The New York Rangers are preparing to make a deep postseason run after a strong 2023-24 regular season. They have a strong chance of winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular season team and will be looking to build momentum heading into the playoffs with only a few games left.
While the rumor mill has died down a bit since the 2024 Trade Deadline came and went, some things are still happening around the Rangers. In this Rangers News & Rumors column, we look at some news surrounding a couple of new signings, Vincent Trocheck being awarded for his extra effort, and more!
Trocheck Wins Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award
This week, there is some good news surrounding Trocheck, as he has been awarded the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. According to the Rangers’ website, the award is presented annually to the Ranger who, as chosen by the fans, “goes above and beyond the call of duty.” The award, which has been awarded annually since the 1987-88 season, bears the name of devoted Blueshirt fan and New York City police detective Steven McDonald, who was shot and injured in the line of duty on July 12, 1986, and passed away on Jan. 10, 2017. Last season, Ryan Lindgren won the award, while Chris Kreider won it in the 2021-22 season.
Rangers Sign Vaisanen & Mancini
The Rangers also recently signed two prospects to entry-level contracts. The first was defenceman Victor Mancini, who agreed to a two-year entry-level deal. The 21-year-old defender is coming off his junior season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he scored four goals and added six assists for 10 points through 40 games. Over three seasons with Nebraska, Mancini scored four goals and added 19 assists for 23 points through 110 games. He was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft at 159th overall.
Related: Rangers’ Jonathan Quick Could Be Playoff X-Factor
The second prospect they chose to sign was forward Kalle Vaisanen, who agreed to a three-year entry-level deal. In the Finnish Liiga with TPS, he scored nine goals and added five assists for 14 points through 58 games. He was originally drafted by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft at 106th overall.
Rangers’ Late Season Push for Presidents’ Trophy
At the time of this article, the Rangers sit first in the Metropolitan Division with 110 points posting a 53-22-4 record through 79 games. The Carolina Hurricanes trail behind them with a 50-22-7 record and 107 points. The Dallas Stars are the Western Conference leaders right now, posting a 50-20-9 record with 109 points, while the Boston Bruins lead the Atlantic Division with a 46-18-15 record and 107 points. Rangers fans may have been concerned coming into the new season with the losses of Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko after a first-round defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Devils last season, but they seem poised to bounce back and make a deep run this postseason.
With the Rangers’ first-round matchup still undecided at this point, they seem to be trying to build momentum to bring into the postseason regardless of who they play. We have seen an underdog take a playoff series from a Stanley Cup favorite every season, and the Rangers are trying not to be the team that gets shocked early in the postseason. With just three games remaining and a playoff spot already well in hand, they need to focus on making sure they are well-rested and focused solely on the goal of defeating their opponent come the playoffs. Being the best team in the regular season would be a massive accomplishment, but there is another trophy they would prefer to be lifting at the end of the postseason.