Here are ten points about the Rangers and all you need to know about the team.
1. Most unexpectedly, Ottawa – under coach Travis Green – has become another obstacle for the Rangers playoff quest. The young Senators don't want to lose anymore.
2. Interesting note from Rangers author George Grimm about Filip Chytil when he was mysteriously sent to Vancouver after a head injury. (At the time Chytil flying cross-country didn't make sense.
3. "There might have been a deal on the table at that time," writes Grimm, "and the Canucks wanted to check him out." (Makes sense now that Fiery Fil is with Vancouver.)
4. I asked my 18-year-old Rangers fan grandson, Ariel, to comment on a few Blueshirts. No surprise, he's down on Mika, Kreider, Lindgren, K'Andre, Lafrenière and – surprise – Trocheck.
5. He likes Borgen, Fox, Carrick, Rempe, Schenider and the two goalies. I liked his capsule on Jonny Brodzinski: "A hell of a fourth-liner."
6. Here's a frequent knock on Chris Drury: Why didn't he get a guy like Jake Guentzel last year? Jake might have put them over the top.
7. Veteran broadcaster Rick Ackerman weighs in with this: "The Rangers are interesting but I'm not buying them yet as the team that could surprise. They still are not where they need to be – on them being a contender."
8. The two Rangers I expect to be most positively affected by the J.T. Miller acquisition are Miller's longtime pal, Vin Trocheck and Mika.
9. The uneasy Jimmy Vesey benching situation is disturbing to anyone – like myself – who appreciates what a marvelous unsung hero he's been.
10. You've heard this before but it must be said: A win tomorrow night at MSG against Boston still could be the start of something big. A loss will cause many optimists to lose faith; and I, for one, could not blame them.