Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

• Brett Cyrgalis notes that the one thing atop every Rangers fan’s wish list is a strong effort against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight (NY Post)
• Sean Hartnett believes that Alain Vigneault needs to treat Kevin Shattenkirk as the top-pairing defenseman he is (CBS)
• Frank Curto questions whether or not Shattenkirk’s offensive prowess makes up for his defensive deficiencies (Elite Sports NY)
• Justin Rutherford argues the time has come to be concerned about Henrik Lundqvist’s workload (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Josh Lipman breaks down why David Desharnais’s point production is fool’s gold (Blue Line Station)
• George Ruggiero ponders if Jeff Gorton would’ve been better off ponying up the assets to land Matt Duchene (Blue Line Station)
• Nicholas Zararis wonders if the Rangers are currently capable of winning the Stanley Cup (Blue Line Station)
• Mike Valvano highlights how New York’s penalty kill has stepped up as of late (Cleared For Contact)
• Jeff Ponder suggests that the hockey world needs a movie about the team’s 1994 Stanley Cup run (The Hockey Writers)
• Rick Carpiniello goes in-depth on how the Blueshirts’ fourth line is doing much more than just eating tough minutes (MSG)
• Media Availability: Ryan McDonagh,(1:39) Alain Vigneault,(5:00) Marc Staal,(1:51) Cristoval Nieves,(1:04) and Kevin Shattenkirk (2:15) (Official Team Site)/

Around the NHL:

• Joey Alfieri relays word that Nashville Predators defenseman P.K Subban continues his tradition of giving back during the holiday season (NBC Sports)
• Andrew Berkshire analyzes why Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin might find more success at his natural position on the wing rather than down the middle (Sportsnet)
• Craig Morgan acknowledges that the supposed rebuild of the Washington Capitals has been anything but painful (FanRag)/