Tom Castro

I'm a resident of the Chicago suburbs by way of White Plains, NY. I worked for the Associated Press sports department in New York City for 10 years before moving to Chicago in 2005, when the AP's then-internet division entered into a joint venture with STATS LLC. I worked for STATS for 11 years, until 2016. Since then I've covered the Rangers for Elite Sports NY, a hyper-local website, writing long form features and news stories. I'm very excited to be a part of The Hockey Writers.

Rangers Should Consider Nugent-Hopkins as Solution to Center Problems

February 27, 2021 by Tom Castro

As Mika Zibanejad has struggled to find his game and the Buffalo Sabres have struggled overall, the Jack Eichel-to-the-New York Rangers rumor mill has ramped up in recent weeks. Getting …

Rangers Don’t Need to Worry About Lafreniere’s Slow Start

February 21, 2021 by Tom Castro

What’s wrong with Alexis Lafreniere? This question seems to be getting more and more urgent on social media, New York Rangers fans either expressing increasing worry over the top overall …

Rangers’ Top 4 All Time

February 16, 2021 by Tom Castro

The Franchise Four. The Mount Rushmore. Four players who tell the story of an organization. In this series I’ll be taking a look at the history of all 30 NHL …

Rangers Should Try to Bring Lundkvist to Broadway Now

February 13, 2021 by Tom Castro

The New York Rangers have made it clear since sending “The Letter” three years ago: settle in, fans, because we’re going to rebuild the team the right way and not …

Rangers’ Rebuild Yields Stability on Defense Earlier Than Expected

February 6, 2021 by Tom Castro

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust carried the puck down the right side of the offensive zone in the final minutes of Monday’s game against the New York Rangers, looking for …

Rangers’ Long-Term Plans Uncertain Following Chytil Injury

January 30, 2021 by Tom Castro

With all that has gone wrong for the New York Rangers so far in 2020-21, the most costly setback might not have to do with the club’s early stumble out …

Rangers Facing Conundrum With DeAngelo

January 25, 2021 by Tom Castro

When do the problems a player creates on and off ice start to outweigh his contributions to his team? It’s an age-old question, one with no easy answer. There’s no …

Rangers’ Esposito Era: 5 Best and Worst Trades of ‘Trader Phil’

January 18, 2021 by Tom Castro

Before Big Deal Neil, there was Trader Phil. If the nickname for New York Rangers’ Stanley Cup-winning general manager Neil Smith wasn’t widely used during his tenure in the Big …

Rangers’ Biggest Breakout Candidates for 2020-21

January 9, 2021 by Tom Castro

Breakouts became fairly synonymous with the New York Rangers during the 2019-20 season. Rookies and veterans alike delivered surprising performances that simultaneously generated hope for the future and pushed the …

Rangers’ Uncertain Defense Could Be Achilles’ Heel Next Season

December 12, 2020 by Tom Castro

Brady Skjei and Marc Staal are gone. Jacob Trouba should be better after an uneven first season on Broadway. Tony DeAngelo has been re-signed. New assistant coach Jacques Martin has …

Rangers Have Real Trouble Drafting in the Top 10

December 14, 2020December 9, 2020 by Tom Castro

The New York Rangers have high hopes and big plans for Kaapo Kakko, the Finnish forward who they selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, …

1991-92 Rangers: Prelude to a Stanley Cup

December 2, 2020December 1, 2020 by Tom Castro

Before there was the spring of 1994, there was 1991-92. The New York Rangers’ rise to Stanley Cup-drought busters didn’t happen overnight. For hopeful fans at the outset of the …