FINALLY! Rangers Officially Trade For Patrick Kane; Why This Historic Trade Can Potentially Become The Biggest & Best of Franchise History, “Panarin’s Pals,” KANEOMANIA Runnin’ Wild; Drury Gives Up Nothing, Usual Suspects Question Kane’s Past, Miller Suspended, Schneider Recalled, A Happy “TURK TALK” & More

Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. Bo Horvat who?

Tonight’s manifesto is the second half of a “Two-for-Tuesday” update. In case you missed it, I posted a blog earlier today which you can read here: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/22823a/

Let’s get right into it, because as you may be aware – Patrick Kane, arguably the greatest American player to ever lace a pair of hockey skates, is now a New York Ranger!

There’s so much to talk about, so let’s start at the top.

As mentioned earlier today, it was known that the pair of Original Six teams, the Rangers and the Blackhawks, finally had their long awaited deal set in place – where all they now had to do was wait for the clock to strike 5PM.

As 5PM turned into 5:15PM, and as 5:15PM became 5:30PM, 5:45PM, 6PM, and you get the rest – you were left wondering – what’s going on?

In real-time, and as I said on the good old Twitter machine (and in “The Blueshirt Underground Show” live chat room too – check the PLUGS segment for more below); I thought the Rangers were going to wait until 8:08PM to announce the news – because you know – Patrick Kane wears #88.

I was eight minutes off, as instead, the Rangers finally confirmed their monumental news at 8:00PM.

Here’s how the Rangers covered the trade on their official website, courtesy of https://www.nhl.com/rangers/news/rangers-acquire-patrick-kane-in-three-team-deal/c-341619628?icmp=int_web_nyr_news_rightrail:

Before getting into Kane himself, let’s first take a look at the other particulars.

The Arizona Coyotes, and not the Vancouver Canucks as I thought would be the case, were the third team involved in the trade – the first three-way cap-retention trade ever made by a Rangers’ general manager.

And yep, that factoid will be mentioned whenever I get around to Volume V of “Tricks of the Trade!”

(You can buy all four volumes of “Tricks of the Trade,” which covers every trade ever made in Rangers’ history, here: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/tricksofthetrade/ )

In return for assuming 25% of Kane’s contract, the Rangers sent a 2025 third-round pick to the Desert – where just like the many other draft picks that the Coyotes receive year-in and year-out, and the contracts of players who are no longer active – is where NHL careers go to die.

I’ll spare you from another one of my rants pertaining to all things Arizona hockey – but yep, they are a joke and have become the “early 1900s battered Irish housewife” of the league – as everyone takes advantage of them and all the Coyotes respond back with is, “I know you love me, more more more!”

This pick also has a condition attached to it, where the Desert Dogs will receive the better of the Rangers’ two third-round picks of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, as presently, the Rangers have their own pick and the Stars’ third-rounder too.

The Rangers had previously received a third-round pick from the Stars in the Nils Lundkvist trade which was made just before this 2022-23 campaign – where that trade had a condition attached as well, a condition which hinges on Lundkvist scoring a combined 55-points during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

However, let’s not get bogged down with all of that – it’s a third-round pick going to the Coyotes – end of story.

On the Chicago side of things, who will retain 50% of Kane’s cap-hit in this deal, they will receive defenseman Andy Welenski, who prior to tonight’s trade, was only known for being friends with K’Andre Miller.

According to my fra diavolo SAUCES in Hartford – Welenski wasn’t playing well and it was thought that he needed a change of scenery – despite his time with the Wolfpack being a “change of scenery” itself.

The Blackhawks will also receive the Rangers’ fourth-round pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft – a pick with no conditions attached.

The biggest Rangers’ asset going to the Windy City is a conditional pick.

Currently, the Rangers are sending the Blackhawks a second-round pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. However, if the Rangers reach the 2023 Eastern Conference Final, then that pick becomes a first-round pick – with even more conditions attached – the way these trades are done during this era!

As brought up in “Tricks of the Trade” – Lester Patrick never had to worry about stuff like this!

Should the Rangers become a complete train-wreck, and in turn, have a top-ten pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft; then that pick is protected and this 2024 first-rounder then becomes a 2025 first-round pick with no rubber (protection).

For fellow Ranger fans like myself?

Root that Chicago gets the Rangers’ first-round pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – not just because they reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2023 – but because they then won the whole damn Stanley Cup tournament too!

The Rangers not only come out of this deal with Patrick Kane at 25% of his cap hit, but they have also added Cooper Zech to their ranks too – a soon-to-be 25-year-old defenseman that I never heard of before either – and who has spent his entire North American professional career in the ECHL and AHL.

At the time of this trade, Zech split time with Chicago’s farm teams, the Indy Fuel (ECHL) and the Rockford Hogs (AHL).

And then there is the “white whale,” who many thought would never become a Rangers’ reality, and not only one of the greatest American players of all-time – but arguably, the greatest player of his generation too – the native of Buffalo, NY, right-winger Patrick Kane.

If you’re new here, then I’d suggest you check out the archives of this site, as I’ve been clamoring for this trade for a long time now.

And for regular readers – I think you’re all aware of who Patrick Kane is, what he’s done, the numbers he’s put up and how he’s one of the best playoff performers of this salary-cap generation.

So rather than bombard you with stats, propaganda and achievements (all of that is in the Rangers’ press release anyway); instead, let’s talk about what this means for the Rangers.

As a Rangers’ historian (that’s what Stan Fischler calls me – and as he wrote during his foreword in “Tricks of the Trade,” so I’m going to run with that!); WITHOUT QUESTION – this is the biggest and best rental trade that the franchise has ever made.

And should the Rangers outlast the other fifteen teams during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Then this trade made by Chris Drury, now in his second year at the big chair on 33rd & 7th, will have to be considered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, trade in the near one hundred years worth of franchise history.

Before you scream “MARK MESSIER” at me, let me explain myself.

Since “rentals,” as we know them today, didn’t really become a thing until the hard salary-cap era was introduced; in turn, we only have eighteen years to examine and assess.

While yes, prior to the hard salary-cap era, teams did make trades that you could somewhat consider as rentals – but were really made out of financial despair (look no further to the Jaromir Jagr trade of January of 2004 – right before the hard-cap came into existence); when it comes to these salary-cap trades where cap-retention is also part of the equation – this trade for Kane is the biggest.

(In addition – with no hard salary cap – and as the Rangers often did – teams could just buy-out players without punishment – or just assign them to the AHL. But I don’t want to talk about Wade Redden tonight!)

I’m not going to run down all of these trades, because after all – I have already done so – in “Tricks of the Trade!”

(Buy your copy today – I really don’t want to sacrifice a kidney to attend a playoff game this season! And yes, this will be my last shameless plug for my timely four volume set!)

However, and if you look at where the team went following these trades; then as of this moment, no trade from this hard salary cap era was bigger than the March 5th, 2014 deal, when Martin St. Louis became a Ranger, and Ryan Callahan & two first-round picks were shipped to Tampa.

Behind MSL, the Rangers reached the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.

That stated, MSL wasn’t a true rental, as he still had another year left on his deal following the 2013-14 season.

And unlike that trade, Drury didn’t give up two first-round picks for Patrick Kane either.

Furthermore, as I continue to gush and aware that I am currently all over the place in my present state of euphoria and amazement (bear with me!) – look at what Drury gave up for the future Hall of Famer – a second-round pick (with the success condition attached), a fourth-round pick and a minor-league defenseman that had no shot of ever reaching the varsity club.

When you look around the league, and on a daily basis, you’re seeing bigger returns for lesser players.

Heck, just look at the deal that Tampa made (which only they could make, due to their recent success and present core), when they dealt five draft picks (including a first-rounder) and an NHL-ready defenseman for Tanner Jeannot

Drury, much like his peer, Julien BriseBois of the Lightning, has his core – and more important than that – his eyes set on winning the Stanley Cup too.

As mentioned numerous times before on this site – you never know when you will get a chance to win it all.

What’s a better time than the present, for the New York Rangers, a club, that similar to last summer – will have to battle through salary-cap hell once this season concludes?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the time is now. (Check out the blog from earlier today for more.)

Unless Patrick Kane enjoys his time in New York and then is willing to accept a veteran’s minimum deal for the 2023-24 campaign (and hopefully wins his fourth Stanley Cup too); then Drury’s trade for the newest New York KANEGER is purely of the rental variety.

Never before has a Rangers’ general manager given up so little for such a big catch. Let that sink in.

Heck, more times than not, the Rangers usually give up so much for next to nothing – but I don’t think I have to give you this history lesson tonight – nor talk about the many free-agent bombs that have exploded over the pothole ridden streets of Rangerstown, USA over the years. (Thank you Senile Sather!)

And just to think – Patrick Kane wasn’t even Drury’s first choice to become the Rangers’ rental this season – Vladimir Tarasenko was!

While it’s true that you need defense and toughness to win during the playoffs; as argued previously on this site, I believe that the Rangers already have that.

After all, how many teams have players who have won both a Norris and Vezina Trophy during the past two seasons? And is there anything more feared in the league right now than a bone-crushing hit from the “TROO TROO TRAIN?”

Following the trade, the Rangers announced that Patrick Kane will make his debut on Thursday night at M$G against Ottawa; rather than joining the Rangers on the road in Philadelphia.

(Jim Dolan wants the first big gate to himself – and while I have no proof here – I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Dolan weighed-in on this deal too – but in a case of “killing two birds with one stone” – Drury would’ve made this deal anyway. The fact that the g.m. pleased his owner makes it all the better.)

Come Thursday, the Rangers will possess a top-six that you only see in fantasy hockey and/or video games.

And barring no injuries (knock on wood), this will be the Blueshirts’ line-up come Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

FIRST LINE: Kreider/Mika/Tarasenko

SECOND LINE: Panarin/Trocheck/Kane

THIRD LINE: Lafreniere/Chytil/Kakko

FOURTH LINE: Motte/Goodrow/Vesey

FIRST PAIR: Lindgren/Fox

SECOND PAIR: Miller/Trouba

THIRD PAIR: Mikkola/Schneider

STARTING GOALIE: CZAR IGOR

BACK-UP GOALIE: THE HALAKNESS MONSTER

Just look at that line-up. I’m tearing up in joy just reading it back!

For a team that had holes at center last season – and previously at the right-wing position this season – what’s the team’s biggest weakness now? The M$GN broadcast personalities?

Sure, due to the salary cap, every team is designed to have flaws, and perhaps LD is now the team’s “weakness” – but isn’t that a stretch – especially when compared to other teams around the league?

The Rangers now have three scoring lines who can get hot on any night, a tough fourth checking/grind line to back them-up, and one heck of a defense that not only can protect the puck – but put up the points too.

And if CZAR IGOR can become the goalie from last season when these games count the most – then he will become the second goalie of franchise history to win both the Vezina and the Stanley Cup. (Dave Kerr, during the 1939-40 season, is the only Rangers’ back-stop to win both.)

And yep, I know I’m getting way ahead of myself and should know better (four Stanley Cup victories in nearly one hundred years – but I rather savor this moment than question it); but like Jessie Spano in “Saved by the Bell” – “I’M SO EXCITED” that I have to say this:

If the Rangers win the Stanley Cup this year (again – I know this is a huge “if”), then the official team store should sell framed pictures of “THE LETTER.” And if they pull it off – a whole slew of numbers are going to the rafters too – 93, 23, 20, 31 – a new core four!

And oh yeah (I really need to kick the habit of starting off sentences with the word “and”) – Gerard Gallant, who already owns the best winning and points percentage of franchise history, will be immortalized too.

But of course, for the Rangers to do all that – they’ll have to buck a ton of negative postseason history – and actually play a playoff game too!

I brought this up last week, but since the deal is now official – how about Chris “FREAKIN'” Drury – a man who has won the big one at every level – and is currently seeking his first Stanley Cup as an NHL g.m.

I’ve wrote about them all, but not even Neil Smith had a first two years like Drury’s – where to be fair – a tip of the cap must be afforded to Jeff Gorton too – as Drury’s one-time mentor did lay a lot of the ground work (re-signing Kreider, trading for Mika, fleecing Boston during the Nash trade, etc) – even if he had some luck a long the way too (Fox and Panarin forcing their way here, the two lotto picks, Sather drafting Shestyorkin, etc).

(And while on the two lotto picks, Kakko and Lafreniere? Do you know who they said was their favorite player when they were growing up during their first interviews as a Ranger? No, not Emerson Etem – but Patrick Kane himself!)

Should the Rangers accomplish their ultimate goal, then this trade for Kane will become Drury’s legacy. It puts him with Neil Smith. And in a way, it puts him with Lester Patrick too – although the circumstances, eras and conditions were night-and-day between the two men.

However, if the Rangers falter – then Drury joins a long list of Blueshirt general managers who also thought they had all of the right answers, including Jeff Gorton, Glen Sather (the worst offender), Phil Esposito (no one made more trades than him in a shorter amount of time), Craig Patrick, Fred Shero, John Ferguson, and sadly, I have to include this man’s name here too, Emile “The Cat” Francis.

And while you can never take Smith’s Stanley Cup away from him, and not many g.m.’s last forever with one organization (see Poile, David or Sather, Glen) – post 1994 weren’t exactly some glory years for the Rangers either – and where many bad trades, even worse free-agent signings and dark times took place.

During Drury’s first trade deadline, he netted Tyler Motte, Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp and Justin Braun. Behind his first head coach hire, Gerard Gallant, the club fell two games shy of reaching the 2022 Stanley Cup Final – but more impressive than that – not only was the rebuild over – but everyone soon expected the Rangers to go all the way.

Fast-forward a year later, Drury, and without giving up much sans late first-round picks – assets that no “WIN NOW” g.m. cares about – the former captain of the club has brought in Vladimir Tarasenko, Niko Mikkola and now Patrick Kane.

For a g.m. that from day one has valued Stanley Cup Final experience (Ryan Reaves, Sammy Blais and Barclay Goodrow were his first three main acquisitions); Drury didn’t just get role-players who played in the Final before – he brought in SUPERSTAR CLUTCH Stanley Cup WINNING players – where Kane is one of the best of this generation – and that Tarasenko guy (remember him?) ain’t too shabby either!

Perhaps not-so-ironic, is that after filling the team last season with what I nicknamed as “TROUBA’Z TREEHOUSE,” as the g.m. acquired a lot of his captain’s buddies; this season, Drury is bringing in “PANARIN’S PALS,” as “The Breadman” has strong friendships, and a successful track record too, with both Tarasenko and most notably, Kane himself.

What a time to be alive!

As I continue to ramble on in my present state of ecstasy; another factor to consider is that Kane doesn’t necessarily have to be “THE MAN.”

While Kane will need to provide some “SHOWTIME” moments (and there’s a lot of reasons why he has earned that nickname); the Rangers already have their stars. Kane is just the cherry-on-top; albeit an 88-pound cherry!

I don’t think I have to spell it out to you; but yes – the Rangers have had some big flops on Broadway, where more times than not – these name-brand/household names were thought to be “The Messiah.”

Only one truly was.

For Kane, and for the first time in his career, he can be an “accessory,” rather than be expected to lift his team to the Stanley Cup single-handedly – where as you know – a feat he’s accomplished three-times before – and with all due respect to some of his future Hall of Fame bound teammates.

And going back to the Rangers’ new line-up – who do opposing defenses prepare for?

While I’ve been on the “KANE TRAIN” from day one, what really won me over was Kane’s relentless pursuit to become a Ranger.

As mentioned and talked about on this site a few weeks ago – he was absolutely crushed when he heard that the Rangers had traded for Tarasenko – which at the time, appeared that Kane wouldn’t receive his wish to play in the Big Apple.

The ball, or puck, was in Kane’s court.

Only he could make this trade possible.

Kane, with his no-move clause in tow, and after being wishy-washy about his decision all season, finally put his foot down and told the Blackhawks, “Rangers or bust.”

Prior to telling his now former team what the deal was, Kane’s other options were to either remain as a Blackhawk or waive his NMC to another team, where in that scenario, Chicago, now as a seller in a competitive market, could’ve received a much better package than the one they received from Drury on Tuesday.

Chicago obliged – and really, if you’re them – why not?

It’s not like Kane failed in the Windy City. He became one of the franchise’s all-time greats and lifted one of the league’s biggest jokes to three titles – and where the Blackhawks became one of the league’s best super-teams for nearly a decade – a remarkable accomplishment during this era.

Long story short – Kane wanted to be a Ranger. How can you not love that?

I guess the last story I have to discuss in regards to Kane is his past – where I promise you – I won’t go any longer than I need to!

As you have probably read around the social media pages of Rangerstown, USA – there are some fans, mainly idiots, who hate this trade, hate Patrick Kane and who now all hate Chris Drury too. (I wonder if they now hate Panarin as well – a “Breadman” who was a driving force in making this deal happen?)

While I don’t want to talk about politics on this site; these Kane-hatin’ freaks are the equivalent of the people who once said they’d leave America if Donald Trump was ever elected President of the United States.

You know what happened next – Trump was elected – and these people all remained in their parents’ basement for the next four years – and where they presently live today!

(And if anyone ever said they’d leave the country if Joe Biden was elected – then you can group these people in here too. I just never saw such talk.)

Originally, I was going to share with you a bunch of tweets that were sent to me, where alleged Ranger fans have sworn off the team following this trade – and in some cases – actually said they were going to adopt the Islanders or the Devils as their new favorite team.

Sadly, I’m not making this up – but I’m not going to waste my time spreading their junk – and really – why name these people either? It’s not worth it, nor worth our time either!

However, I do want to make a request – if you’re one of these people who are now done with the Rangers because of this trade – then please email me at BULLSMC@aol.com – and I’ll gladly accept all of your unused and upcoming tickets for this season!

So, that leads us to this – why do these Ranger fans despise Kane, so much so, that they are now turning in their fan cards – and like K’Andre Miller seeing Drew Doughty – spitting on the team they once claimed to have loved?

And unlike Miller’s claim, these loogies are not an accident.

The reason for so much derision surrounding Kane is his off-ice past – where his detractors must be flawless and perfect souls themselves.

When it comes to the people in “CANCEL CULTURE” – they have never made a mistake in their lives.

We should all be so lucky!

Kane’s first off-ice incident took place in August of 2009, when at the age of twenty years old, he punched a cab driver, following a dispute that amounted to twenty cents. I’m not making this up.

As the story goes, Kane, and his cousin James Kane, were out (underage) drinking in Buffalo – but to their credit – did the responsible thing and hailed a cab home. (If they pulled a Craig MacTavish – then it would be hard to champion Kane right now.)

And in another case of “nothing good ever happens after 2:00AM;” at around 5:00AM on that date of August 9th, 2009, the two paid their $14.80 cab fare with a ten and five-dollar bill. When the cabbie said that he didn’t have the twenty cents in change, Kane and his cousin, both in their inebriated states, punched their driver.

Following some time in the courts, Kane pleaded guilty to noncriminal disorderly conduct, paid a fine and was ordered to apologize to the cab driver – and with the condition of staying out of trouble – which Kane did.

Of all the allegations and accusations out there about Kane – this assault on the cab driver is the only one that’s 100% true and confirmed.

But keep in mind, and this is no excuse – Kane was underage drinking – and this took place fourteen years ago.

Are you telling me that you were a saint at 20-years-old? We all do dumb shit – even if this mistake was worse than most.

The biggest allegation/controversy surrounding Kane, was again in Buffalo, again while drinking, and again during the summer/off-season.

On August 6th, 2015, word had leaked that Kane, now a celebrity as a three-time Cup champ, was being investigated for a sexual assault.

Following a police/criminal investigation, it was was revealed that the whole story was a hoax, and where the mother of the alleged “victim” made-up the whole thing – even going as far as creating a fake rape-kit.

At the time, Kane was entering the first season of his current eight-year deal, now to be completed with the Rangers, where he would earn $10,500,000 a year.

The mother-and-daughter combo knew this fact – and it was later reported that they were just looking to get some money out of Kane.

(Some Rangers’ history for you – the first owner of the Rangers, Tex Rickard – was once accused of the same thing – and just like Kane – the whole thing was proved to be a hoax/extortion plot.)

But since this is the world we live in today – and not Rickard’s – where what you’re charged with gets more headlines and ink than whenever these charges are dropped and proved to be false (and good luck trying to clear your name on Google) – there are many people who believe this story to be true.

That’s on them.

If there’s anything that Kane was guilty of during his early years, then it’s the fact that he wasn’t too responsible while drinking – and put himself in bad situations – but where again – the cab driver incident is 100% on him.

The last story involving Kane had nothing to do with what he did.

When the Kyle Beach story first came to light during the Fall of 2021 (I’m not recapping all of this again tonight); people falsely accused Kane of knowing what went on.

To me, this was the most ridiculous story yet – because Kane had nothing to do with Brad Aldrich’s disgusting and criminal acts. Aldrich was at fault – not nobody else – and to think that Kane was aware of what was going on between a video coach and a minor-leaguer WHO NEVER PLAYED WITH THE BLACKHAWKS is erroneous.

The extent of Kane’s relationship with Beach was the following, as Kane said once the crimes became public:

“I knew Kyle pretty well from a couple different training camps. He seemed like a happy-go-lucky guy… I wish back then we could’ve done some different things or known some different things to helped him. I feel bad for him, if that stuff happened.”

You really want to get on Kane for someone else’s actions – and where Kane was never in proximity to any of these crimes committed?

Sadly, some fans do – and that’s why they don’t like this trade and Kane.

To them I say, enjoy your time rooting for the Isles and Devils!

While Kane hasn’t talked to the Rangers’ beat yet, he did release the following statement to Blackhawk fans:

As they always do, the Rangers, with Chris Drury as the speaker, held a media-exclusive ZOOM call about this trade – where for the 8976786796796796th time on this site – I don’t know why the Rangers don’t take advantage of their own M$GN, or at the very least, their interactive YouTube account to air these big deal press conferences.

I’m to imagine that I’m not the only Rangers’ fan who would be interested in hearing what Drury has to say right now!

According to the Rangers’ Twitter page, Drury said the following:

“I think Patrick recognized it was a good fit for him and it’s good fit for us. We’re certainly excited that he wanted to be traded and that it was to the New York Rangers.

“It [the trade] just kind of built up in the last couple of days where we felt we had a real chance to do this.

“We definitely took that [the salary cap] into consideration. But to get a Patrick Kane, you don’t get an opportunity like that very often.”

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From what I gather, what Drury didn’t bring up was the sacrifice of Braden Schneider – but I have already talked about this!

As we get to the end of this story – Tuesday, February 28th, could one day be remembered as the final building day of a Stanley Cup champion. At least that’s what I’m rooting for.

And as mentioned earlier, Kane won’t make his debut until Thursday, which means he won’t be in the line-up on Wednesday/tomorrow night against the Flyers – a franchise all too familiar with his Stanley Cup heroics!

Also not in the line-up in Philly? K’Andre Miller, as at this time, let’s switch gears and cover the rest of the stories from a busy day!

In an update to the K’Andre Miller story from earlier today and right after hitting the “publish blog” button – the Department of NHL Player Safety sent out the following tweet:

NY Rangers’ K’Andre Miller has been suspended for three games for unsportsmanlike conduct on Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) February 28, 2023

As a result, Miller will now miss the Rangers’ next three games against Philadelphia, Ottawa and Boston.

Not for nothing, but with the way Miller had been playing lately – maybe three games off isn’t the worst thing in the world for him anyway.

When you look at the three games that Miller will now miss, two of the next three games are against inferior competition, games, that in theory, the Rangers should win (Philly and Ottawa). After that, Miller will miss the Rangers’ matinee affair in Beantown, which is somewhat unfortunate, as that’s a true litmus test for the Blueshirts.

Once the suspension is complete, the Rangers won’t play next until Thursday, March 9th, when they fly up to Montreal to start their first game of a three-games in four-nights road-trip (Buffalo and Pittsburgh).

In other words, when Miller suits up next for Gallant’s Gang, he will be coming off of a ten-day “vacation.”

Maybe it’s my glass half-full mentality, a glass that’s currently overflowing with optimism right now, but this break may be the best thing for the only Ranger who played in all 102 games last season (82 regular season games and 20 postseason tilts).

With the time off, Miller will now get a chance to reset, heal, and come out rip-roaring for the playoff push – and then the postseason itself.

It also allows Gallant to get a deeper look at both Ben Harpur and Niko Mikkola, as the head coach prepares his playoff roster.

Finally while on the Miller suspension, I saw a lot of the same reaction – “HOW DARE MILLER GET SUSPENDED! DID YOU KNOW THAT PLAYER X DID THIS TO PLAYER Y AND FROM Z AMOUNT OF YEARS AGO?”

In my eyes, you can’t compare and cherry-pick your argument – the only thing that matters is that the NHL did abide by their own precedent – and then gave Miller the three-game standard for spitting.

Had Miller received a suspension longer than three-games – then yeah – I’d be fine with all of the bitching and moaning.

To bring up Tom Wilson or another penalty of a physical nature is apples and oranges.

While I understand the anger for Wilson after what he did to Panarin (let’s not forget that “The Breadman” jumped on Wilson’s back first); at the end of the day, these players, and this league too, abide by the unwritten “MAN CODE.” (THE HORROR, HOW DARE YOU NOT SAY “THE PERSON CODE!”)

Of course, some of these violent penalties are unwarranted and also deserve severe punishment; but when you boil it all down, the act of spitting is just considered what scientists call a “bitch move,” and breaks the code too – whether accidental or not.

What’s done is done. We move on and we all learn from our mistakes.

In news that caught nobody by surprise; come 5PM Tuesday, “the start of a new day” in regards to salary cap space accrual – the Rangers recalled Schneider from his two-days “spent” as an AHLer.

While Schneider lost what equates to around $7,200 in real money from his paycheck; as mentioned on Sunday, I’m sure someone from the franchise will make it up to him, whether it be Trouba, Drury or maybe Kane himself!

It should be noted, that had the Rangers been a little bit more diligent with their cap/roster management this season – then the need for Schneider to sacrifice a few thousand bucks wouldn’t have been warranted.

Whether it was carrying 23-men for a period of time when Ryan Reaves was still here, carrying both Sammy Blais and Libor Hajek for as long as they did, or waiting a bit to get rid of the malcontent who used to wear the #74 jersey – whatever the case – had the Rangers/Drury anticipated this Kane deal earlier than when they did – then there would’ve been no need to make a dent in Schneider’s wallet.

But as I said in regards to Miller – what’s done is done.

Similar to Schneider, Carpenter’s demotion to Hartford was also expected, and was met with no surprise.

In news that did come as a surprise, even if the surprise was as mild as milquetoast, the Rangers sent the 6’7″ Austin Rueschhoff to Nashville in exchange for “future considerations.”

The right-winger had previously signed with the Rangers three-years ago following his collegiate days spent at Western Michigan University.

In the grand scheme of things, this trade is as impactful as a fart in the wind, but I was surprised to see the Rangers just give up on Rueschhoff – only because they received nothing in return for him – outside of the hush-hush, wink-wink, “future considerations.”

While Rueschhoff would have never factored into the Rangers’ plans for this season, and most likely, in the seasons beyond; you’d think they could at least fetch something besides a bag of used pucks for him.

But to harp on this any further is a fool’s errand!

As talked about during the blog I posted earlier today, the Rangers practiced on Tuesday, and once finished, your favorite coach and mine, Gerard Gallant, held his daily “TURK TALK.”

For the first time in a while, Gallant held a lengthy chat with the media, a “TURK TALK” that lasted over nine minutes.

Check it out:

If you watch the interview, then make sure you take a look at Gallant’s body language. He looks like he just got laid, as throughout this “TURK TALK,” the head coach was smiling a lot, leaning back in his chair, put his hands over his head and looked as giddy as a kid diving into ice cream.

And you know that Double G. is in a real good mood when he’s not sniffling and doing the drummer-boy act with his hands!

Here were the highlights from Tuesday’s “TURK TALK:”

— Gallant, when talking about Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia, said he liked train rides rather than flying. However, he didn’t say that he enjoyed the “KANE TRAIN!”

— When it comes to Mika Zibanejad, and his ankle that got banged up on Sunday night; Gallant said his Swedish DJ would be spinning new tracks in Philadelphia, and that he’s 100% good-to-go.

— While the media acknowledged that Gallant couldn’t talk about trade rumors; the head coach responded, “We’re excited, but I like our team right now. I like our group. I’m pretty happy with them.”

— Gallant pretty much said what I’ve been saying about Vladimir Tarasenko. While “The Turk” said it’s been a slow start, the head coach also reminded the bird-brain clueless beat that it’s tough for a player to leave the only team he’s ever known and then come out like gangbusters with his new team.

As I’ve said on this site – look no further to Martin St. Louis as an example. He only scored one goal in nineteen games – and yeah – you don’t have to tell me about the tragic passing of his mother – he then heated up during the 2014 playoffs.

And I’ll say this too, when it comes to Tarasenko, and Kane too, it’s my opinion that whatever they do between now and the final 22 games of the regular season don’t matter. These two rentals will only be judged by what they do during the playoffs. End of story.

— On all of his line-up tinkering, Gallant laughed and admitted that Zibanejad and Kreider are a perfect fit, and he hopes that Panarin and Trocheck can find the bond that the BFF’s have.

— And of course, and as he always does – Gallant praised the Rangers’ upcoming opponent – as he never gives the other team any quotes that could be considered as “bulletin-board material.”

In an update to the “Casino Night” story that I talked about earlier; I received the following from several of you readers, a fan report from the event – and one that I found to be informative, and more important than that, humorous too:

The above graphics came from “Rangers’ Reddit,” another social media sharing site that I’m not familiar with. (I’m “old school” – Twitter and Facebook only – I don’t want to learn anything new!)

I admit, I chuckled at the “Turk is very rotund” comment – but that’s not something I’d say to his face either!

I also got a kick out of “Trocheck is even more Italian than you could imagine” line.

If there was anything to truly note, then it was the explanation of the absences of both Zibanejad and Lindgren – who as discussed earlier today – I believe should become the first co-winners of the Steven McDonald Extra Award since 1990!

And oh – if I ever see Jimmy Vesey at a casino, whether it be in Atlantic City or Las Vegas – then I’m running to the next table. Hitting on a hard 17 against a dealer’s 5? What the hell are they teaching in Harvard these days?!?!?

Thanks for sticking with me all day and all night – and just to think – the Rangers now have a pair of back-to-back games – I better ice my fingers before I go on the LTIR!

And I might need to sit on an ice pack too – my ass is going numb from typing all day from my computer chair – as if I were Kravtsov sitting in the press box. (Oh, I got one last dig in!)

SHOWTIME, I mean PLUGS TIME!

After returning last night, our pals over at “The Blueshirt Underground Show” returned 24-hours later, with their take on KANE-O-MANIA!

To check it out, click the play button below:

My first plug of tonight’s blog – the mandatory plug for my book, “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden.”

As mentioned previously, the book is now available in hardcover, in paperback and in Kindle formats. To purchase a copy of the book, visit this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rangers-Rafters-Madison-Square-Garden-ebook/dp/B09CM5N2WD

For those still looking for signed paperback versions of the book, I have re-ordered more copies. I now have a few signed copies for sale at $25 a pop (includes shipping price) through me directly. Here is all the information on that:

Order “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden” Book Today

My four-volume set of books, “One Game at a Time – A Season to Remember,” is a game-by-game recount of the Rangers 2021-22 campaign.

My second title as an author, “One Game at a Time – A Season to Remember,” is now available in eBook, paperback and hardcover formats.

To obtain signed copies, visit: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/onegamebook/

To purchase all four volumes on Amazon, visit: Amazon.com – “One Game at a Time.”

The greatest volume-set of books on Rangers’ history today!

“Tricks of the Trade – A Century-Long Journey Through Every Trade Made In New York Rangers’ History,” a four-volume set of books that meticulously covers every trade made in franchise history, is now on sale.

All four volumes of the title can be purchased on Amazon.com and are presented in three different formats – eBook, paperback and hardcover.

To purchase Volume I: Conn Smythe (1926) – Craig Patrick (1986), visit Amazon.com

To purchase Volume II: Phil Esposito (1986) – Neil Smith (2000), visit Amazon.com

To purchase Volume III: Glen Sather (2000-2015), visit Amazon.com

To purchase Volume IV: Jeff Gorton (2015) – Chris Drury (2022), visit Amazon.com

To purchase signed copies of all four volumes, visit https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/tricksofthetrade/

Here are my last few blogs, in case you missed them:

Patrick Kane’s Rangers’ Arrival Imminent; Could Happen Later Today, “SPITGATE” Update; Suspension Looming for Miller, Steven McDonald Award Contenders, Kravtsov’s First Post NYR Interview, Casino Night, Practice & More

NYR/LAK 2/26 Review: Nonna Trocheck’s Bambino Cooks Two; Scores Game Winner, Rangers Show Resolve; Show Up For Themselves & “The Cap Gymnast” Chris Drury, The Worst Kept “Secret” in the NHL to be Unwrapped This Week; Fans Ready For Patrick Kane, DJ Mika “Reed” Spins PPG; CZAR IGOR Bounces Back, “Spit Happens;” Miller’s Mistake & More

NYR/WSH 2/25 Review: “Soap Opera” Rangers Create More Drama; Craziest Day Yet for the New Regime; Blueshirts Beat-Up By Caps; Lose Lindgren, Kravtsov Finally Traded; Leschyshyn Waived, All Aboard The Kane Train, Igor Issues, Gallant Calls Out Team, Kaplan/Chytil “Romance” Rivals Ali/Cosell; Messier Owns Slewban & More

If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:

Don’t forget to order my new four-volume set of books, “Tricks of the Trade!”

If you don’t order through me, all four volumes are now available on Amazon.com

For more details, check out: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/tricksofthetrade/

Thanks for reading.

LET’S GO RANGERS!

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

@NYCTHEMIC on the Tweeter machine