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00:00I considered that home opener to be arguably the most important second game of a season in Rangers history.
00:08Not to be dramatic, but to be dramatic.
00:11And to see the team deliver on that in the way that they did was so encouraging.
00:18But it's a new team with a new mentality.
00:20And I think we're seeing that so far.
00:23Yeah, they're back. We're back. It's a wagon. We are back.
00:28Welcome back. Welcome back.
00:30We've got an exciting episode of Open the Blue Seats on deck for you.
00:34Your favorite Rangers podcast from the New York Post.
00:37It's Molly Walker, Rangers beat writer and former Ranger Brian Boyle as well.
00:42And don't look now, but the Rangers eight points through five games is leading the entire NHL entering Wednesday's slate
00:50of games.
00:52First place.
00:54They are four and one, four and one to start the NHL season and have outscored their opponents 16 to
01:02five since getting shut out in the season opener in Boston.
01:06Tuesday's win against the Islanders made it four in a row and three straight at home.
01:11What's the verdict, Bri? Is this Rangers team for real?
01:15Yeah, they're back. We're back. It's a wagon. We are back.
01:19No, it's it's exciting. It really is. There's full on buy in.
01:24You can tell I was at ice level. I got to do between the benches versus Utah and there's full
01:32on buy in.
01:33And we saw it off the face off. Everybody rushed into each other's aid.
01:38We saw the physicality, the energy.
01:42They're very connected. I really like their style of play right now.
01:46It's very connected. Is it perfect? No, not yet. It's not perfect.
01:51I just I just think it looks like what.
01:54The vision I think Mike Sullivan wanted last year when he came in, and that is sort of what.
02:02I mean, I remember sort of like that. So it's it's really exciting to see.
02:08Let's start with that Utah game, because I feel like of all the games that they've played so far, that
02:14that was probably their biggest test, just opponents wise.
02:17And we had talked about how important it would be for the Rangers, you know, to just have a good
02:22start at home in general and for them to play the way that they have so far.
02:29Just what kind of tone does that set in general moving forward?
02:35Yeah, I think there was such a great performance because of how emotionally charged up that game was.
02:43You can look at that both ways, I guess, if you're the cynical Ranger fan, it's like, well, of course
02:47they brought it because, you know, Trocek was back and, you know, they're playing hard for Dursey and he's in
02:54there.
02:55And I just think with all the noise surrounding that whole situation going from the last year into the offseason.
03:02Yeah, maybe that is one of the reasons. But the bottom line is like, yeah, they lost a guy that
03:07they cared about, a big part of their team.
03:09They have a different guy now who's been very helpful in that middle pair with Pedersen.
03:14Yeah, I think no matter what is going to bring emotion, as we've seen in the small sample size that
03:20we have with Dursey.
03:22I just right from puck drop, it was it was it was big boy hockey and Rangers did not back
03:28down at all.
03:30Any breakdown they had, I thought Igor was really, really sharp.
03:34And for the most part, they played really well. There were some stretches in parts of the game where it
03:40looked like they were under siege of it or giving up a little bit.
03:44If they gave up a grade A, it was just one and Igor made the save and they got out
03:48of it.
03:49They calmed themselves down. They got back to their game.
03:52There was ups and downs in that game. All the things that a good, mature team can do.
03:56I thought they executed well in that game.
03:59You mentioned Igor Shosturkin and I tweeted this the other night, but I don't think he could look any better
04:05to start the season, truly.
04:08And the biggest news of the week was his goalie goal in the home opening 5-1 win over the
04:13Lightning.
04:1518th goaltender in NHL history and the very first to do it for the Rangers.
04:19And then he follows it up with an assist on Tolvanen's empty net goal against the Mammoths for a two
04:26-game point streak, which is pretty crazy to think about.
04:31I mean, you were in the building. What was your reaction?
04:33My reaction was the Utah players on the ice were very aware.
04:41I've never seen anything like it.
04:44As soon as it went to him, they all backed off.
04:48I couldn't believe what I was watching.
04:51And then he sold them on a shot, makes a great pass, like a dime.
04:56Cooley, yep.
04:57I couldn't believe what I was watching.
04:59I know.
05:00This was the deception that he's showing in the crowd is every time he touches the puck.
05:08So in the first period, if he stopped the rim or something, they were yelling at him to shoot it,
05:13which I thought was funny, which is great about the Rangers fan.
05:16So did Cooley.
05:17Cooley was like, I thought that was really funny.
05:19Oh, it was unbelievable.
05:20In the first period, there's a goalie in the net, but that'd be cool.
05:23Yeah.
05:23No.
05:23And I mentioned that on the broadcast, so I'm like, you think you can score on a goalie?
05:27I don't know.
05:27But I just, I don't, I've never seen, I've played against goalies that play the puck well.
05:33But you don't think about it.
05:35You don't just like, you would go get the goalie who has the puck.
05:38He's still a goalie with a goalie stick and a catching glove.
05:41But he's just, yeah, he's in some sort of zone right now that's pretty exciting.
05:46How underrated is his puck handling ability behind the net and in general?
05:52And I guess what kind of threat can that be?
05:56I guess just going forward after we saw the way that Utah felt like they had to handle it.
06:02Yeah.
06:02I think, you know, that was probably the extreme with the goalie pulled.
06:08I've been on teams like with Ben Bishop was a goalie that played the puck extremely well.
06:12And I just know our D loved it.
06:16And us as forwards, it just helped our breakouts.
06:19And look, the Rangers made, obviously they made a number of moves this offseason to help sort of that decor
06:27in terms of, yeah, mobility and what these guys can do.
06:30But they break the puck out better now.
06:32So much better.
06:33They're just a better zone exit team.
06:35And that was a big reason why they did it.
06:37Through all three.
06:38Through all three zones.
06:39And now you add, you get some chemistry with your goaltender who can move it for you as well.
06:45And these guys are heads up.
06:46They don't need a lot of time to make a pass.
06:48It's not just rim, rim, rim, rim.
06:50And you're just getting it stuffed down your throat all night.
06:53It's, they're making plays.
06:55Yeah, the occasional icing or the high flip from Fox, which he's actually a lead at to relieve pressure.
07:01But the second periods don't get out of hand anymore.
07:05They don't get, you know, bull rushed on a forecheck to start a game where they give up a goal
07:10in the first three minutes, what we've seen in the last three years, right?
07:13Like, it's that much better.
07:14So when Igor can get that chemistry with these D, that's just another element.
07:19When teams are like, we're just going to pound a forecheck, dump it in, pound a forecheck, well, he's going
07:22to stop it.
07:23And he'll break it out.
07:24It's incredible.
07:25And I mean, it, it's hurt us in the past when I was on the Rangers, Marty was so good
07:29at it across the river in Jersey, where their D would just stay up on you.
07:34If you dumped it in, Marty would break it out on his own.
07:36It's frustrating to play against.
07:38It's such a godsend when it's your guy doing it.
07:42I just don't think that we can make a big enough deal of the Rangers start at home.
07:47Just, I mean, I considered that home opener to be arguably the most important second game of a season in
07:55Rangers history.
07:57Not to be dramatic, but to be dramatic.
08:00It truly felt that way.
08:02And to see the team deliver on that in the way that they did was so encouraging.
08:12Yeah, I just can't say enough, enough good things about the way that they started, started at home.
08:18And, you know, to your point about the way that they're starting to go through games and some patterns that
08:22we're seeing strong starts fade a little bit in the middle and resounding finishes lately.
08:29Taking that first Boston game out, obviously, but that's kind of been the pattern that we've seen a little bit
08:37through here, which obviously could change.
08:38But that's just an early thing, and it just didn't feel like that last season.
08:42It felt like no start, you know, maybe try to get back into it in the middle, can't finish the
08:48game, you know, get a tying goal against and collapsing.
08:53And I think Mika Zibanejad said last night specifically that in the past, that that Islander game, the Rangers probably
09:01would have lost that game.
09:03Giving up those two goals, the equalizer and the second period.
09:08In the past, he's probably right.
09:10But it's a new team with a new mentality.
09:14And I think we're seeing that so far.
09:16Yeah, I think there's a maturation to the whole thing, like, maybe there's a mistake on the play.
09:22I mean, I have to go back and look at where, but it looks, it looks sort of like a
09:27bang, bang on the Ritchie goal.
09:29And then you just look at it and like, that was, that was such a phenomenal goal.
09:34Like, that was an unbelievable goal.
09:37And you don't want to get scored on, but it's like, that was a really good goal.
09:41But if that's what it's going to take?
09:42I mean, it was...
09:43To beat the Rangers?
09:44Yeah.
09:45And it even looks like Igor's there.
09:47And Igor does a great job trying to keep it open.
09:49And it goes post and in, and it's like, oh man, what just happened?
09:52And they just flushed it.
09:54Like, you know, the home opener, cleansing is a good word for it, I think.
10:00It's, it hasn't been a lot of positive headlines around the squad.
10:07You had another letter.
10:09You had disgruntled players.
10:11You had movement.
10:12How'd they handle this?
10:13How'd they handle that?
10:14Well, what'd they do?
10:15They, they grabbed a guy in the draft that looks like he's a player, real player.
10:20He's been so impressive.
10:22They made some moves.
10:24They acquired some talent in those moves that they made.
10:26Young talent and immediate help.
10:29And maybe that young talent is immediate help because you get the call out, Baudouin is, look, we'll get into
10:38it, I'm sure.
10:39But as far as debuts go, I look at the stat sheet, the whole thing, just how much, not points,
10:45totals or whatever.
10:46It's like, okay, over 50% on face-offs, playing a little bit of special teams on both sides, getting
10:51a few hits in.
10:52Mm-hmm.
10:53Locking a shot.
10:54Yeah, there's a giveaway, whatever.
10:56Yeah.
10:56That's like.
10:58Kids got a motor.
10:59You got a kid who can contribute and you can trust them and put them on the ice.
11:02I think the foundational structure of the team is how they're starting every game consistently.
11:08It's not, let's go get the fucking whipping around.
11:10It's how we're going to play and build our game.
11:13It's good.
11:15Getting into some of the housekeeping stuff where Baudouin was recalled, Joe Valeno became the third player the Rangers have
11:25put on injured reserve through the first week of the season, which is pretty crazy.
11:29Three to start is tough.
11:30No, that sucks for him because it wasn't a great year.
11:33Just really quick on him if, I don't know how to break up the housekeeping, but I was watching.
11:37No, please.
11:38And he was going to be, like, they were defying roles.
11:41He was going to be on that.
11:43And I watched him.
11:44It was one play, but I watched how he killed in the high ice, which is the hardest part as
11:48a forward.
11:50And it was perfect.
11:51And he knocks the puck down and makes a great play.
11:53It's just, it's unfortunate because you're just starting to feel probably good about it.
11:56Contributing on the PK.
11:58I know he probably wants to score goals because he was a higher pick, but I mean, yeah, it's a
12:02bummer.
12:03It's a bummer for him.
12:04I feel for him because.
12:05Yeah.
12:05Those are my people.
12:06Bottom six guys.
12:08Yeah.
12:08Yeah.
12:08He left that Utah game in the first period.
12:10He took an awkward fall along the boards with Clayton Keller.
12:14Couldn't get to the dressing room on his own power.
12:17Didn't put any weight on his right leg.
12:20And the Rangers put him on injured, injured reserve just before the Islander game.
12:25I mean, yeah, you just touched it, but tough position for the Rangers to lose someone in so early.
12:33Not a lot of centers in the organization, but the fact that they were able to get Baudouin in the
12:40Trocek deal and have him ready to go at their first sign of trouble at the center position ended up
12:48being pretty, pretty beneficial for them.
12:52Well, five points in two Wolfpack games.
12:55Yeah.
12:55Yeah.
12:56It started out pretty hot.
12:57So, I mean, he did himself some favors, too, with that.
13:00Yeah.
13:01I mean, he immediately became the Rangers' top center prospect when he was acquired.
13:05And, yeah, like you said, it certainly made it easier that he was off to a really good start in
13:09Hartford.
13:10One goal, four assists in two games.
13:12He was skating on their second line down there.
13:14And it's a big ask for a player who has only played two professional hockey games in the AHL.
13:19But I think he was definitely the best option that they had.
13:24And I thought his first couple shifts, the energy was awesome.
13:27I thought he had some nice play in the corners, was heavier on the puck than I thought he was
13:33going to be just because he's a younger rookie.
13:35But I thought it was a pretty good plug-in considering that position is pretty thin for the Rangers depth
13:45-wise.
13:47Yeah, not ideal, but good that he can contribute and come in.
13:52It's so hard.
13:53Like, you don't have any time to watch him.
13:55The training camp is so short.
13:56So, positive.
13:58And if the team's playing with structure, you can watch each shift that you're not playing in and be like,
14:02okay, they're all doing the same thing.
14:04It's a lot easier to integrate that way.
14:07Yeah.
14:07And in order to make room for Baudouin on the roster, the Rangers had to waive Matthew Robertson.
14:13He did clear and was assigned to Hartford.
14:16But that was probably a tough conversation for a guy who finally got his big break last season.
14:23But I think the move said a lot about how they value Albert Schmitz, as you mentioned.
14:28Really definitely have a player there.
14:30And Jaroslav Himelos, who are both waivers exempt and could pass to Hartford without any risk of being claimed.
14:38I mean, there's been a lot of talk about the Rangers roster management to start the season.
14:42Some opinions about risking Dylan Garan when they sent him down and just the decision to bring Korpisalo in in
14:49general.
14:49How have you seen the way that the Rangers have navigated this early on?
14:53Well, it still has to be a meritocracy.
14:56And I think, you know, they liked Morrow's camp.
15:00They liked, obviously, MLS's camp.
15:05And if you play well enough to be on the team, you should be on the team.
15:08If you play well enough to be on the team and you're 20 and you're going to play six minutes
15:15and, you know, they have big plans for you down the line, sometimes you go down.
15:23It's the long game a little bit.
15:26And it's like you're not a pressing need for us right now.
15:30Now our need for you is to get minutes the way we need you to get minutes, et cetera.
15:36So even for a grand, grand, you're the guy.
15:42Go be the guy.
15:43Be the guy and just focus on being the guy.
15:45So that when you come up here and your jersey changes and there's more people in the building, it doesn't
15:52matter.
15:53You've done this so many times.
15:54You're just going to keep playing your game.
15:55And look how it worked out.
15:57Now, a lot of people on those days, the strategy is, like, getting to the waivers.
16:06You know, if one guy gets waved that day, all eyes are on him.
16:09But when 25 guys are waved, you have a better chance of getting them through.
16:12You can sneak them through.
16:14Yeah.
16:15So they want to keep these guys, and that's just part of it.
16:17A lot of teams had to do it.
16:20It's not just the Rangers.
16:22Literally every team has to do it.
16:24I mean, Washington lost a pretty good goalie, and he went out to Winnipeg, Stevenson.
16:28So do you think if they give an injury, they're not going to be kicking themselves?
16:32It's just a risk you have to play.
16:34Yeah.
16:35I'm also curious to see how the Himelos-Rempi battle kind of shakes out here because Rempi started the season
16:42opener, and it's been all Himelos since then.
16:46And we had actually asked Mike Sullivan about it if it was, you know, he had originally said it was
16:51going to be more about matchups, game-to-game type of deal.
16:55But we asked if Himelos was starting to solidify his spot there a little bit, and he said it was
17:01a bit of both.
17:02So I think that they're liking what they're seeing from Himelos, and I'm curious to see what that's going to
17:07mean for Rempi if it continues on the trajectory that it's on.
17:12Good problems to have.
17:14So that was the other thing that I was thinking of with the whole roster management quarrels is the Rangers
17:23haven't really been in this position where they've been so worried about losing assets before.
17:28So I think that is a good position to be in, and it does mean that you just have more
17:33adequate options and depth than they have in years past.
17:39Yeah, and I think the fans as a whole have always sort of wanted the shiny toy who potentially could
17:51be an offensive XYZ.
17:53I mean, I know even like a lot of fans wanted to see more of Brett Burrard, and it's like
17:59he's very fast, and there could be a player there.
18:02And I love his energy, and as a kid, he's great.
18:04But I'm like, are you really watching?
18:06Because going fast and playing hard isn't necessarily going to lead to many goals.
18:12And it was the whole Sherry and Burrard sort of debate.
18:17It's like, I get it.
18:20Sherry's not putting it in the net.
18:22But he's getting the chances because he's doing the right things.
18:24He's in the right place.
18:25And this guy's done it well before.
18:27And they just think, you know, he's passed his prime.
18:29He's done.
18:30And that's, you know, that's not just New York fans.
18:32That's every fan.
18:34If I'm the coach and I've got to trust the guy to put it over the bench, I'm going to
18:38trust the guy that's probably going to get the opportunity, whether he puts it in or not.
18:41I don't know.
18:42So it's just now, it's like you can win with both of them.
18:47It's just two different elements.
18:50But they're not that different because Hamelash could still be a pretty imposing figure.
18:54And we'll have the debate down the line with guys on D.
18:58We'll have it with other forwards.
18:59Some guy, I think, with the organizational depth getting better, somebody will turn some heads in Hartford and people will
19:06be clamoring for a call-up.
19:08Just the way it works in our world.
19:10Just the way it goes.
19:12Just the way the cookie crumbles.
19:14So let's get into how all these moves and the start of the season have impacted the lineup.
19:19Other than in goal, the only changes we've seen have been Baudouin replacing Valeno due to the injury.
19:26But Ty Cartier was also promoted to the second line.
19:30And that pushed Oliver Bjorkstrand to the left wing of the fourth line.
19:35Bjorkstrand responds Tuesday night with two goals.
19:38One at 5-on-5 to get the Rangers on the board and one on the power play that ultimately
19:43stood as the game winner.
19:45What do you think of the tweak, Brian?
19:46And is it a change that Bjorkstrand can work with?
19:49Yeah, he did it in Tampa.
19:52He was on that fourth line a lot of the year.
19:54But then also on the power play.
19:56And again, that's just a defining role.
19:59It's a little bit of offense in your bottom six.
20:02He's done it before.
20:03He's probably capable of doing it.
20:05And it's like, look how much deeper we are.
20:08Everybody wants to play more.
20:09Everybody wants to play on the top two lines.
20:12I think your second line, JT has a guy who's going to go north-south, north-south, north-south.
20:20It's great.
20:21And you've got a finisher on that line.
20:23And so do you need two finishers on the line that want the puck to shoot the puck?
20:29Or is this more balance?
20:31You have that.
20:32Laba, Cooley, you know, those guys are against.
20:35Yeah, they're straight lines.
20:36Tolvan looks like he understands how to play in sort of a shutdown role with, you know, scoring ability, too.
20:45We know Cooley's got scoring ability.
20:47And all of a sudden, you've got goals on four lines.
20:50Yep.
20:50Capability of goals on all four lines.
20:54So, you know, if you're Bjorkstrand, you stay in the game because you're still getting special teams.
20:58And, I mean, you can't really complain.
21:01I know it's the second unit.
21:02But, I mean, Perrault with pretty elite play to get it over to him quickly in a hurry.
21:08And he's on and off the stick.
21:09And that's what you can do.
21:11That's depth.
21:12That's top line's not going.
21:14And who's going to get us something?
21:16And that's what good teams do.
21:18So, probably not psyched about it if I'm Oliver Bjorkstrand.
21:23Yeah.
21:24If I'm a Rangers fan, I'm like, look at our depth.
21:25Look what we have.
21:26We have Oliver Bjorkstrand on the fourth line.
21:29Yeah.
21:30100%.
21:31We're going to play goals.
21:32Yeah.
21:33Speaking of Gabe, I think Gabe has had a pretty nice start to the season as well.
21:37I was just on Sportsnet, the fan.
21:41And the word that I use that I feel like just really captures what we're seeing from him to start
21:46is he is silky.
21:48He has a really nice set of hands.
21:52The tape-to-tape passes where he chips it over another guy's stick, and it still lands directly on the
22:03tape.
22:03It's a sauce.
22:05Molly, we call that a sauce.
22:06Sorry.
22:07It's gorgeous.
22:08Whatever it is, it's gorgeous.
22:10And he's done it multiple times now.
22:13It makes it look effortless.
22:17Really good start for Gabe.
22:19I feel like, I mean, Mika has had a good, strong start at all.
22:22And we can get into Alexi Lafreniere a little later.
22:25But I notice Gabe the most when that line is out there, me personally.
22:31He went, what was he, 24th, 22nd overall?
22:36What was he picked?
22:37Something like that.
22:37Yeah, 24, I think.
22:40He, do you know why he went there?
22:43His skating.
22:4423rd.
22:4523rd.
22:46Because of his skating.
22:48He's the fastest forward on the team.
22:51Yeah.
22:52And that's not a knock on the team.
22:54That's what he's done with his skating.
22:57I cannot believe, because like, again, I got to watch it up close.
23:01I was like, what happened here?
23:03Because everyone was going fast.
23:05And then he stood out as going fast amongst all the fast guys.
23:10This league is on crack now.
23:13Yeah.
23:15He could always play in traffic.
23:19He could always play when he was going at full speed, make plays.
23:21And I've seen him at college and super cerebral, really high IQ.
23:27And now he can do it faster.
23:29And his kid is going to be special.
23:34It's going to be special.
23:35I'm excited for him.
23:36Yeah.
23:36Great kid.
23:37And his vision, we saw flashes of it last year.
23:41But I feel like it has been an every night occurrence to start the season,
23:46where he just is putting the puck in places where you didn't even think that,
23:51A, it could make it there, or, B, that it wasn't even an option.
23:56So, yeah, really, really great start for him.
23:58And Dylan Garan gets his first career shutout in Detroit.
24:02What a scene.
24:03It was there, by the way.
24:09Could always be worse, folks.
24:11Could always be worse.
24:12I know.
24:13But, yeah.
24:15Well, they're happy today, Detroit people.
24:18Yeah.
24:18And, yeah, thrilled for them to get that game and for Dylan to get that game.
24:23But, yeah, it was such a factor that I wrote.
24:28I had to write so much about it.
24:30Just the atmosphere and the environment.
24:32Like, it was such a factor.
24:33And it was so jarring to be a part of as, like, a visiting team.
24:38It was like there's just a lot of pent-up frustration over there in Detroit.
24:42And it came pouring out of Little Caesars Arena and onto the ice.
24:49Missed me with that.
24:50We've dealt with that enough in Rangerland.
24:52Missed me with that nonsense.
24:54I don't want the negativity.
24:56What a pleasure it's been to hear them going off to cheers and not booze this season.
25:01And very stark, very stark difference from last season.
25:04But, yeah, for Garand, you just couldn't have scripted it any better for the rookie goal.
25:09It first came back from training camp cuts.
25:13I mean, the guy said he never wanted to go back to the AHL, and he played like it.
25:18But hypothetically speaking, I was wondering, you know, your opinion.
25:22What happens here if, you know, Corpus Allo is truly week-to-week and we see Garand fill in here
25:30for the rest of the month or, you know, into November, and he lights out every game that he plays?
25:36What do you do if you're the Rangers here?
25:40What do you do?
25:43What do you do?
25:45You carry three.
25:48You know, or two.
25:49And he's two.
25:50And he is the back.
25:53Look, it's pro sports.
25:55Yeah.
25:56It's not always fair.
25:58Yeah.
25:58That's the hard part.
25:59That's the business.
26:00They call it a business.
26:02No, it's when you get the, you know, bleep end of the stick sometimes, and that falls on everyone at
26:09some point.
26:09So, you know, if the games will play out and you'll get the information to make the decision you need
26:18to make.
26:20The pressure rises for Garand each time he steps in the net, but he should be comfortable with that now.
26:27You play goalie in the NHL.
26:29You want to keep playing goalie in the NHL.
26:31You need to handle all that, and he's done great at it.
26:34So, good for him.
26:36You know, there's a kid in LaValle right now who's a very high ceiling and supposed to be a really,
26:41really good goalie that was in the playoffs with the Montreal Canadiens all through last year.
26:46He was back in LaValle because he's waiver exempt.
26:50He's probably not thrilled about it, but he's dominating.
26:55And this is just the way it goes.
26:57How do you respond to adversity?
27:00What's the next play?
27:02We'll see.
27:03It's interesting.
27:03No, I don't get paid enough to make that decision, but that's what I would use.
27:09If he keeps playing well, you keep him.
27:11Yeah, I'm also wondering.
27:12I don't think they have any back-to-backs for the rest of October, so I'm curious how they will
27:16divide the playing time, the starts between Igor and Garand.
27:22Yeah, when did Quickie get hurt last year, though?
27:24I don't think they loved playing Igor as much as they did last year for a stretch.
27:30Yeah.
27:31And that might have been later because Quickie had to come in earlier and play for a stretch.
27:35That happened last year.
27:37Both guys carried the load for a while.
27:39Yeah.
27:41I just don't think they love it.
27:43So, I don't think someone claims to.
27:47I don't know.
27:48I don't know.
27:49Yeah.
27:50Corposalo has to go through waivers.
27:52Like, he hasn't played, and he's been injured, and there's a cap hit involved.
27:55Yeah.
27:55No.
27:56No, I think, yeah, that was part of the debate, I feel, was that Corposalo had just as good a
28:04chance of getting cleared as, of clearing as Garand did, probably.
28:08But they got him because they liked him, and they wanted him to be the number two.
28:13That's why they went out and traded for him.
28:14Yeah.
28:16Yeah.
28:16I guess we'll see.
28:17That's an interesting one to keep an eye on.
28:21More notable stats, because there's plenty of them, for the Rangers to start the season.
28:27I mean, they decided to show up to the Battle of New York after going 0-4 against the Islanders
28:32last season.
28:33So that was nice to see in itself.
28:37It was a 5-2 win, despite having a 2-0 lead erased in the second period.
28:44And, yeah, I mentioned this before.
28:46I think Mika said it best about how they didn't just collapse after those two quick goals like they probably
28:51would have in the past.
28:53He said, we just work ourselves back into it.
28:57And that they did, partially thanks to Alexi Lafreniere, who was able to get a hat trick, a kind of
29:04hat trick, two empty net goals and one real goal.
29:08Hard to score in the NHL.
29:09Goals still counts, still counts.
29:12He's on the ice up, you know, in an important part of the game.
29:17Yeah.
29:17Well, that's going to be the expectation for him this entire season.
29:23Like, this is the first season that he is going to play start to finish in the top six, top
29:28power play, so long as he keeps the role, obviously.
29:32But he is put in that spot from day one for the first time in year seven, which is pretty
29:38crazy.
29:38And I feel like it's been a pretty mixed bag to start.
29:42I thought he was pretty invisible the first three games, honestly.
29:45But his game's been coming along the last two, and then he gets the hat trick.
29:49And even though two of those goals were empty netters, they were insurance that they needed later in the game
29:55for a four-point effort.
29:57So, what have you made of Lafreniere to start the season so far?
30:02Yeah.
30:03So, watching closely the past two, you know, the Utah game, he's got two breakaways.
30:07They don't go, but he's creating those opportunities for himself.
30:13And, I mean, they're up two goals with less than a minute left.
30:16And, was it circuit ship?
30:19I forget who it is.
30:20On low, it's a bomb.
30:22Might have been a one-timer.
30:23Actually, it might have been Weager.
30:25Oh, the block, yeah.
30:26And he blocks it.
30:27And he can let that go.
30:29He could, I mean, they're going to win the game.
30:30But he got big, and he got low, and he ate it.
30:33And it hurt.
30:35And it's like, your teammates remember that.
30:39And it hurts.
30:40It hurts.
30:41And then, they get to empty netter, whatever.
30:44It was like, he's figured it out.
30:47So, in all the talk we've talked about in the past year plus about, you know, I want this guy
30:53to be a leader.
30:54I want his teammates to follow him.
30:56He's been there a while.
30:57He's certainly affable in that room.
30:59They seem to really enjoy him.
31:01They love him.
31:02And then, in business time.
31:04They adore him.
31:05Yeah.
31:05Punch the clock.
31:06And, like, I'm doing this for all of us, right?
31:08And they follow you that way, too.
31:11I'm really, really happy for him.
31:12Because you're the number one overall pick.
31:15A lot of people write about you.
31:18And, you know, some of these number one overall picks in the past decade have been ridiculous.
31:23It's, like, unfair almost.
31:26But he's figuring out a way to help his team win hockey games.
31:29And that's all you can ask for any of your team.
31:32Yeah.
31:33I obviously have to see what a bigger sample size looks like just because his success has been fleeting in
31:41the past.
31:41But if ever there was a year, it's this year for Alexi Lefrenier.
31:48There is no reason why he shouldn't be able to step up and be one of the leading scorers on
31:54this team, which he is right now after the hat trick.
31:57So that's a good start.
31:59But going back to the Islander game, I mean, the Rangers were the only team to break through in the
32:04first period.
32:04And that's also been a theme so far.
32:07They haven't given up a single goal in the first period so far, which is a pretty stark change from
32:13their inability to start games on time last season.
32:17Like I mentioned, it feels like it's been a strong start, fading a little bit in the middle, and then
32:22a resounding finish.
32:24They've been putting games away and being smart in late-game situations.
32:29They've yet to trail a game, you know, trailing a game since Boston.
32:35Yeah, so let's go all the way back to the Bruins game.
32:3955 minutes of like, whatever.
32:42It was kind of just like, it looked like a preseason game.
32:45And then Boston got a goal and broke through and whatever.
32:47It says 3-0, but that was an evening.
32:50It didn't fail.
32:50Yeah, it was not a 3-0 game.
32:52And they built from there.
32:56So, they have a plan.
32:57Everybody seems to be on the same page.
32:59The energy's there.
33:00It's just a different vibe.
33:03You know, the players are a few guys, a few new faces, but it's just, it's working.
33:09And they know that it's working.
33:11And that's always a good thing, too.
33:13And they know what it takes to get to that point.
33:15And there's going to be harder days.
33:16There's going to be ups and downs.
33:18There's going to be weeks or podcasts that we have to come on and be like, what's going on with
33:22them?
33:22And that looked ugly.
33:24The key is, like, you can't let it get off the rails.
33:28And so, being like a game like that, albeit against the Islanders, I don't really have really that high expectations
33:35for.
33:35I know they'll be good.
33:38DeBoer's a really good coach.
33:40I mean, also got to give a little credit to Varlamov.
33:44Oh, of course.
33:460% chance I thought he was playing again.
33:48Yeah, it deserves all the flowers.
33:50Absolutely.
33:50Yeah, that's a long, lonely road.
33:53So, but, I mean, I don't care if I'm playing against them.
33:56Try to light them up.
33:57Yeah, Rangers certainly did it.
33:59Well, they didn't really, but they did.
34:02Yeah, and defensively, too, you know, they're holding teams to single-digit shots on goals.
34:06There's been a bunch of periods like that.
34:08What, aside from their mobility, which is obviously the most improved part of the back end,
34:14but what aspect of their defensive game are you awarding most improved right now?
34:20Well, it's the whole five-man unit.
34:23Mm-hmm.
34:24But it's sort of like the savvy, under-the-radar, under-high-pressure, seven, eight-foot pass to the guy
34:34that's open.
34:35Yeah.
34:36The zero panic.
34:37No panic.
34:38Marcus Pedersen get blown up a few times this year because he'll wait to the last possible second to move
34:45the puck to the right play,
34:47and he's going to take a hit.
34:48And he does that because, number one, he's got a ton of courage, and he knows the game.
34:54He's an extremely smart player, but he doesn't put himself in these positions.
34:58It's just the play that has to be made, and he'll do it.
35:01He'll do it a bunch.
35:04They can break the puck out better.
35:07And when you're able to do that, everybody kind of buys in, and you all work together to get it
35:11out.
35:12That's why I say the five-man unit.
35:13And five-man unit has been better gap control.
35:18It hasn't been like a completely spread out track meet game where it's rush after rush after rush.
35:23Everybody's connected.
35:24And it's a few different things that have to happen, and it's amazing when it does how much more organized
35:31everything looks like.
35:32And they're all more physical.
35:34So in the defensive zone, when they don't have the puck, they close on a player, they finish the check.
35:38That makes everything much easier for the players around the play to realize that's my check.
35:43This is my support.
35:44This is where I'm going if I get it.
35:46It just organizes the whole defensive zone.
35:48It's also really encouraging to see how much they tightened up on the odd-man rushes against after the first
35:56game.
35:57I mean, since that night in Boston where they were just leaking odd-man rushes against nonstop, it feels like
36:06their opponents have not gotten nearly as much free opportunity like that, that they have tightened up in that department
36:14significantly, which is encouraging to see that they can make those types of changes from a game-to-game basis.
36:22Yeah, I think if you press for offense, you leave yourself open to that.
36:28And if you play the right way, create your offense, it's going to happen organically, but you're always going to
36:35be in the structure for if it hits a rough skate or stick breaks, you're in position to recover.
36:43And I feel like I sound like Sully right now, but it is what it is.
36:47That is what happens.
36:48That is what is taught.
36:49That's what I teach the 11-year-olds.
36:52I'm like, you don't – if all three of you are in behind the net, for example, and you get
36:58the puck, who's going to score the goal?
37:02You're behind the net.
37:04Now, if you lose the puck, what's going to happen?
37:07You just see the three big eyes looking straight up at you.
37:11It's like if they get it from you, now you have to go and we're in trouble, right?
37:15So it doesn't help offense.
37:17It doesn't help defense.
37:18And it's just – I like their spacing.
37:20I like their connectivity.
37:21I like all of it.
37:22I like their physicality, the emotional part of the game.
37:26They're in other teams' faces.
37:27It's been good.
37:29It has been good.
37:31And we could stop there because it's been so good.
37:35Let us know down below in the comment section after you like and subscribe what you think about the Rangers
37:40through the first five games of the season,
37:42what you think about all their transactions and roster management to start the season, all the injuries.
37:49Are they for real?
37:51Let us know what you think, and we'll catch up again next week.
38:01Let us know what your pride is up for you.
38:01Let us know what you think, and we'll take up again next week.
38:04Let us know what you think, and we'll be thankful for you.
38:04Let us know what the crap does gets even done.
38:05Let us know if we have a future, and let us know what you think, and we'll do that in
38:05the way.
38:06Keep in the meantime.
38:06Let us know what you think we're going to offer us, and we're going to ease over the PR.