In this latest edition of New York Rangers News & Rumors, Blake Wheeler‘s start with the Blueshirts has been disastrous, going pointless in his first eight games. Can the veteran winger turn things around? In other news, after a nightmare of a preseason, goaltender Jonathan Quick has been excellent in the regular season so far for the Rangers. Lastly, Barclay Goodrow hit his 500th career NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 28, and that is quite an accomplishment for the undrafted forward. Let’s discuss all of this and more in today’s (Oct. 30) Rangers News & Rumors column now.
Wheeler Looking to Turn Things Around
As noted above, Wheeler has zero points and a minus-3 rating in his first eight games as a Ranger. When noting that he posted 16 goals and 55 points last season with the Winnipeg Jets, this certainly is not the kind of start the Rangers expected from the 2004 fifth-overall pick. Although it has been a poor start to the season for Wheeler, the campaign is quite young, and he still has a ton of time to turn things around.
Wheeler produced well just last season and also had 60 points in 65 games the season before with the Jets. As a result, it should, in theory, only be a matter of time before we see the Minnesota native start to produce more regularly. It can sometimes take a player some time to adjust to a new team, and this may even be more of the case with Wheeler, as he just completed a 13-year stint with Winnipeg.
Speaking of the Jets, how wonderful would it be if Wheeler had a big night against his former club? After being bought out by the team this offseason, that could give Wheeler a little bit more of a spark for this upcoming contest. Let’s see if he finally cracks the scoresheet.
Quick’s Excellent Start to Regular Season
While Wheeler has had a tough go of things early in the season, fellow Rangers offseason addition Quick has been nothing short of marvelous. In three regular-season appearances with the Rangers thus far, he sports a 2-0-0 record, a .982 save percentage (SV%), and a 0.41 goals-against average. His SV% and GAA are currently the best in the NHL. Although the sample size has been small, it is hard not to be impressed with Connecticut native’s start. This is especially so with how poorly his preseason went.
Related: Rangers News & Rumors: Kane, Quick, Kreider & Laviolette
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Quick is looking to have a successful bounce-back season in 2023-24, as last season was a rough one for the three-time Stanley Cup champion. In 41 games split between the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights, the 37-year-old goaltender had a 16-15-6 record, a .882 SV%, and a 3.41 GAA. Needless to say, he was far from consistent in 2022-23.
Expecting Quick to maintain this stupendous form is unreasonable, but he is showing that he has the potential to be an effective backup for superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin. Let’s see if he can be just that for the rest of the campaign.
Goodrow Hits 500 Games
The Rangers earned a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win over the Canucks on Oct. 28, but it was extra special for Goodrow, as it was his 500th career NHL game. For a player who went undrafted, this is an outstanding milestoe and should not be overlooked.
Although the odds against Goodrow making the NHL may have been high, he is now halfway to 1,000 NHL games. He has made it this far due to his excellent work ethic, immense physicality, and steady two-way play. With that, he has emerged as a key leader for the Rangers, as he is one of their alternate captains.
Overall, it is hard to not feel happy for Goodrow hitting the 500-game mark. He has earned it, and it will be intriguing to see how the rest of his career goes from here.
