Big Apple Debut Goes According to Plan
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New York, NY (PSF) — The New York Rangers played a much-anticipated game against the Seattle Kraken last night. The Rangers were fresh off a blockbuster trade for Vladimir Tarasenko (FW) and Niko Mikkola (D) from the Saint Louis Blues. They sent Sammy Blais (FW), and Hunter Skinner (D), along with conditional First and Fourth round draft picks in the upcoming drafts, the first in 2023 and the fourth in 2024. It seemed to be a win-win for both teams, the Blues offloaded a big contract and got younger, while the Rangers added another star to the team and good defensive depth.
But the gem of the trade was Tarasenko, known as a prolific scorer, he recorded 533 points and 262 goals over 644 games in Saint Louis with 10 goals and 29 points coming this year. The trade was seen as a huge move in New York as he is in the contract for this year and becomes a free agent in the offseason. As a Rangers fan, I see it as a very “Win Now” move where it may look like a mistake if they do not make it to the Stanley Cup.
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Tarasenko started his debut with a bang taking a pretty pass from Atremi Panarin (FW) and firing into the net just two minutes and 49 seconds into the game. Many fans felt that this goal will lead to success for the Rangers in the future. Tarasenko finished with the lone goal along with two shots and 13 minutes and 58 seconds of ice time. The Rangers posted a dominant win over a solid Seattle team 6-3. It seems that the Rangers are able to pile on goals on teams and Tarasenko will hope to help with the scoring and get this team to where it wants to be.
They now have one of the most dangerous first lines in the league with Artemi Planarian and Vladimir Tarasenko manning the wings and Mika Zibanejad at the center position. We will see if the hot start continues over the Rangers’ next stretch of games. If Tarasenko can be a factor, there is not much you can do to stop the Rangers’ offense and they will certainly be a tough out in the playoffs if they continue to play well.