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New York Rangers News, Rumors and Rumblings, 1-3-17

By John Williams

Dec 27, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during the second period against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Derek Stepan (21) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during the second period against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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All the latest news, rumors and rumblings around the web about your New York Rangers all in one place!

Happy New Year Folks! We here at Blue Line Station want to thank you guys for a great 2016. December was one of the best months in site history, so we are really excited with where we are going. You can bet your bottom dollar that we have an even better 2017, so make sure you tune in every day to see what our team of writers has to say.

Much of the talk before and after the New York Rangers 6-2 win against the Colorado

Avalanche on New Year’s Eve was about defenseman Nick Holden. It makes sense, since Holden was traded from the Avalanche to the Rangers in the offseason.

  • Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News talked about how Holden has performed offensively and defensively. Mike Kelly of Newsday wrote about how Holden was shocked when he got the news he was traded. Our very own Drew McCaffery even wrote about how well the veteran defender is performing.
  • Yesterday was the NHL Winter Classic. The St. Louis Blues took the win against the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 4-1. While it was a close game for the most part, something was missing. There were no New York Rangers involved. Our own Brandon Cohen wrote about how a Rangers vs. Blue Jackets outdoor game at Westpoint next season could be a win-win for everyone involved.

    • Imagine the storylines involved with that game? Division rivals, Torts vs. his old team, two of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division. Sign me up!

    A Call-Up?

    • A call up like this likely means that one of the forwards is either injured or has the flu, so expect to see him suit up against the Buffalo Sabres tonight.
    • Back to the Avalanche game for a moment; with the win, Henrik Lundqvist became the winningest European goaltender of all time, passing Dominik Hasek’s 389 win mark. This is some feat for the Sweden native, passing his boyhood idol.
    • The Rangers have suddenly scored 12 goals in their last two games. Communication is key on the ice and Chris Kreider reiterated this notion.
    • After going through a bit of a slump and a demotion to the fourth line, J.T. Miller is starting to turn it around for the Rangers, as he has scored 3 goals in his last two games. Justin Tasch writes that these two performances should instill some confidence in coach Alain Vigneault.

    The Post Not Being Pessimistic?

    • In one of the more optimistic articles in the New York Post in years, Brett Cyrgalis wrote about how the Rangers only playing six games over the next 20 days can help them weather the injury storm until Pavel Buchnevich, Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash come back to the lineup, which can rejuvenate the Rangers’ scary offensive depth.
    • While we are on this subject, Larry Brooks of the Post wrote that Rick Nash is anxious to get back and will play sometime before the Rangers’ league mandated bye week next week if he is going “100 percent” in practice. Brooks also mentioned that Buchnevich is skating hard and attempting to condition himself to the point where he could be productive in an NHL game.

    Next: Brady Skjei Deserves Alain Vigneault's Trust

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