Rangers vs Red Wings: Open Game Thread

The New York Rangers have traded Nick Holden, Michael Grabner and Rick Nash as they start the process of rebuilding a Stanley Cup contender. Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello remain in the picture as potential trade targets, but tonight is about Jean Ratelle, a legendary player that Mike wrote about here.

After the jersey retirement ceremony, the Rangers will take on the Detroit Red Wings, a team currently ahead of them in the standings by a lone point. New York currently sits No. 24 overall in the NHL which means they currently have the 7th best chance of winning the NHL Draft lottery. The goal is to be as low as possible so the team can increase its odds of landing Rasmus Dahlin or Andrei Svechnikov.

The Rangers could probably finish as low as fifth worst in the league, as there is no way they will be quite as bad as the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes among others. For now, the Rangers will focus on what they can control. What happens once the deadline has passed is another story altogether.

Here are the projected lines for tonight courtesy of Sean Hartnett.

Rangers list Ryan Spooner centering the fourth line alongside Cody McLeod and Vinni Lettieri in the projected lineup for tonight's game vs. DET. #NYR pic.twitter.com/rwsElp9oFR

— Sean Hartnett (@HartnettHockey) February 25, 2018

Try and enjoy the game!

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