Rangers News & Rumors: Shesterkin, 4 Nations, Blowout Loss to Sabres – The Hockey Writers New York Rangers Latest News, Analysis & More

The New York Rangers are looking to make the playoffs this season and after a rough start to their 2024-25 campaign, they have been trying to climb their way toward the top of the Metropolitan Division.

They have made a couple of moves this season trading Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick, as well as acquiring J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks in a massive deal in an attempt to bolster their forward core. The 2025 Trade Deadline is just 12 days away and while the rumor mill has been rather quiet over the 4 Nations Face-Off break, things are expected to heat up soon.

Related: Rangers Should Look to Trade for a Peter Laviolette Favorite Player

In this edition of Rangers News & Rumors, we take a look at Igor Shesterkin’s injury return, Mika Zibanejad’s battle with sickness, the repercussions of the 4 Nations Face-Off, and their recent loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Shesterkin Returns From Injury, Pulled From Blowout Loss to Sabres

The Rangers had some good news heading into their game against the Sabres on Saturday (Feb. 22), as goaltender Igor Shesterkin returned from injury. He was dealing with an upper-body injury before the matchup and was able to start the game after missing one game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

He was pulled from his return game against the Sabres after allowing five goals on 16 shots, finishing the night with a 16.67 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .688 save percentage (SV%) before Jonathan Quick entered the game.

Rangers Suffer Blowout 8-2 Loss to Sabres

Shesterkin wasn’t the only one who had a tough night, as the Rangers fell 8-2 to the struggling Sabres. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad were the only goalscorers while Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox added an assist, with J.T. Miller assisting on both goals. In the first period, the Sabres took a 5-0 lead with two goals from Rasmus Dahlin, as well as goals from Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson, and Ryan McLeod.

The Rangers were the only team to score in the second period bringing the score to 5-2 heading into the third period, but it didn’t get any better. Thompson and McLeod picked up their second goals while Henri Jokiharju picked up his third goal of the season to seal the game. The Rangers will be trying to get back in the win column today (Feb. 23) in their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

4 Nations Face-Off Comes to an End

The 4 Nations Face-Off has now come and gone, with Canada defeating the United States 3-2 in the championship game to win the tournament, with Sweden and Finland missing out after a couple of tough games kept them out of contention for a gold medal. The Rangers had several players representing them at the tournament, with none of them representing Canada.

Miller, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and Adam Fox all came in second place and lost to Canada in the final game. Vaakanainen played for Finland while Zibanejad played for Sweden, but none of them came out of the tournament with a championship. All of them put on strong showings and could earn themselves roster spots at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

There haven’t been many major trade rumors surrounding the Rangers, but there should be some moves made by them before the 2025 Trade Deadline. They need to make some additions to their lineup if they want to make another deep run into the postseason, and they have some time to do so.

As the 2024-25 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.