Rink Rap | A New York Rangers Podcast from Forever Blueshirts

Dylan Garand cleared waivers Monday and is headed back to the Hartford Wolfpack for a fifth season. Jim Cerny explains why the decision was made the day Chris Drury traded for Joonas Korpisalo on July 1, and why losing Garand would have left Spencer Martin as the next goalie up behind Igor Shesterkin.Also in this episode:- The three goalies who did get claimed: Clay Stevenson (Winnipeg), Levi Merilainen (Vancouver) and Poirier (New Jersey)- How Garand handles going back to Hartford after saying he didn't plan to- Albert Schmitz makes the team and debuts Tuesday- Scott Morrow vs. Matthew Robertson for the extra defenseman spot- Taylor Raddysh clears waivers, and Matt Rempe is in the lineup on opening nightThe Rangers open the 2026-27 season Tuesday night in Boston against the Bruins on ESPN.Read the full season preview and staff predictions at Forever Blueshirts.Chapters:00:00 Opening night is here00:17 Garand and Raddysh clear waivers(01:41) Why the Korpisalo trade decided it(02:50) Drury and the veteran backup pattern(04:01) Sullivan's "difficult decision"(05:42) The goalies who got claimed(08:11) Why losing Garand would have hurt(09:19) Is Korpisalo the right No. 2?(11:01) Best-case scenario for the Rangers(12:15) How does Garand respond?(16:41) Albert Schmitz makes the team(18:02) Morrow, Robertson and the extra D(19:39) Rempe in, opening night lineup(20:17) Wrap and season previewFollow Rink Rap so you don't miss an episode.

The Rangers are two preseason games into a short camp. Opening night against Boston is next Tuesday, and Jim Cerny runs through who's up and who's down.Adam Sykora will miss 4-5 months with a lower-body injury from Monday's game against the Devils. Jim didn't see a path for Sykora to the opening-night roster, but his energy and leadership will be missed in Hartford. The upside is depth. Eeli Tolvanen joins the bottom six, and Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin are pushing from the AHL.Alberts Smits is the story of camp. The No. 5 overall pick has skated with the NHL group and alongside Braden Schneider every day. After his poised preseason debut against the Islanders, Jim thinks he has the inside track. Jim also covers:Where Smits' arrival leaves Matthew Robertson, Drew Fortescue and Scott MorrowWhat Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson change on the second pairThe last fourth-line spot, between Taylor Raddysh, Matt Rempe and Jaroslav ChmelarWhether the Rangers carry three goalies to protect Dylan GarandWhy Pavel Dorofeyev might be the Rangers' first true sniper since Marian Gaborik, and a J.T. Miller who looks energizedPlus updates on former Rangers Brennan Othmann, Jonny Brodzinski, Carson Soucy and Cam Talbot.Coming up: Rink Rap is recording at Mustang Harry's near Madison Square Garden to kick off the season. Watch Forever Blueshirts on X for details, and read more at ForeverBlueshirts.com.

Jim Cerny is joined by Russ Cohen of Sportsology and NHL Prospects Radio to break down the Rangers' rookie series against the Philadelphia Flyers.They cover Alberts Smits' two-game showing as the Rangers' No. 5 overall pick, Drew Fortescue playing his off side on defense, Dylan Roobroeck's physical bounce-back performance, and the development of Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin. They also dig into the goaltending, with both Danai Shaiikov and Callum Tung standing out, plus the chemistry between Adam Sykora and Tomas Chrenko. The guys wrap with a look ahead to what to watch at Rangers training camp.Chapters: 0:00 Intro and Rangers-Flyers rookie series recap 0:55 Russ Cohen joins the show 5:39 Big-picture overview of the rookie series 7:21 Alberts Smits breakdown 13:52 Drew Fortescue playing his off side 17:14 Dylan Roobroeck's bounce-back game 19:44 Cole Beaudoin update and injury note 24:00 Rangers' need for top-six skill 26:49 Liam Greentree's two-way game 29:51 Adam Sykora and Tomas Chrenko chemistry 33:56 2026 draft class overview 39:36 Goaltending: Danai Shaiikov and Callum Tung 43:34 Looking ahead to Rangers training campFollow more Rangers coverage at foreverblueshirts.com and follow Russ Cohen's work at Sportsology and NHL Prospects Radio.This is the Rink Rap podcast, part of the Forever Blueshirts network.

Hockey is back, and Jim Cerny is rolling into rookie camp week on Rink Rap from Forever Blueshirts.The Rangers rookies play the Flyers on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. at PPL Center in Allentown. Cerny previews the first look at No. 5 pick Alberts Smits, Tomas Chrenko’s next step, Liam Greentree’s first Rangers sweater, and whether Cole Beaudoin can pull a Noah Laba and crash opening night.Then it’s the roster questions that will follow this team into training camp: Eeli Tolvanen’s one-year fit next to Laba and Will Cuylle, why some fans want Cuylle in the top six with J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev, where Oliver Bjorkstrand lands, and why a Mika Zibanejad slump would be New York’s worst-case scenario after Vincent Trocheck’s departure.Read the latest at ForeverBlueshirts.comJim on X: @JimCernyForever Blueshirts on X: @ForeverBluShirtChapters0:00 Welcome to Rink Rap0:47 More on Eeli Tolvanen1:33 Rookie camp and Allentown schedule2:29 First look at Alberts Smits4:01 Ivy League polo and ESPN+6:04 Johnny Lazarus and the Ranger tie6:56 Why the Rangers delayed the rookie roster9:15 Tomas Chrenko watch11:58 Liam Greentree and Cole Beaudoin12:40 Can Beaudoin pull a Noah Laba?16:18 Nathan Aspinall and the next wave17:32 Tolvanen deep dive with Rob Simpson23:20 Cuylle, Laba and Tolvanen on the third line23:41 Should Will Cuylle play in the top six?25:52 Cuylle with J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev27:00 Keeping Zibanejad, Lafrenière and Perreault together28:08 Oliver Bjorkstrand’s role32:54 Mika Zibanejad worst-case scenario38:37 Weekend games, training camp and the Boston opener

September hockey is finally here. On this edition of the Rink Rap Podcast, Jim Cerny digs into the Rangers' latest offseason move: the one-year, $1.5 million signing of winger Eeli Tolvanen. Jim explains why Chris Drury waiting out a market that never developed for Tolvanen worked in the Rangers' favor, and why a rough underlying-numbers season in Seattle shouldn't scare fans off a player who's scored 23 goals and 41 points in a single season before.Jim breaks down how Tolvanen slots into a projected third line with Will Cujo and Noah Laba, how the signing pushes Ty Cartier down to a much-improved fourth line, and why these short, affordable one-year deals (Tolvanen, Bjorkstrand, Veleno) are smart, low-risk business for a Rangers team still searching for top-end firepower. He also responds to fan criticism from both sides — those who think he's "drinking the Kool-Aid" and those who call him a "hater" — and lays out where he really stands on the Rangers' chances this season.Plus: a preview of rookie camp and the Rangers-Flyers rookie games kicking off next week, the first-year prospects to watch (Liam Greentree, Nathan Aspinall, Cole Beaudoin, Malcolm Spence), and why only four preseason games this year means fewer chances to evaluate the kids. Jim wraps with a Labor Day sign-off and a look ahead to training camp.Subscribe and follow along all season at ForeverBlueShirts.com, and follow Jim Cerny on X and Facebook @ForeverBlueShirts.Timecodes0:00 – Intro: hockey is back in September 1:59 – Housekeeping: shorter show, thanks for the support 4:57 – Rangers sign Eeli Tolvanen (1 year, $1.5M) 7:07 – Why Tolvanen's market never developed 9:23 – Tarasenko comparison and why he's not the right fit 9:52 – Projected third line: Cooley, Laba, Tolvanen 11:31 – Tolvanen's rough 2025-26 analytics explained 15:36 – Why one-year "bounce-back" deals make sense  19:16 – Addressing fan pushback: "Kool-Aid" vs. "hater" criticism 25:11 – Where the Rangers stack up in the Metro/Atlantic 28:22 – Rookie camp and prospects to watch next week 34:11 – Preseason format change: only 4 games this year 39:04 – Labor Day sign-off and what's coming next week