Bantering Points: 12/22/16

The Rangers are back in New York, and are continuing preparations for tomorrow night's game against the Minnesota Wild. With the holiday roster freeze now in effect, the team will have to make due with what they currently have if they'd like to enter the break on a high note. Here are today's news and links:

Rangers News:

• Brett Cyrgalis points out that despite the stellar season he's put together so far, not even Ryan McDonagh is immune to the effects of a condensed schedule (NY Post)
• Larry Brooks pens a thought-provoking piece about how the time has come for New York to recall Tanner Glass (NY Post)
• Justin Tasch doesn't buy the excuse of the condensed schedule being the root of the team's uninspired performance against Pittsburgh (NY Daily News)
• Sean Hartnett discusses how in order to fix the Rangers, Jeff Gorton must do what he failed miserably at doing over the summer: retooling the right side of the defense corps (CBS)
• Thomas Crincoli believes a trade might be necessary in order to jump start New York's recently anemic powerplay (Blue Line Station)
• Michael Monti preaches to the choir about how the Garden faithful must put an end to the "Potvin Sucks!" chant (Blue Line Station)
• Dave Shapiro offers a satirical take on what happened to Pavel Buchnevich's recovery timeline (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Late Postgame Notes: Alain Vigneault is now 8th among Rangers' coaches in games coached, passing Roger Neilson with his 281st game behind the bench (Official Team Site)
• He played 44 games as a Ranger way back in 2006, was a two-tine Stanley Cup Champion, and made six different Cup Finals appearances with three different franchises. Yesterday's player in the picture was.....Petr Sykora (Wikipedia)

Around the NHL:

• Darren Dreger passes along word that NHL agent Pat Brisson is upset with the NHL's inability to offer a solid answer about Olympic participation in 2018 (TSN)
• Elliotte Friedman releases another edition of 30 Thoughts (Sportsnet)
• Josh Cooper lists the top 10 pop culture moments in hockey from 2016 (Puck Daddy)
• Cooper also dove into the history behind the coolest tradition throughout minor league hockey: the teddy bear toss (Puck Daddy)
• Jared Clinton names five notable offseason signings who have been busts with their news teams through two and a half months (The Hockey News)/

Do you know who the Ranger in the picture is?