffered in a 3-2 loss to the LA KIngs. The loss ended a 4 game winning streak for New York, in which they outscored their opponents 18-6.
Kaapo Kakko currently leads the Rangers in points with 33 (11-22--33) in 33 games.
BREAKING NEWS: Zibanejad stars as Rangers trample Bruins
Dec. 27th, 2020
Mika Zibanejad has flown under the radar for the Rangers since being named team captain at the start of the season, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The past 2 Ranger captains have both been traded (Callahan&McDonagh), so being in the C role for the Rangers has it's risk.
That being said, Zibanejad has been relatively quiet since the first game of the season, as he an Panarin kind of failed to re-create last seasons numbers. Both sit below a PPG pace, and below their normal standards.
In the 6-1 rout of the Bruins though, new lines helped players breakout. Panarin recorded 4 points (1-3--4), while Zibanejad had 3 assists and was a defensive force on the PK all night.
Igor Shesterkin turned aside 24/25 shots for another win.
| LW | C | RW |
| Panarin 90 | Zibanejad 87 | Kakko 82 |
| Forsberg 85 | Andersson 79 | Puljujarvi 83 |
| Kravtsov 85 | Chytil 84 | Buchnevich 84 |
| Gurianov 79 | Di Giuseppe 78 | Sorenson 80 |
| Lemieux 76 |
| LD | RD |
| Skjei 85 | Trouba 86 |
| Ericsson 79 | DeAngelo 82 |
| Staal 78 | Fox 80 |
| Smith 76 |
| Starter | Backup |
| Lundqvist 90 | Shesterkin 80 |
BREAKING NEWS: Puljujarvi injured, out 1-2 weeks
Jan 1st, 2021
Jesse Puljujarvi's injury allows Denis Gurianov the chance to slide up the lineup and off of the 4th line. The Rangers roll 4 lines anyways, but this role gives Gurianov even more of a chance to showcase himself, something he was already doing a good job at where he was.
The Rangers currently sit 24-8-6, and have caught and surpassed the slumping Penguins for 1st in the Metro. The Rangers have juts 3 games left until the halfway point of the season, and are looking to continue their recent success.
| Record | Home | Away | GFPG | GAPG | PP% | PK% | Division | Conference | League | Playoffs? |
| 26-9-6 | 12-4-3 | 14-5-3 | 3.49 (4th) | 2.17 (1st) | 20.6% (8th) | 90.0% (1st) | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | Yes . |
| Goalie | Record | SV% | GAA | SO |
| Henrik Lundqvist | 20-6-6 | .924 | 2.27 | 3 |
| Igor Shesterkin | 6-3-0 | .944 | 1.56 | 1 |
The Rangers have the best goaltending duo in the League. It would be smaert to ease Hank's workload, but the system that is going right now is working so well, it's hard to argue with anything.
Igor Shesterkin is playing phenominal, albeit in a small sample size.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM |
| Jacob Trouba | 41 | 4 | 33 | 37 | +8 | 28 |
| Brady Skjei | 41 | 2 | 20 | 22 | +11 | 27 |
| Marc Staal | 41 | 2 | 12 | 14 | +14 | 20 |
| Tony DeAngelo | 41 | 5 | 8 | 13 | +14 | 7 |
| Jonathan Ericsson | 39 | 6 | 5 | 11 | +20 | 19 |
| Adam Fox | 41 | 4 | 3 | 7 | +13 | 0 |
| Brendan Smith | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
Jacob Trouba has taken his level of play to another level, and it would be astonishing if he could keep this going for the entire season. Right now, the Rangers are just enjoying the elite production from the backend. Brady Skjei, Marc Staal and Jonathan Ericsson have the left side on a complete shutdown, combining for a +45. Tony DeAngelo and Adam Fox would certainly like more offense as puck movers, but New York has to be pleased with the defensive efforts so far. Brendan Smith has barely got any action.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM |
| Kaapo Kakko | 41 | 14 | 25 | 39 | +29 | 2 |
| Artemi Panarin | 41 | 15 | 19 | 34 | +9 | 4 |
| Mika Zibanejad | 41 | 10 | 23 | 33 | +13 | 26 |
| Filip Forsberg | 41 | 12 | 20 | 32 | +6 | 16 |
| Lias Andersson | 41 | 8 | 22 | 30 | +24 | 20 |
| Pavel Buchnevich | 40 | 11 | 18 | 29 | +17 | 6 |
| Vitali Kravtsov | 41 | 16 | 10 | 26 | +1 | 10 |
| Filip Chytil | 41 | 13 | 11 | 24 | +5 | 44 |
| Jesse Puljujarvi | 39 | 9 | 8 | 17 | -6 | 22 |
Phil Di Giuseppe | 41 | 2 | 8 | 10 | +2 | 2 |
Denis Gurianov | 41 | 5 | 3 | 8 | E | 10 |
| Marcus Sorenson | 41 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -1 | 4 |
Brendan Lemieux | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 5 |
Kaapo Kakko leads the way for the Rangers. Their offensive production is incredible, but more is expected from Panarin and Zibanejad. Forsberg is back on his 60 point pace, while Lias Andersson continued his breakout performance. Vitali Kravtsov is on pace for his 2nd straight 30-goal season to open his career, while Filip Chytil is looking to crack 50-points. Jesse Puljujarvi is disappointing, and could find himself on his way out with the influx of talent the Rangers have.
Aside from those notables, Pavel Buchnevich and Phil Di Giuseppe are both enjoying another great season, while Denis Gurianov and Marcus Sorenson are providing decent depth.
Defensive prospects Yegor Rykov (37 GP, 6-12--18) and Libor Hajek (37 GP, 4-10--14) headline a strong defensive corps for Hartford. Also on defense is Joey Keane (36 GP, 4-2--6), Nils Lundkvist (6 GP, 1-2--3), Tarmo Reunanen (37 GP, 3-8--11) and Calle Sjalin (26 GP, 1-3--4).
Up front, acquired prospect Jason Robertson has played 27 games, posting 14 points, decent production. The real star is porspect Ty Ronning, who has 31 points (10-21--31) in 37 games.
Next Post: Second Half of 2020-2021 NHL Season
