It is indisputable that when camp began, Vinni Lettieri was an afterthought — if a thought at all — when it came to assessing candidates for spots up front on the Rangers’ opening roster. Except, that is, in the mind of Lettieri, the 22-year-old whom the Blueshirts signed last March as a free agent out […]
Read MoreKevin Hayes is not especially concerned about the NHL’s crackdown against faceoff violations. But the Blueshirts’ center told The Post he does have an adjustment to make regarding the league’s decision to enforce the visor regulation to the letter of the law in an effort to advance player safety. Rule 9.7 of the NHL code […]
Read MoreThere were glimpses last year of just how talented Josh Ho-Sang is, and just how bright his future could be with the Islanders. But the team is demanding more than just glimpses from the superlative 21-year-old winger as he prepares for his second pro season, with some previous immaturities now left in the past. “His […]
Read MoreThe question of who is worthy to play on John Tavares’ wing continues, and the newest prospect is Jordan Eberle. Having come to the Islanders in an offseason trade with the Oilers, it was assumed that the offensively gifted Eberle would slot into the right side of Tavares’ top line. That has been the case […]
Read MoreIt was training camp of 1998 and Garden management was desperate to show the organization’s youth movement was a reality as opposed to a figment of its imagination in the aftermath of the previous season’s tumble out of the playoff picture that coincided with Mark Messier’s free-agent defection to Vancouver. That youth movement, such as […]
Read MorePHILADELPHIA — It’s the intrigue of the unknown that makes first-year players seem so much more interesting than second-year players. Yet more often than not, the inverse is true. So it’s easy to get caught up in the possibility the Rangers might keep one or both of their first-round picks from this year, centers Lias […]
Read MoreMONTREAL — Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque says it is “an embarrassment” that the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are willing to visit President Donald Trump at the White House. Laraque, who was a black player in a predominantly white league, told The Canadian Press that even though hockey is more conservative than other sports […]
Read MoreSAN JOSE, Calif. — Sharks forward Joel Ward tells The Mercury News he might take a knee during the national anthem at an upcoming game, becoming the first NHL player to join the protests that started in the NFL and drew criticism from President Donald Trump. The 36-year-old Ward, one of about 30 black players […]
Read MorePHILADELPHIA — Lias Andersson didn’t get another chance to impress the Rangers’ front office — but it’s uncertain what that means for him and the team. The No. 7-overall pick from this year’s draft blocked a shot on Monday with an already gimpy right foot and sat out the Rangers’ preseason finale, a 4-3 overtime […]
Read MoreRegarding the Rangers, who will announce their final mass cutdown Thursday after sending Gabriel Fontaine and Trevor Halverson to AHL Hartford on Wednesday: 1. My opening roster up front by line combination: Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Mats Zuccarello Jimmy Vesey – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller Rick Nash – Filip Chytil – Pavel […]
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