Podcast Ombudsman Report for Blueshirt Bandwidth Ep. 55

Free Agents

Throughout the podcast, various players who are approaching free agency in 2026 were mentioned. The most egregious mistake was Eric saying that Martin Necas, who will likely be the best UFA available next summer, is going to be an RFA. Jason Robertson, on the other hand, will be an RFA.

To provide clarity going forward, here is a table of the top UFA forwards next summer (I’m assuming that the Rangers won’t target high end defensemen in the offseason) featuring their age on opening night 2026, their current contract AAV, their JFresh WAR percentile, and their 2024-25 season points total:

Panarin as the Rangers' Best Free Agent Signing

Joe called Panarin the “best free agent signing the Rangers ever had.” Since the lockout, the Rangers have handed out the following long term contracts:

• 2007 Scott Gomez – 7 years (traded to Montreal and then bought out at the end the 2012 lockout)
• 2007 Chris Drury – 5 years (“retired” due to injury in 2011 when he probably would have been bought out)
• 2008 Wade Redden – 6 years (buried in Hartford after two seasons, bought out at the end of the 2012 lockout)
• 2009 Marian Gaborik – 5 years (traded to Columbus at the 2013 deadline)
• 2011 Brad Richards – 9 years (bought out in 2014)
• 2019 Artemi Panarin – 7 years

Artemi Panarin is the only player that the Rangers have signed in the cap era to a contract of five or more years who has seen that contract to completion with the Rangers (assuming that he isn’t traded before the end of this year). In fact, if you go back to 2002, more contracts of five-plus years given out by the Rangers have gone so poorly that the league changed the rules around contracts (Bobby Holik’s five year deal signed in 2002 was part of the impetus for a salary cap, and the aforementioned Redden deal caused burying contracts in the minors off the cap to be eliminated) than have been seen to completion.

Podcast Number 55

While discussing who might be the runner up for greatest (most notorious?) number 55 in Rangers history, Christian Backman’s name was brought up. Christian Backman was a league-average defenseman who was acquired at the deadline in 2008, just in time to beat the Devils in the first round to end The Rock’s inaugural season before being shipped off alongside Fedor Tyutin for a package centered around Nik Zherdev that summer.

Unlike Christian Backman and most other members of the 2007 through 2009 Rangers, Nik Zherdev was very good. He was a 25-year-old offensive winger who the Rangers walked away from in arbitration for some reason. He was still a very good offensive winger when he returned to the NHL for the 2010-11 season after a year in Russia, but ended up in Peter Laviolette’s doghouse and played only 56 games before his NHL career was over for good.

Rob O’Gara wore #46 for the Rangers during the 2017-18 season. He was acquired on Feb. 20, five days before Rick Nash was dealt to Boston is a separate trade. He was discussed on Episode 46 back in the Halcyon days of August when we thought that this season might get off to a better start than it has.

Empty Net Goals

Joe commented on the Rangers seeming to give up an empty net goal every time they pulled the goalie so far this season. As of this podcast recording, the Rangers had lost four games in regulation and had given up empty net goals in three of those four games. Of course, the Rangers gave up two empty net goals on opening night and have therefore surrendered four empty net goals in their first four regulation losses.

Since the podcast was recorded, the Rangers have managed to lose two games without allowing a single empty net goal. The goalie was not pulled in either of those two games.

Yale vs. Quinnipiac National Championship Game

The Yale vs Quinnipeac National Championship Game (or, the “I went to college in New Haven” bowl) that was “right after” Joe graduated from college was played in 2013. Earlier in show, Joe claimed to have graduated college in 2010, meaning either he is incorrect about when he graduated from college or he has a very loose definition of “right after” which extends for three years. The aforementioned Rob O’Gara assisted on the empty net goal that extended Yale’s lead to 4-0 and essentially ended the game.

College Hockey National Champion Coaches

Joe made a comment about how established, championship winning head coaches never leave and go to the NHL. This is mostly true. Since the year 2000, only one NCAA Divison 1 winning coach has gone on to be an NHL head coach: Jim Montgomery. Montgomery has had an…interesting career as an NHL coach. He was fired from the Dallas Stars after barely more than a season for “unprofessional conduct,” checked himself into rehab, was hired by the Blues the next offseason, went on to lead the Bruins to the most points in regular season history only to be fired barely a season later and then being rehired by the Blues 5 days later, where he went on to lose game 7 to the Jets in the most heartbreaking way possible back in May.

Betting on the Rangers

“Am I betting any amount of consequence [on the Rangers winning the cup]? Absolutely not.” How much does Joe have on his Rangers Cup future?

Are the Jets Hopeless?

As the chief Jets correspondent of the podcast, I must agree with the assertion that the Jets are hopeless, in spite of the win this past Sunday. (RIP Nick Mangold)