Six Rangers players not in the 4 Nations event who need to be ready to go after time off
The New York Rangers players not participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off should be looking to accomplish things that don’t concern winning a best-on-best tournament for their home countries.
While the Rangers have six players participating in the event — forwards Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and JT Miller, and defenseman Adam Fox for Team USA, Mika Zibanejad for Sweden, and Urho Vaakanainen for Finland — the rest of the roster has some time off before the NHL schedule resumes on Feb. 22 with a visit to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Rangers are trying to recover after a 4-15-0 collapse in the final six weeks of 2024 dropped them out of a playoff spot. With the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils having all but locked up the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers are fighting for the two wild-card spots along with the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins and New York Islanders.
In addition, the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers aren’t out of playoff contention, but all three would to string some wins together to make a serious bid.
With the standings so tight — the Rangers are three points out of the second wild card but 11th in the East — it’s important for players not participating in the 4 Nations to be ready to go when the NHL season resumes. Here are six players who need to be ready after the break.
Related: Rangers forward Chris Kreider likely to be scratched again for Team USA at 4 Nations Face-Off
What Rangers not playing in 4 Nations can accomplish
Alexis Lafreniere: Play like a $7.45 million per year player
2023-24 was Alexis Lafreniere’s breakout season, when he finally showed the Rangers a glimpse of his full potential. But the 23-year-old still has room to improve. Lafreniere inked a seven-year, $52.15 million contract ($7.45 million average annual value) after getting off to a fast start this season, solidifying general manager Chris Drury and upper management’s faith in the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. However, Lafreniere’s game has fallen off since the Rangers began their freefall in mid-November.
Lafreniere has just 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 19 games since the start of 2025 — not the kind of numbers expected from a top-six forward with a big new contract. The Artemi Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere line has underperformed during the past 2 1/2 months, but with the addition of J.T. Miller on Jan. 31, coach Peter Laviolette’s line-juggling might be a spark for Lafreniere. Hopefully, the break will give him some mental and physical rest that will have him ready for the playoff push.
Artemi Panarin: Shoot more
Expectations were high for Panarin after he scored a career-high 49 goals and finished with 120 points last season. But after a fast start, his offensive contributions have dropped off. Panarin leads the Rangers in points (57), goals (23), and power-play goals (8), but is on pace for 33 goals and 86 points — huge declines from last season. Because Russia is not involved with the 4 Nations Face-off, Panarin has extra time to rest and hopefully gear up for a push to the playoffs.
One reason Panarin’s numbers have dropped is that some of his teammates have struggled, especially on the power play. That means it’s even more crucial for Panarin to be more willing to shoot the puck, especially when the Rangers have an extra man. Players like Mika Zibanejad have struggled offensively, and as team’s the points and goals leader, Panarin should become a bit more selfish and shoot more. Having Panarin’s one-timer more often on the power play hopefully will provide more chances and more goals.
Igor Shesterkin: Get healthy — and consistent
Igor Shesterkin needed some medical attention late in the first period of the Rangers’ 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 7. He finished the game, but the Rangers recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack to back up Jonathan Quick the next night in their 4-3 road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets — while announcing before the game that Shesterkin would miss 1-2 weeks with an upper-body injury.
Happily for the Rangers, most of that time is covered by the 4 Nations event, because they need him healthy and at the top of his game if they hope to make the postseason. Shesterkin is by far the most important player on the team, and unless he’s performing at his best — which hasn’t always been the case this season — there won’t be another trip to the playoffs.
The Rangers resume their season next weekend with back-to-back road games against the Sabres and Penguins, so coach Peter Laviolette might give Shesterkin an extra game off and have Quick start in Buffalo, then use Shesterkin in Pittsburgh.
Ryan Lindgren: Rest and heal
Ryan Lindgren has had a tough season. The 27-year-old defensive defenseman broke his jaw during the preseason, needed surgery and missed the first two weeks of the season. Lindgren has clearly been a step behind even after his return. The Rangers count on Lindgren to keep the area in front of the net clear, and his struggles are a key reason they often struggle defensively.
There have been calls for Lindgren to be traded before the deadline because he can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. But if Drury does decide to keep him, it’ll be important for Lindgren to be healthy and at his best when play resumes. Because of the physical way Lindgren plays, he’s seemingly always banged up, so getting two weeks to rest may be the just what he needs to find his groove again.
Will Cuylle: Get back to basics
Will Cuylle has had a breakout season. He surpassed his rookie-year point total (21) before the Christmas break and his 14 goals are one more than he had all last season. But his offense has dried up since the Rangers returned after Christmas. The hard-nosed forward has just five points (three goals, two assists) since Dec. 28. Cuylle’s offensive struggles were overshadowed in January because of the Rangers’ 8-3-3 record.
Cuylle, who’s fourth in the NHL with 204 hits, needs to focus on what made him effective earlier in the season. He has to get back to the basics: Forechecking, backchecking and getting pucks on net. That’s what Cuylle was doing when he was at his best, so getting back to that style of play and trying not to do too much should help him revive his offensive game.
Jimmy Vesey: Stay in the lineup
Jimmy Vesey has been a healthy scratch on more nights than not this season, but with Adam Edstrom out 2-3 months with a lower-body injury, Vesey figures to get a chance to show he belongs in the lineup on a regular basis. Since returning to the Rangers in 2022-23, Vesey has shown he’s been a dependable player who can play up and down the lineup. While it wasn’t necessarily his fault he was scratched so often after returning from a training-camp injury, he’s played just 30 of New York’s 55 games — and not at all between Jan. 11 and Feb. 2.
With other spare forwards like Johnny Brodzinski also looking for playing time, Vesey needs to make himself more valuable. Sitting one goal shy of 100 for his career, Vesey may look to team up with linemate Sam Carrick, who has had a bit of an offensive revival during the past month. Vesey can become a UFA on July 1, so it’s not impossible Drury moves him before the trade deadline. Either way, the 31-year-old needs to work hard to show he’s worthy of another NHL contract, with the Rangers or somewhere else.
More About:New York Rangers News
Read This Next
