My original intention was to discuss the New York Rangers 2-0 win in Detroit on Friday and 4-2 victory over Utah at home last night. Joe Veleno’s injury Sunday and the subsequent roster machinations took on greater importance than the two victories. I will briefly touch on the pair of contests before moving on to potential lineup impacts leading into the matchup against the Islanders on Tuesday.
A few thoughts:
1) Friday – Dylan Garand (selected in the fourth round, 103rd overall, in 2023) was the key. Following what he termed a “crazy week.” Garand pitched a 22-save shutout in New York’s 2-0 win over Detroit. The Rangers received a Sean Durzi power play goal, which Garand made stand up, until Eeli Tolvanen sealed the victory with an empty-net tally.
Garand, whose shutout was the first of his career, described his week this way. “I got cut Sunday and put on waivers, I cleared Monday and went to Hartford and found an apartment, had two practices there, then got called back up and I’m playing on Friday.” His play Friday certainly decides to trade for and take in Joonas Korpisalo’s $3 million salary, questionable at best.
2) Vlad Gavrikov and JT Miller each notched their first tally of the season Sunday as New York welcomed Vincent Trocheck back to MSG. Gabe Perreault lit the lamp for the second time (don’t tell Corey Pronman), on a play created by Alexis Lafreniere in his best effort of the young campaign, while Tolvanen added another ENG.
Durzi, facing his former Utah squad, received the Broadway hat:
Trocheck was feted by the Rangers and MSG faithful with a video tribute:
3) if one down note resulted Sunday, it was the injury and loss, at least in the short term, of Veleno. The Rangers entered the 2026-27 campaign short on center depth. Once you get beyond the top-four on the team, very few palatable options exist.
With Veleno out, the Rangers moved Jaroslav Chmelař to center on the fourth line. Matt Rempe, who originally was a center, or Oliver Bjorkstrand, recently moved from the second to the fourth line, also could see time at pivot. None of those options are that thrilling, which likely will result in the promotion of someone from Hartford.
Perreault – Zibanejad – Lafrenière
Kartye – Miller – Dorofeyev
Cuylle – Laba – Tolvanen
Bjorkstrand – Chmelař – Rempe
(Side note: Tye Kartye is not the perfect fit on the second line. However, you know you will get an honest, 100% effort from him nightly, which is why he can move up and down the lineup. Kartye reminds me of Jesper Fast. You can plug him anywhere on the lineup, and he fits)
Gavrikov – Fox
Pettersson – Durzi
Šmits – Schneider
On paper, calling up a replacement center from the minors should be easy. But a lack of cap space – New York entered Monday with just $461,686 in current cap space, according to PuckPedia- made the transaction more complicated. GM Chris Drury’s decision to add Korpisalo and his salary, coupled with dead cap space for both Jusso Parsinnen and Urho Vaakanainen, both at Hartford, created the minimal cap space for the Rangers.
That lack of cap space and center depth on their 23-man roster forced the Blueshirts to expose a piece of their blue-line depth to waivers just one week into the season. Matthew Robertson, who skated in 72 games in 2025-26 and lost a starting role following the acquisition of Marcus Pettersson and the drafting of Alberts Smits, was first scratched today for roster management purposes.
Confirmation came later in the afternoon that Robertson was placed on waivers. New York is hoping that teams won’t claim Robertson since LHD men are easier to find than those that play the right side, which is why Scott Morrow was not the one exposed. Irrespective of whether Robertson is a seventh or eighth blueliner, losing an asset for nothing if poor management. The Rangers got lucky not losing Garand; I don’t foresee them being that fortunate this time.
With a roster spot now open and cap space created, the Rangers will be able to add a center. Hartford options include Justin Dowling, Glenn Gawdin, Parssinen, Cole Beaudoin and Dylan Roobroeck. Parsinnen or Dowling would be the easiest fourth line fit. Beaudoin, acquired with Durzi for Trocheck, is off to a hot start for the Wolf Pack. New York may want him to gain more experience, but if they do promote him, Beaudoin should center their line with Laba, better equipped to be a checking-line center, sliding down a trio.
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