Rangers' Vincent Trocheck: Departs Thursday's game
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Trocheck (upper body) won't return to Thursday's game versus the Sabres.
Trocheck left in the middle of the second period and was ruled out during the intermission. Should the 32-year-old miss time, Juuso Parssinen would likely enter the lineup. Trocheck's status for Saturday versus the Penguins has yet to be determined.
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Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: Starting again Thursday
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Shesterkin will defend the road crease against the Sabres on Thursday, Jim Cerny of NHL.com reports.
Shesterkin drew the Opening Night start against the Penguins on Tuesday, and he turned aside 27 of 28 shots but didn't get any offensive help from the Rangers in the loss. He'll have another opportunity to pick up his first win of the 2025-26 campaign during Thursday's road matchup.
Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: Allows just one goal in loss
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Shesterkin stopped 27 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Penguins. The other two goals were empty-netters late in the third period.
Shesterkin was beaten late in the first half when Justin Brazeau found the twine with a backhand. The star netminder was able to keep the Rangers in the game and delivered a solid performance overall, but New York failed to support him offensively. The Rangers are likely to lean heavily on Shesterkin this year, so perhaps he'll quickly get another chance to earn his first win of the season by getting the start Thursday in Buffalo.
Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: First goalie off Tuesday
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Shesterkin was the first goalie to leave the ice Tuesday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports, indicating he'll be between the pipes at home versus the Penguins.
Shesterkin will be looking for a bounce-back campaign after managing just 27 victories in 61 regular-season appearances last year. It was the first time since 2020-21 that the 29-year-old backstop was unable to reach the 35-win threshold. Despite the lack of wins, Shesterkin still managed to post a solid 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage, good indicators that he'll be able to return to form this year.
Berard picked up six goals, 10 points, 59 shots on net, 20 blocked shots and 53 hits across 35 regular-season appearances with the Rangers in 2024-25. It wouldn't be surprising if he logged more time in the NHL at some point this campaign.
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Rangers' Conor Sheary: Secures NHL-level deal
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Sheary inked a one-year, two-way contract with the Rangers on Monday.
Sheary, who entered camp on a professional tryout agreement, clearly showed the team enough during preseason to secure a full NHL deal. It is a two-way contract for the veteran winger, which means he may have to spend some time in the minors this season. Still, Sheary is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with plenty of NHL experience and should bolster the Blueshirts' bottom six, especially since he'll be reunited with head coach Mike Sullivan, who was Sheary's coach in Pittsburgh.
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Rangers' Artemi Panarin: Set to play Opening Night
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Head coach Mike Sullivan said Monday that Panarin (lower body) is good to go for Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Penguins, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.
Panarin was sidelined for the conclusion of preseason action due to an upper-body injury, but he'll be back in action for the start of the regular season. The 33-year-old made 80 regular-season appearances for the Rangers last year, recording 37 goals, 52 assists, 18 hits, 16 PIM and 11 blocked shots while averaging 19:41 of ice time.
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Rangers' J.T. Miller: Good to go for Opening Night
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Miller (lower body) will be in the lineup against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Miller missed some time during training camp after suffering an injury at practice, but he was a full participant in Monday's session and will be ready for the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. Miller should log big minutes for the Rangers as part of the team's top six and first power-play combination.
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Rangers' J.T. Miller: Cleared for contact
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Miller (lower body) practiced in a regular jersey Monday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.
Miller seems to be trending in the right direction ahead of Tuesday's Opening Night matchup with the Penguins. If the 32-year-old center is cleared in time to face Pittsburgh, he figures to slot into a first-line center role as well as logging time with the No. 1 power-play unit. Last season, Miller missed the 30-goal threshold for the first time since 2020-21 but should be capable of returning to that level in 2025-26.
The Rangers clarified Friday that Panarin is dealing with an upper-body injury, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports.
Panarin was dealing with a lower-body injury earlier in training camp, but he's now managing an upper-body issue as training camp draws to a close. The Rangers still hope that Panarin will be ready to return in time for Tuesday's Opening Night matchup against the Penguins, but his status appears to be slightly up in the air.
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Rangers' J.T. Miller: Working in non-contact sweater
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Miller (lower body) was practicing in a non-contact jersey Friday, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports.
Considering Miller still hasn't been cleared for full contact, fantasy players probably shouldn't be expecting him to suit up in the preseason finale versus Boston on Saturday. Instead, the Rangers' captain will be hoping to be cleared in time for Opening Night against the Penguins on Tuesday. Once given the all-clear, Miller figures to retake his first-line role in addition to linking up with the No. 1 power-play unit.
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Rangers' Gabe Perreault: Demoted to AHL
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Perreault was reassigned to AHL Hartford on Friday.
Perreault was thought to have a good chance at making the Rangers' roster out of training camp, but it was decided that he needed some time at the minor-league level. Perreault was selected 23rd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft and signed his entry-level deal in March after leaving Boston College. He managed 16 goals and 32 assists in 37 NCAA games in 2024-25. Look for Perreault to see some NHL action this season.
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Rangers' Scott Morrow: Sent to the minors
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The Rangers sent Morrow to AHL Hartford on Friday.
Morrow was dealt from the Hurricanes to the Rangers on July 1. The 22-year-old played 14 regular-season games with Carolina in 2024-25, scoring once and adding five assists with 16 blocked shots. He should be one of the first defensemen recalled in case of injury.
Rangers' Artemi Panarin: Not slated to play Thursday
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Panarin (lower body) did not take line rushes and is not expected to play in Thursday's preseason game versus the Devils, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports.
It looked like Panarin might get a chance to play Thursday, but he'll now have to wait until the Rangers' preseason finale in Boston on Saturday to suit up. In any case, it looks like Panarin may be able to avoid missing regular-season action, as his return appears to be close.
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Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: Set to defend crease Saturday
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Shesterkin is slated to start Saturday's preseason game on the road against Boston, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.
Shesterkin made 61 regular-season appearances last year and went 27-29-5 with a 2.86 GAA and .905 save percentage. He's set to enter the 2025-26 regular season as the Rangers' No. 1 netminder once again, and he'll have a final chance for a tune-up during Saturday's preseason finale.
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Rangers' Jonathan Quick: Slated to start against New Jersey
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Quick will patrol the home crease during Thursday's preseason game against the Devils, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.
Quick is set to play the full game Thursday, while Igor Shesterkin will start and play the full matchup during Saturday's preseason finale against Boston. Quick made 24 regular-season appearances last year and went 11-7-2 with a 3.17 GAA and .893 save percentage. He'll likely continue to serve as Igor Shesterkin's backup in 2025-26.
