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'I Want To Be Here': Notes From Rangers Breakup Day

Another early end to the season rehashes conversations of disappointments, shortcomings, and future plans. Hear from all the Rangers as they reflect on another lost season.

Chris Feldman

Chris Feldman

— 14 min read
'I Want To Be Here': Notes From Rangers Breakup Day
© Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan was the first to speak to the media this morning for the Rangers breakup day. His main points suggested that, despite the shortcomings, he is still committed to this team and believes they aren't far off from being competitive again.

He was also asked about the team's biggest need moving forward and stated that it centered around the blue line.

Captain J.T. Miller reiterated the fact that it's been a challenging year but they were happy with their play following the Olympic break. When he was asked how close they were to contending again, he mentioned "moving parts" that are "out of [his] line of work," but that competing in the playoffs is where they want to be.

He also offered some interesting insight regarding the Olympics, stating he "hasn't thought about it a whole lot since it happened," mentioning that his priority is his job with the Rangers.

Regarding this being his first season as team captain, Miller provided some rather telling quotes, including the responsibility "might have been a little too taxing" for him.

I mentioned ahead of the final game recap that we may have seen Jonny Brodzinski's last game as a Ranger. When asked as much, Brodzinski mentioned that there haven't been any conversations about an extension yet and that he will "leave that to [his] agent"

He went on to speak highly of the Rangers organization and his time here. Brodzinski also offered insight on the role he plays and the advice he has for the younger players looking to carve out a career in this league.

With the Rangers being eliminated from playoffs, many of them have the option of representing their countries at the World Championships. Urho Vaakanainen was named to Team Finland yesterday. But when Gabe Perreault was asked about the possibility of joining Team USA, he mentioned he had conversations with them but will pass on the opportunity. Perreault understands it's going to be an important off-season for him and wants to prioritize bulking up in order to prepare for a full NHL season.

Vincent Trocheck spoke about the injury that left him sidelined earlier in the season. As it turns out, he was dealing with a viral bacteria infection in his lungs and was in the hospital for about a week.

Trocheck was also asked about his future with the organization, to which he did not have any answers outside of "we'll see".

Alexis Lafrenière agreed with others that the second half of the season was progress in the right direction. He mentioned that he wants to continued to improve his net front game and focus on putting himself in the right scenarios around the net to continue scoring goals.

Mika Zibanejad had the most simple, yet effective quote of the day: "I want to be here."

He went on to repeat many of the same things said by his teammates, that the season was disappointing but the youth provides promise for the future.

Zibanejad also spoke about this being a redemption year of sorts for him and how he feels he proved to any doubters that he is still capable of playing his game effectively.

Adam Fox, who was arguably the most anticipated player to hear from today, seemed to be focused on a future involving the Rangers. He mentioned how they never want to be doing these exit meeting this early in the year and that the expectations need to be high for next season.

Fox was also asked about fan frustrations and understood where the fans are coming from.

Fox also seemed excited to about his defense partner, Vladislav Gavrikov, calling him "the perfect compliment" to his game.

Braden Schneider had many of the same things to say in regards to the team failing to meet expectations, namely that they should head into the summer with a "chip on [their] shoulder."

Schneider also spoke about his uncertain future and what being a Ranger has meant to him over the years.

There was a bit more positivity surrounding the day in comparisson to last year as pointed out by Will Cuylle. Finishing the season strong and getting support from the younger players playing a key role in that.

Noah Laba reflected on what he gained from his first full season in the NHL and how he will take that into the off-season. He also mentioned that he's attempting to learn how to play guitar in his free time outside of training. If he needs a teacher, I'm sure Roberto, Tom, or myself can help him out.

One of the newer Rangers, Tye Kartye spoke about his transition to the team and the warm-welcome he received from this group.

Jaroslav Chmelar spoke about his "vision board" for the summer and how he's "as hungry as [he's] ever been."

Another Ranger that will head to the World Championships to represent his country (Slovakia), Adam Sykora explained how it was his goal to "get here and stay here." He was all smiles as he spoke about his eleven games with the Rangers this season.

Matthew Robertson credited confidence as the trait that helped him grow his game the most this season.

Another bold quote from the day came from Matt Rempe who had an injury plagued season. The fan-favorite stated that he plans to "come back with a vengeance" next season, mentioning how frustrating it was to miss so much time this year.

Rempe had a second surgery on his thumb and is continuing to make progress with the rehab process. He's able to grip the stick and has restored movement which is an encouraging sign.

Rempe was asked about the potential competition for roster spots next season and viewed it as a positive thing. He also provided interesting insight on what he learned from the injury, explaining how he's the type of guy who always wants to go but learned that he needed "more talking" presumably when it comes to making those decisions.

Adam Edstrom, who was impacted by injuries of his own, spoke about the challenges he faced, playing with a fracture in his ankle for a month and a half.

Long Island-native Drew Fortescue spoke about what it meant to play at MSG having grown up so close to the city as well as what will stay with him from the experiences from this season.

Goalie Quotes

Dylan Garand alluded to this a bit after his start in the final game of the regular season, but he spoke about how he's hungry to be here and wants to be the number two goalie to start next season.

Igor Shesterkin believes that Garand has a promising future in this league.

Shesterkin also spoke about his individual season and how he believes he can be even better moving forward.

Shesterkin was also asked about the effect the young players had on the Rangers towards the end of the season, said that the team "loves to play with them".

Lastly, Shesterkin mentioned the impact Jonathan Quick has had on him and the team across the last few seasons.

Chris Drury

To wrap up the day, general manager Chris Drury spoke to the media but didn't appear to offer much insight. When asked how long it would take for this team to be competitive again, he essentially chose not to answer the question.

Drury did agree with Sullivan's comments, suggesting that defense is one of the bigger areas of improvement for this group moving forward.

When asked specifically about the top six forwards and if there needs to be improvements there, Drury weighed both sides, suggesting there were answers in the room, but are "always looking at tweaking and looking at ways to get more scoring".

While Drury praised Dylan Garand's efforts late in the season, he did mention they will explore options.

Drury, of course, was also asked about The Letter 2.0.

In regards to any other potential changes...

Drury also spoke about the upcoming lottery pick in the 2026 draft.

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