Kaapo Kakko, No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, is officially a Ranger. 

Kakko signed his entry-level deal with the Rangers on Thursday, which the team shared via Twitter. 

Rangers fans have already embraced Kakko, flocking to the team's developmental camp to catch a glimpse of him on the ice. And many like Kakko for the Rangers, especially NBC Sports' NHL analyst Pierre McGuire who told SNY "I can see him fitting in right away."

The NHL Players Association announced on Friday that 40 players have filed for salary arbitration and the most prominent name on the list belongs to the New York Rangers.

Of those heading to an arbitrator are Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich and recently acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba. Both are restricted free agents.

At a later date each player will have arbitration hearings in Toronto. Those have yet to be scheduled, but according to the NHLPA release, league-wide meetings with individual players will take place from July 20 to Aug. 4. The Rangers and players can continue to negotiate a contract before the meeting.

The Rangers officially landed Artemi Panarin, the prize of this year's NHL free agency class, on Monday.

By Tuesday, Panarin was introduced to the media after touring Madison Square Garden.

"I want to say thank you to the Rangers organization," said Panarin, who signed a seven-year contract with the Rangers on Monday. "I appreciate the opportunity … I'm really happy."

Another superstar is coming to New York.

The Rangers made it official on Monday when they announced the signing of All-Star winger Artemi Panarin. According to SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman, the new contract is the largest in franchise history at $81.5 million over seven years.

Panarin took less to make his way to New York. The Blue Jackets, the team he played for last season, offered an eight-year, $96 million deal, which was also their largest contract in team history. 

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Artemi Panarin is tihs summer's prized free agent in the NHL, and the Rangers are interested in adding him. Here's the latest updates:

July 1, 11:50 AM:

"All signs are pointing" to the Rangers landing Panarin, reports Darren Dreger of TSN. Dreger adds that it is believed Panarin is leaving money on the table to join the Blueshirts. 

The Rangers have traded LW Jimmy Vesey to the Sabres in exchange for a 2021 NHL Draft pick, the team announced on Monday. 

Vesey was in the final year of his two-year, $4.55 million deal with New York, so the Rangers created a little more cap space by getting rid of his contract. 

Is it a coincidence that Vesey is a left winger and the Rangers are aggressively pursuing top free agent LW Artemi Panarin ahead of NHL free agency kicking off at noon today? Not at all. 

Kaapo Kakko, the second-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, caught up with SNY to discuss his first week as a member of the Rangers.

"It was a great week for me and for the team," Kakko said.

The Finnish winger also spoke about getting to know his new teammates and how his game translates to the NHL level.

The top free agent in the NHL market this summer is by far Artemi Panarin, the Blue Jackets' left winger that has been a consistent points machine for four seasons. The Rangers are expected to be very aggressive in trying to land him, but New York doesn't seem to be the favorite at the moment. 

According to The Post's Brett Cyrgalis, the Panthers are the leading candidate to land the 27-year-old. The two main reasons Cyrgalis has the Panthers at the top is the fact that Florida doesn't have any state income taxes, and the Panthers have hired Joel Quenneville as head coach. Quennevile coached Panarin during his first two seasons with the Blackhawks. 

Why does income tax matter? Florida can actually offer Panarin more than the Rangers, or even the Islanders, when it comes down to contracts. Panarin is looking to settle down with a seven-year deal at $11-12 million per season. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the Rangers introduced members of their 2019 NHL Draft class to members of the media at Madison Square Garden.

Among the group was second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko, who gave his initial impression of MSG and the city of New York, and spoke about wanting to play with the Rangers next season.

A member of the 1994 Stanley Cup Champion Rangers has been induted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Defenseman Sergei Zubov, in his seventh year of eligibility, made the cut to join professional ice hockey's most esteemed players in Toronto's sacred hall. He joins a class that includes Guy Carbonneau, Václav Nedomanský and Haley Wickenheiser.

Although Zubov spent most of his career with the Dallas Stars, he began his career as a Ranger. Drafted in the fifth round in 1990, he played a pivotal role on the legendary 1994 team, scoring a career-high 89 points in 78 regular season games. He also added 19 more over 22 playoff contests en route to the Rangers' first championship in 54 years.

The Rangers are making their push for free agent Artemi Panarin, but their hopes of landing him do not appear favorable. 

According to Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic, the Rangers are meeting with Panarin this week but it remains possible, if not probable, that he will sign with the Florida Panthers instead. 

Rangers president John Davidson, who knows Panarin well from his time as the Columbus Blue Jackets president, is expected to be part of the meeting with the free agent winger. 

The Rangers have announced their schedule for the 2019-20 season.

Highlights include:

• Seven of their first 10 games, and 11 of their first 16 games of the season taking place at Madison Square Garden
• Their 2,000th all-time regular season game at the current MSG on Oct. 27, 2019 against Boston.
• Three of their four games against the Islanders coming in a nine-day span from Jan. 13, 2020 to Jan. 21, 2020.
• Their five-day bye week following the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, which takes place on Jan. 26.

Check out the full schedule below...

As the first two picks of the 2019 NHL Draft, the careers of Jack Hughes of the Devils and Kaapo Kakko of the Rangers figure to be forever linked.

New Jersey only ratcheted up the recently dormant rivalry with their Manhattan counterparts further Saturday by pulling off a blockbuster trade for Norris Trophy-winning defenseman P.K. Subban, countering the Rangers big addition on the blue line earlier this month, the acquisition of first-pair defenseman Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg.

While free agency looms in July, the transformational addition of the Blueshirts' summer haul so far clearly was the Finnish-bred Kakko, the slam-dunk No.2 selection after the Devils expectedly opened the draft by grabbing Hughes, the 18-year-old American projected franchise center, with the top pick.

The Rangers are far from a finished product as they aim to climb back into playoff contention in the Metropolitan Division, but they officially have landed their coveted Finnish product. 

Drafting 18-year-old winger Kaapo Kakko with the No.2 overall pick in the NHL Draft on Friday night in Vancouver was a slam-dunk choice after the rival Devils selected American center Jack Hughes first overall a few minutes earlier.

"Of course, it was my dream to be No. 1," Kakko told reporters Friday night in Vancouver. "But of course, the second one is also good, and every team in the NHL is a good team, so I'm happy.

"I've never been to New York before, but I think it's coming. It's my plan and my hope I can be there next season."

Rangers fans have been waiting eagerly to see which super-prospect they would get ever since they moved up to second in the draft lottery in May. Now, the waiting is finally over.

General manager Jeff Gorton chose Kaapo Kakko second overall in the NHL Draft on Friday night, gifting the Rangers a generational talent that instantly slots into their top-six forward group.

The Devils made Gorton's decision easy by selecting U.S.-born Jack Hughes first overall, leaving Kakko the clear-cut best option. Although he went second overall, Kakko is projected to be a budding superstar and becomes the most exciting prospect in a stacked Rangers system.

Ryan Callahan's NHL career appears to be coming to an end. 

The former Rangers captain, currently on the Tampa Bay Lightning, was told by doctors he has a degenerative back disease and was recommended that he no longer play hockey, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois announced on Thursday. 

Callahan, 34, opened up about his back condition in an interview with the team's website, calling it a "degenerative disc disease," and essentially confirmed he will not be returning. 

The Rangers are in the midst of a rebuild, but their latest move already has them trending in the right direction. 

New York struck a deal with the Jets to acquire D Jacob Trouba in exchange for Neal Pionk and the No. 20 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on Monday. Many believe the Rangers got a steal in this trade, acquiring a 25-year-old two-way defender that is one of the best in the league. 

Getting Trouba onto their roster is just another positive step for the Rangers, who are impressing NBC Sports' NHL analyst Pierre McGuire.

The NHL Draft Lottery was kind to the New York Rangers, a team looking to accelerate their rebuild as fast as possible. And on Friday, they'll be selecting No. 2 overall in Vancouver. 

And with that pick, it's almost certain that it will be Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko, who many view as the second-best prospect in the Draft behind United States C Jack Hughes. 

If the mock drafts and speculation hold true, the Rangers will be getting Kakko - a 6-foot-2, aggressive player that has the potential to go down in history as one of the best to come out of Finland. 

NHL DRAFT DETAILS

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Round 1: Friday, June 21 at 8 p.m.; TV: NBCSN
Rounds 2-7: Saturday, June 22 at 1 p.m.; TV: NHL Network

PICKS

No. 2 (First Round)
No. 20 (First Round, via Winnipeg)
No. 49 (Second Round, via Dallas)
No. 58 (Second Round, via Tampa Bay)
No. 68 (Third Round)
No. 112 (Fourth Round, via Columbus)
No. 130 (Fifth Round)
No. 161 (Sixth Round)
No. 205 (Seventh Round, via Columbus)

After the Jets bungled the process a bit, the Rangers swooped in and traded for star defenseman Jacob Trouba on Monday night -- and got him for a price that most saw as very low.

That price was Neal Pionk and the No. 20 pick in the upcoming NHL draft.

On a conference call Tuesday morning, Trouba talked about the "shock" of getting traded, said he "couldn't be more excited" to be on the Rangers, and talked about his future.

The acquisition of Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets represents the start of a new era on Broadway. No longer will the Blueshirts be hoping the ping pong balls fall in their direction during the draft lottery. Rather, they are planning to be battling for playoff positioning as the season winds down next spring.

Trouba will immediately become the top-pairing right-handed defenseman in the Rangers lineup.

"He is a big defenseman, he is 25 years old, can play against the best players, has offense, can kill penalties, and is in the prime of his career," Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said as he raved about Trouba's skill set. "The opportunity for a player like that to become available doesn't happen all the time, we jumped on it."

The Rangers acquired Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba for defenseman Neal Pionk and the No. 20 pick in the NHL draft, the team announced Monday.

Trouba, 25, is a restricted free agent who recorded eight goals, 42 assists and 50 points for Winnipeg last season, scoring 18 points on power plays.

"He's in the prime of his career ... we jumped on it," Rangers GM Jeff Gorton said.

The Rangers are aggressively pursuing a trade for Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba, according to the New York Post, but they're not alone.

The rival Islanders and Devils are also in the mix for Trouba, per the Post. 

Trouba, a 25-year-old righty, is a restricted free agent who's been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. With the Jets facing a cap issues, a Trouba trade might finally happen this offseason. The NHL Draft is next weekend and free agency starts on July 1, so it could happen sooner than later.

There is recent precedent for the Rangers buying out a player to save some cap space, a longtime warrior at that. They bought out Dan Girardi's contract two years ago, and they could very well go the buyout route for at least one player this summer when the buyout period opens on Saturday.

"In all honesty, we haven't ruled it out," Rangers GM Jeff Gorton told the New York Post. "It's on the table. And regardless of what we do with this buyout window, we'd certainly look at the second one, too, depending on what comes up over the next few weeks. A lot can happen."

As the Post reports, Brendan Smith and Kevin Shattenkirk are the two big buyout candidates for the Blueshirts. Are there others? Let's take a look at whom the Rangers might buy out as they prepare for an important summer.

It's every young athlete's dream to play for the team he or she grew up rooting for.

For Adam Fox, that dream has become reality.

The 21-year-old defenseman signed with the Rangers this offseason after three years at Harvard, and his new boss has big things in mind for him.

The New York Rangers enter the NHL offseason in one of the best positions: They have money to spend, and are a prime free agent destination.

Some of the game's biggest names, like Erik Karlsson and Artemi Panarin, have already been linked to the Rangers before free agency begins on July 1. The team also scored a major victory in the draft lottery and will get to select a franchise player with the second overall pick.

While the Rangers are expected to be finalists for either Panarin or Karlsson this summer, that doesn't mean they should be done shopping. They have many prospects gunning for spots, but it is a little bit of proven veteran goal scoring that has a way of coming up clutch in the Stanley Cup playoffs-just look at Justin Williams and Patrick Maroon in this year's postseason.

It wouldn't have mattered which team had the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft. Jack Hughes just wants to be the first player taken.

"You always dream of being No. 1," Hughes told reporters Friday at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. "You don't dream of being two, three or four when you're a young kid."

But the 18-year-old American center isn't about to ruffle any feathers. Asked whether he'd look better in red or blue, with the Devils and Rangers holding the top two picks in the NHL Draft, Hughes said, "I think I'd look good in either."

It was a rough season for the NHL's Hudson River Rivalry.

The Devils took a huge step back after making the playoffs in 2017-18, their 72 points the third-fewest in the league, while the Rangers were only six points better as they embarked on their first full season of their rebuild.

But next month's NHL Draft represents an opportunity for both teams to add a potential game-changing prospect, as the Devils hold the No. 1 pick with the Rangers picking right after at No. 2. American center Jack Hughes and Finnish wing Kaapo Kakko should be the top-two picks in some order, with Hughes long pegged as the top prospect in this draft class. 

With John Davidson set to make his first draft selection as president of the Rangers next month, Kaapo Kakko being available at No. 2 is becoming more and more tantalizing. 

The 18-year-old showed out for Team Finland, which captured the gold medal, at the IHF World Championship this past month. Finland bested Canada, 3-1, in the championship match Monday. 

Kaako poured in six goals, leading the team, and added an assist during the team's championship run, which capped an historic 13-month stretch for him. He became the sixth player ever to win an U-18 world championship, world junior championship and men's world championship. 

Although no New York-area teams made it to the Stanley Cup Final this year, the Empire State will still have a large impact on hockey's grandest stage. Twelve players from the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues have connections with the New York metro area in some way, so local fans still have plenty of reasons to tune in.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins have one of the largest collections of American-born hockey players of any team in the NHL. Not surprisingly, several of them have called New York home for at least part of their careers.

Twenty-five years ago today, Mark Messier immortalized himself in Rangers history. 

The Blueshirts captain scored a hat trick in Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, backing up his bold prediction from the day before that the Rangers would beat the Devils and force a Game 7.

Messier's goals all came in the third period and included the game-tying and go-ahead goals in the 4-2 road victory at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ. 

John Davidson's years as a goaltender and broadcaster for the Rangers made him a natural fit for their president vacancy. But beyond his connections to the franchise, Davidson comes with the experience of rebuilding franchises in St. Louis and Columbus as the Rangers go through a remodeling of their own.

No situation is the same, but as Davidson embarks on the next chapter of his career, it's worth examining the moves he made at his previous two stops to help bring the Blues back to prominence and give the Blue Jackets their first taste of sustained competitiveness.

ST. LOUIS

The Rangers welcomed back new president John Davidson on Wednesday with a press conference at the Hulu Theater at MSG. Here are five takeaways from the press conference:

A Dream Come True

It's obvious how much returning to New York means to Davidson, the former Rangers goaltender and broadcaster beloved by the fan base. 

"Dreams do come true," Davidson said.

Here we go again with the Rangers and Erik Karlsson.

After being linked to the star defenseman when the Senators were looking to trade him last offseason, despite the fact they weren't actually in on him, the Rangers are considered "a favorite" and "probably the most likely destination" for Karlsson in free agency this summer, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. 

Johnston addressed Karlsson's future during a Thursday radio interview with Sportsnet 960 The FAN in Calgary. Because the Rangers have cap space and the No. 2 pick in this year's NHL Draft, there's speculation that the Blueshirts could try to accelerate their rebuild.

The Rangers have signed Russian defenseman Yegor Rykov to a two-year entry-level contract, according to TVA Sports and The Athletic.

According to both reports, the contract has an out clause which would allow 22-year-old, who had been playing for HC Sochi, to return to the KHL if he wishes.

Rykov was acquired from the Devils at the 2018 trade deadline as part of a package the Rangers received in exchange for Michael Grabner. The Rangers used the second-round pick acquired in that trade to move up four spots to No. 22 in the 2018 NHL Draft to select K'Andre Miller. The Devils took Rykov in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.

Time will tell whether the Devils thinking highly enough of Kaapo Kakko to take him over long-presumed No. 1 NHL Draft pick Jack Hughes, but Kakko's emergence over the last year has at least made it a debate.

And Kakko thinks it can happen, especially as he dominates in the IIHF World Championship.

"This is a big thing for me for the draft," Kakko told NHL.com through a translator. "I think I can be the first (pick)."

The New York Rangers are about to hire John Davidson as their new team president. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Friday that Davidson had submitted his resignation as president of hockey operations after being granted permission to speak to the Rangers about serving as their team president. 

"Personally, I want to thank J.D. for his friendship and the many contributions that he and his wife, Diana, have made to the Blue Jackets and throughout our community," Blue Jackets president Mike Priest said in a statement

The NHL Draft gets more interesting by the day.

Because the more Kaapo Kakko plays in the IIHF World Championship, the more he impresses, adding intrigue to the Devils' decision on whom to select first overall.  

The Finnish wing, who will go to the Rangers at No. 2 if the Devils take American center Jack Hughes at No. 1, scored a beauty of a goal on Thursday for his sixth goal of the tournament.

The Rangers announced on Thursday that Jim Schoenfeld, the team's senior vice president and assistant general manager, had stepped down after 17 years with the organization. This comes on the heels of Glen Sather walking away as team president.

"In nearly two decades with the Rangers, Jim made an impact on every level of the organization," Sather, who will transition to a senior advisor role once a new president is hired, said in a press release. "His tireless efforts and contributions were vital to the extended run of success we experienced during his tenure in New York."

The tournament is only two days old, but Kaapo Kakko is already the talk of the IIHF World Championship.

The 18-year-old Finnish wing scored a hat trick Saturday in Finland's 4-2 win over Slovakia, giving him five goals after he scored two in the team's opener on Friday.

Kakko's first of the game was a long one-timer. He showed brilliant hands on his second goal before adding an empty-netter.

It appears as if there could be a good ol' New York vs. New Jersey battle for Finnish hockey phenom Kaapo Kakko. 

Many expect the 18-year-old forward to go second overall to the Rangers, but perhaps it is too early to count out the Devils just yet.  

Kakko scored an impressive goal at the IIHF Worlds on Friday, grabbing the puck on a breakaway while a defender attempted to trip him from behind. Kakko escaped free of the defender's stick while also deking out the goalie to sneak the puck past him. 

When the clip of the goal surfaced on Twitter, the Rangers tweeted out the eyeball emoji while the Devils tweeted out a double eyes emoji along with a gif of the goal five minutes later. 

Now that the Stars have been eliminated from the playoffs, speculation is already running rampant about what the future holds for former Rangers fan favorite Mats Zuccarello, whom the Rangers traded to Dallas at this year's deadline.

The Blueshirts missed out on getting Dallas' 2019 first-round pick by a goal as the Stars lost to the Blues in double overtime of Game 7 Tuesday night. Instead, the Rangers will get the Stars' second-rounder. However, if Zuccarello re-signs with the Stars, the 2020 third-round pick New York got from Dallas will become a first-rounder.

Based on what Zuccarello had to say about the matter Thursday, it seems the Blueshirts may luck out with next year's NHL Draft.

Now that the Columbus Blue Jackets have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, the Rangers can move forward with their offseason plans. 

The Rangers had narrowed their search for a new president to John Davidson, the current president of the Blue Jackets and former Rangers goalie and broadcaster. 

Davidson is believed to have a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave his position and the Rangers are expected to put in an official request soon, according to Larry Brooks of The Post. 

A Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a must-watch for hockey fans. But Tuesday night's Game 7 between Dallas and St. Louis in the Western Conference semifinals will have significant implications for the Rangers and one of their ex-players. 

A Stars win would not only send former fan favorite Mats Zuccarello to the next round, but it'd convert the second round pick the Rangers traded him for earlier this year into a first-rounder. 

Zuccarello suffered a broken arm during his first game with the Stars, but returned for the team's playoff run. In the first round, he was a pivotal part of Dallas' upset over Nashville, scoring three goals. 

Those intrigued by the Rangers holding the second overall selection in this year's NHL Draft are already becoming familiar with the name Kaapo Kakko. 

The Finnish 18-year-old is widely expected to be drafted No. 2 overall -- behind Jack Hughes. And fans will have a chance to get a feel for his game throughout May. He'll be in action over the course of the next few weeks for Team Finland at the 2019 International Hockey Federation World Championships in Slovakia. 

Finland announced its full roster Monday. 

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist sounded awfully unsure of his future with the Rangers before quickly clarifying his comments. 

The 37-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract, told the Swedish newspaper Expressen, "I don't know if I'll stay with the Rangers my entire career." 

"I have two years left on my deal and it has always been my goal to stay with the Rangers, but once you get up there in age you never know," he said.

The Rangers signed two former draft picks, including 2018 first-round pick Vitali Kravtsov, to entry-level contracts.

Kravtsov, a 19-year-old forward, has played with the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk for the past three years, scoring eight goals and recording 13 assists in 50 games this past season.

New York drafted Kravtsov, a 6-foot-4, 183-pound right winger, ninth overall last year. He made the KHL All-Star Game last season and won Bronze with Team Russia at the U20 World Junior Championship earlier this year.

Adam Fox could make his Broadway debut as soon as this fall.

What was a formality once the Rangers acquired his rights this week became official on Thursday as Fox signed his entry-level contract. Assuming the 21-year-old is as advertised during training camp, he could be on the Blueshirts' NHL roster on opening night.

Adam Fox is headed home. 

The Jericho, New York native and former Harvard standout has been traded from the Hurricanes to the Rangers for a second round pick in this year's draft and a conditional third-rounder in 2020.  

Fox wrapped up his collegiate career last month with the Crimson, where he was a three-year starter and scored 116 points during his tenure. In 2018-19, he had nine goals and 39 assists. The 21-year-old also served as an alternate captain on the 2018 U.S. World Junior Championships team and was a member of the gold-medal winning group the year prior.