Some Rangers Thanksgiving wishes (imagined)

It’s time for a humorous look at what some New York Rangers have to give thanks for

Now that we’ve had a day to digest our turkey and do our Black Friday online shopping, let’s turn our attention to the New York Rangers and some miscellaneous thanksgiving wishes that might have been given this holiday by current and former players.

John Davidson – Thanks to Jim Dolan for leaving the Rangers alone and allowing the hockey experts to move strategically and logically as they rebuild.

Jeff Gorton – Thanks to the NHL for coming up with the wacky NHL Draft Lottery that allowed a team that made the post season to qualify for the top overall pick.   And a special thanks to that ping pong ball for finding its way into the right place at the right time.

David Quinn –  Thanks to Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and the rest of the Blueshirts who make his job that much easier.

The New York Rangers organization –  A special thanks to the Carolina Hurricanes for providing a textbook lesson on what it takes to win in the postseason and by sweeping the Blueshirts, enabled them to win the NHL Draft Lottery.

Alexis Lafrenière – Thanks to the hockey gods for ending up in New York and not in Ottawa, Detroit or Los Angeles…cities far behind in their own versions of the rebuild.   Also, thank them again for becoming a Ranger in New York where he will be able to walk down the street and take the subway without causing a riot.

Kaapo Kakko – Thanks to Alexis Lafrenière who will take all of the pressure off the young Finn. With the fans and media microscope trained on Lafrenière, Kakko will be free to explode offensively.

Artemi Panarin – Thanks to the New York Rangers for recognizing that he was worth all of that money and thanks to the extraordinary skill that made him such a joy to watch.

Mika Zibanejad –  Thanks to Jeff Gorton for signing him to a five year contract that is due to expire just as he is becoming one of the best players in the NHL.  Let’s just hope the Rangers can afford to keep him.

Chris Kreider – Thanks to the NHL for establishing a trade deadline that forced the Rangers into making the decision to sign him long term and for big bucks.

Ryan Strome – Thanks for Artemi Panarin. Enough said.

Adam Fox – Thanks to the Carolina Hurricanes for asking a reasonable return in the trade to New York, enabling him to leave Harvard a year early and play for the team that he grew up watching.

Ryan Lindgren – Thanks to head trainer Jim Ramsay and the rest of the staff who did a great job of repairing those miscellaneous cuts and bruises.

Jacob Trouba – Thanks to the Rangers for wanting him and signing him for seven years and $56 million so he can play in the city where his new bride needed to live.

Tony DeAngelo – Thanks for a coaching staff that was able to take advantage of his outstanding skillset.   Also, thanks to to a fact that, moving forward, the blueliner will be able to focus on hockey and not on politics.

Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Buchnevich – Thanks to the hockey gods for not being injured severely in that car accident in Brooklyn.

Henrik Lundqvist – Thanks to the salary cap that forced the Rangers to buy him out so he could escape from the three-headed goalie monster.  Also, the cap forced the Capitals to abandon Braden Holtby so Lundqvist was able to stay in the area and play for a contender.

Alexandar Georgiev – Thanks to Henrik Lundqvist for making all of that money so the Rangers had to buy him out enabling Georgiev to remain a Ranger.

Brendan Lemieux – Thanks to the pause because it took the attention off that ill-timed hit on Joonas Donskoi that resulted in a two game suspension.   No pause and it would have been the talk of the NHL world for a few days.

Morgan Barron – Thanks to his agent and advisors who got him to sign his Entry Level Contract.  That decision looked really smart when the Ivy League cancelled their hockey  seasons this month.

Julien Gauthier – Thanks to Joey Keane for become an AHL All-Star and trade bait for the Hurricanes so he could come to New York, a team badly in need of size on the wings.  Now, he just needs to break through and score.

Jack Johnson – Thanks to the Pittsburgh Penguins for buying him out so he could escape the villification by Pens fans and prove to the hockey world that he can still be a productive player.

Brady Skjei – Thanks to the Hurricanes for wanting him and the Rangers for needing to clear cap space.  Does he have something to prove?  That check when he laid out Jesper Fast in the first game of the qualifier was a message.

Brendan Smith – Thanks to Brady Skjei for making so much money that he had to go, letting Smith escape from hockey purgatory and have a shot at playing on the left side of Jacob Trouba on the first pair.

Kevin Shattenkirk – Thanks to the Rangers for paying him $6 million to not play for them this season and enabling him to sign with Tampa for a pittance and win a Stanley Cup.

Lias Andersson –  Thanks to the Los Angeles Kings for wanting him.

Any of your own?  Feel free to contribute!