Lias Andersson said that being able to be part of Sweden's World Championship team, that won a Gold Medal, was "absolutely amazing." (Hockey Sverige)

Andersson noted that everyone knows what happened after winning Silver at the World Juniors and that being able to have a Gold Medal around his neck "feels damn nice." (Hockey Sverige)

He said that it was nice to be part of this Swedish team and that being on the bench during the Gold Medal game was the most nervous he has been in his life. (Hockey Sverige & SVT)

Chris Kreider has remained in Europe following the World Championships and is spending time with Mika Zibanejad in Sweden.

11:31AM: Things between the Rangers and Quinn appear to be "signed and sealed" and an announcement could come later today. (Brooks)

10:43AM: David Quinn, according to John Shannon, says that Quinn has "now" been hired as coach of the Rangers.

10:14AM: According to Bob McKenzie, "everything remains on track" for David Quinn to become the next head coach of the Rangers.

UCONN hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh, a long-time friend of David Quinn's, said that the new Rangers coach is a "great communicator, very bright and intelligent." (The Athletic)

Cavanaugh said that Quinn is very confident with who he is "as a person" and that the organization has "spelled" out that they need him to "develop their young players." (The Athletic)

He said that Quinn will get the Rangers to "play hard" and believe in the system that he instills, adding "David will do a great job with their young players." (The Athletic)

Brendan O'Callaghan, an 11-year-old boy who was severely injured in a bus crash that killed a student and teacher in New Jersey last Thursday, can thank Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist for making him smile for the first time since the horrific accident. 

O'Callaghan has been in the hospital since the accident with a broken collarbone, punctured lung, fractured temple bone, and bruised orbital bone. His father, Arnie, said that his son has no recollection of the incident as he asks if he is in a bad dream. 

O'Callaghan, who is a fifth-grader from Paramus, N.J., has been in constant pain during his hospital stay. But it was a gift from his favorite hockey player that generated his first smile in days. 

5/21/18 | 5:03PM: According to Mike McMahon, Quinn initially turned down a four-year offer from the Rangers worth $2 million per season before agreeing to a five-year deal worth around $2.4 million. (College Hockey News)

8:33AM: Renaud Lavoie notes that Quinn rejected the Rangers first offer two weeks ago but was not able to "resist" the second. (Journal de Montreal)

Quinn will reportedly earn around $2.4 million with the Rangers after reportedly earning $600,000, with an expense account and car, at BU. (Journal de Montreal)

The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Vegas will play the winner of Tampa Bay/Washington, a series that Tampa Bay currently leads 3-2.

Last summer Vegas selected Oscar Lindberg from the Rangers in the expansion draft.

Mika Zibanejad scored the tying goal for Sweden before helping them win their second straight Gold Medal at the World Championships.

Zibanejad's goal came with Sweden down 2-1 late in the second period to even the score.

Overall, Zibanejad was 13 and 10 on faceoffs, 4 shots on goal and played 24:41, with 4:44 in the first, 5:24 in the second, 7:43 in the third and 6:50 of OT.

Chris Kreider scored twice and was named "Best Player" of the game in Team USA's 4-1 win over Canada.

The win awarded Team USA the bronze medal.

Kreider had five shots on goal, a plus two rating and played 17:34, with 4:05 in the first, 7:38 in the second and 5:51 in the third.

Neal Pionk played 11:57, with 4:20 in the first, 3:04 in the second and 4:33 in the third.

The Rangers are likely going to name BU's David Quinn as head coach this week.

Jeff Gorton said, after Alain Vigneault was let go, that the Rangers would plan to speak with a number of candidates but that "I think someone is going to have to convince me and our group that they should be the next coach of the Rangers."

At the time, Gorton said that the Rangers were looking for "highly qualified individuals" that would be more "hands on" with the young players on the roster.

5/19/18 | 12:19PM: According to John Buccigross, Quinn has informed BU's athletic director that he is taking the position of head coach with the New York Rangers.

The deal, according to Buccigross, is believed to be five-years and $12 million. (John Buccigross,)

12:05PM | Rick Carpiniello tweets that Quinn's hiring by the Rangers is reportedly getting close but that it's not yet a done deal.

Sweden defeated Team USA 6-0 to advance to the Gold Medal game of the World Hockey Championships.

Mika Zibanejad had an assist, was 9 and 3 on faceoffs, a plus two and played 14:51.

Zibanejad played 5:59 in the first, 4:51 in the second and 4:01 in the third.

5/18/18 | 7:47PM: McKenzie says that Jeff Gorton is in Denmark at the World Championships right now so nothing is believed to be "imminent."

He adds that Quinn has already interviewed with the Rangers and appears to be a "primary target." (McKenzie)

7:43PM: Bob McKenzie says that while a deal is not yet done, David Quinn "appears to be fairly well down the road in the process" of becoming the next coach of the Rangers.

Henrik Lundqvist skated for the first time since getting a PRP injection in his knee and indicated that he will skate more than normal this summer to work on his game.

Lundqvist told SNY's Justine Ward last week that his knee was feeling really good after getting a PRP shot a few weeks before.

Bob McKenzie spoke about the Rangers in the latest episode of The Bobcast and said (TSN):

• He believes Jeff Gorton, who is part of Team USA's management team, was in Europe watching the World Championships
• "I believe their guy was Jim Montgomery, that that was who they wanted to be their head coach. I don't know whether a contract was ever offered or not and if Montgomery had a choice between the Rangers and the Dallas Stars, but in any case, Montgomery is the head coach in Dallas, not in NY."

Both Canada and the United States have advanced to the semi-finals of the World Championships after wins on Thursday.

Chris Kreider, Neal Pionk and Team USA defeated Filip Chytil and the Czech Republic 3-2.

• The score was tied at two in the third period when a Czech defender fell and Patrick Kane scored the eventual game winner.

Kreider played 15:44 (6:28 in the first, 4:29 in the second and 4:47 in the third) and had no shots on goal or anything on the scoresheet.

Pionk was a plus 1 in 11:53, playing 3:38 in the first, 4:16 in the second and 3:59 in the third.

Marty St. Louis was on the 31 Thoughts Podcast this week and was asked about the rumors mentioning he could return to pro hockey as a coach. (Sportsnet)

St. Louis said, "I'm definitely interested, there will be a time and a place for that, hopefully it won't be too late for me. Right now it would take a lot for me to leave my kids. I'm enjoying seeing their development and being part of their everyday life." (Sportsnet)

5/17/18 | On the 31 Thoughts podcast this week, Jeff Marek asked Elliotte Friedman about the Rangers and Sheldon Keefe and Friedman responded, "I don't think that it would be a huge surprise, Keefe's name has been out there a lot but I have been led to believe he is not the guy for the Rangers." (Sportsnet) 

Friedman continued, "Keefe's a name I have heard a lot but I have been told it's probably not him, he is the first guy that jumped into my head. They must be waiting to talk to Keefe who has the Marlies in the playoffs but guys tell me that they don't think that is it."

He added that he has heard that it likely won't be Washington assistant Layne Lambert or Pascal Vincent, the coach AHL coach for the Jets.

The Washington Capitals hold a 2-1 series lead over Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Final with game four in Washington tomorrow night.

Capitals coach Barry Trotz's contract expires after this season and many around the NHL believed that he would not be back in Washington next year if the Capitals didn't advance in the playoffs.

Renaud Lavoie said that part of the reason that the Rangers are taking a slow approach in their search for a new coach is because they want to see what Trotz's future in Washington could be. (Journal de Montreal)

5/15/18 | On Hockey Central at Noon on Tuesday, former Rangers forward Marc Savard said that he is "hearing" that St. Louis could join the Rangers "team of coaches."

Savard and St. Louis were teammates in Calgary in 1999-00.

4/8/18 | In the NY Post today, Larry Brooks writes that the Rangers spoke with Marty St. Louis about "taking over" the Hartford Wolf Pack when he retired. (NY Post)

Brooks says that the timing wasn't right then for St. Louis but that now, if he wants to be, St. Louis could be "on-the radar" as a possible assistant coach. (NY Post)

Mika Zibanejad had a goal, an assist and was named Sweden's "Best Player" in their win over Russia on Tuesday.

Zibanejad was 11 and 8 on faceoffs, scored on his only shot on goal and played 16:11, with 4:20 in the first, 5:49 in the second and 6:02 in the third.

5/15/18 | Mika Zibanejad, in an interview with IZ.RU said that he would be "happy" to see Ilya Kovalchuk join the Rangers but that he doesn't know how likely that is. Zibanejad said that questions about Kovalchuk should be directed to GM Jeff Gorton and that all he is thinking about right now is how to help Sweden win at the World Championships. (IZ.RU)

5/11/18 | Larry Brooks writes in the NY Post that it would be a "significant" mistake if the Rangers did not pursue Ilya Kovalchuk. (NY Post)

Brooks writes that Kovalchuk is the exact type of player that the Rangers are missing and competes, leads and plays with a chip on his shoulder. (NY Post)

Chris Kreider picked up a secondary assist in Team USA's 6-2 loss to Finland on Tuesday morning.

Kreider had 2 shots on goal and played 14:57, with 4:57 in the first, 5:37 in the second and 4:23 in the third.

In his column on Sunday, Larry Brooks wrote that he would only trade Kevin Hayes or Mika Zibanejad if the Rangers could land a "legit" top-four right shot defenseman. (NY Post)

He notes that Jacob Trouba of the Jets is probably out of reach but that Calgary, with their "surplus" of right shot defensemen and need for a center could be a match. (NY Post)

Brooks suggests Dougie Hamilton as someone who might be "obtainable" but also wonders about 2016 third round pick Adam Fox. (NY Post)

Filip Chytil scored his first goal of the World Championships in Monday's win over Austria.

Chytil had four shots on goal, a minus two rating and played 11:51.

He played 4:17 in the first, 3:33 in the second and 4:01 in the third.

In six games, Chytil has 1 goal, 1 assist, a minus two rating, 7 shots on goal and an average of 7:52 per game.

Rangers prospect Igor Shesterkin stopped all 23 shots that he faced in a 4-0 shutout of Slovakia in the World Championships.

• Shesterkin has made three appearances for Russia in the tournament, stopping all 45 shots he has faced in his 140 minutes played.

Pavel Buchnevich appeared to skate on the fourth line for Russia and only played 4:30, with one shot on goal.

According to Larry Brooks, in the NY Post, Brendan Smith has been working out at the Rangers practice facility in the hopes of bouncing back after his struggles this past season.

Smith's agent told Brooks that Smith is "determined and confident" to not just be the player he was when the Rangers acquired him, but "a better Brendan Smith." (NY Post)

Smith was sent to Hartford in February and saw his season end after he broke his hand during a fight at practice.

He has three-years left on his contract after this season with a cap hit of $4.35 million.

The United States Supreme Court struck down a 25-year old law on Monday that had basically prevented all states except Nevada from having legalized sports gambling. "The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make," the Supreme Court announced. "Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own."

The ruling was an enormous immediate victory for the state of New Jersey, which could have a gambling venue open in Monmouth Park within a few weeks, according to the NY Post. There will be a press conference in Monmouth Park Monday at 1 p.m. Aside from New Jersey, The Post notes that New York and Illinois are among roughly 15 other states who have "introduced bills to legalize and regulate sports betting tied to the Supreme Court outcome." 

The NBA and MLB have been preparing for Monday's potential outcome, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who said each league had hired lobbying firms, submitted written statements, and sent executives to testify in statehouses. Windhorts added that every professional sports league had been involved, with the NBA and MLB at the forefront...

5/8/18 | Henrik Lundqvist spoke with SNY's Justine Ward at the BTIG event in midtown today.

When asked about his knee, Lundqvist said "I had a PRP shot for me knee three weeks ago, everything is going as planned. Super excited about it, the knee is feeling as good as new. Going back to Sweden soon, probably start skating a little early this summer to work on some things but physically I start to feel pretty good."

On what he wants to see the Rangers do in free agency, Henrik said, "Hard to say, there are a lot of players out there, it's important that you put together a plan. You can point to different players that are great but in the end it's about getting the best team on the ice, the right pieces. That is for management to figure out what we need. If you ask for a great player, I can find them but it's more important to find the right type of player that will fit nicely into our team and the plan we have for this group next year."

On his desire for the Stanley Cup, "It's why I play, it's why I will start skating in a few weeks and work hard to get better, that is what pushes me the most right now. One step at a time, try to rebuild over the summer and take it from there, it won't happen overnight but it's definitely something that inspires me a lot to maybe one day hold that trophy."

Filip Chytil hit the crossbar and had an assist in the Czech Republic's win over France.

Chytil played 5:47 (3:59 in the first, 1:48 in the second, 0:00 in the third)

In the tournament, Chytil has played in five of six games for the Czech team, with 1 assist, 3 shots on goal and an average of 7:05 per game.

Neal Pionk scored his second goal in two-games for Team USA in their 9-3 win over Norway.

Pionk had two shots on goal, a plus two rating and played 10:40, with 3:48 in the first, 4:27 in the second and 2:25 in the third.

Pionk was also called for hooking.

Larry Brooks writes that he doubts Ryan Spooner fits into the Rangers long-term plans and adds that Spooner is an RFA with arbitration rights and a free agent after next season. (NY Post)

Brooks writes that it may be "difficult" for the Rangers to move Spooner and that the organization will have to consider whether to sign Spooner to a one-year deal, so he can be used as a trade chip at the deadline, or non-tender him and allow him to be a free agent. (NY Post)

For more on Spooner and this summer, click HERE.

Mika Zibanejad scored the OT winning goal for Sweden in their 4-3 win over Slovakia on Saturday.

Zibanejad had 3 shots on goal, a minus one rating, played 19:49 and was 13 and 11 on faceoffs.

5/12/18 | 2:14PM: Larry Brooks writes in the New York Post that David Quinn of Boston University is till a "viable candidate" to become coach of the Rangers.

• It's been reported that Quinn has told people he will remain at BU.

Brooks adds that it is believed Jeff Gorton is waiting to speak with coaches who remain in either the AHL or NHL playoffs. (NY Post)

11:36AM: Elliotte Friedman writes that it should not be a surprise if the next coach of the Rangers has not been a head coach in the NHL before. (Sportsnet)

Friedman mentioned D.J. Smith, an assistant in Toronto, and noted that Smith was the head coach in Oshawa Generals when they won the Memorial Cup in 2015 and that Adam Graves is a part owner of the Generals. (Sportsnet)

5/21/18 | According to Jeff Cox, Jim Montgomery turned down "significantly more money" from the Rangers to take the position of head coach with Dallas.

5/11/18 | Elliotte Friedman writes at Sportsnet that it's "no secret" that Dallas moved quickly on Jim Montgomery because of the interest the Rangers had in him. (Sportsnet)

Montgomery told Friedman that he really enjoyed "interviewing with Glen Sather, Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury" but that Dallas GM Jim Nill is a big reason why he chose the Stars. (Sportsnet)

Team USA defeated South Korea 13-1 at the World Championships on Friday.

Chris Kreider had an assist, 3 shots on goal, a plus one rating and a total of 13:43.

He played 5:09 in the first, 6:17 in the second and 2:17 in the third.

The Washington Capitals begin the Eastern Conference Finals tonight against the Lightning in Tampa Bay tonight.

It's the first time the Capitals have been to the Eastern Conference Final since 1998.

A group of five members of Tampa Bay's roster helped eliminate the Capitals in the playoffs twice in the second round (2012, 2015) and once in the first round (2013).

5/10/18 | 7:07PM: Zibanejad said that he is trying to help both Andersson and Filip Chytil as much as he can and added that he has liked what he has seen from both players. (NHL.com)

Mika said that he remembers how important the older players were for him when he came into the NHL and that he wants to have that same kind of role for Chytil and Andersson. (NHL.com)

5/9/18 | Mika Zibanejad said that he is looking to take Lias Andersson under his wing in the same way that Kyle Turris did for him when Zibanejad was a young player in Ottawa. (Hockey Sverige)

Filip Chytil did not take a shift in the Czech Republic's 4-3 victory over Russia on Thursday at the World Championships.

The Czech team just added David Krejci and David Pastranak from the Bruins.

Chris Kreider scored a PP goal for Team USA in their 3-2 OT win over Latvia in the World Championships.

Kreider had two shots on goal, played 12:24 overall and was called for holding 29 seconds into the game.

Kreider played 3:11 in the first, 4:37 in the second and 4:36 in the third.

Neal Pionk had one shot on goal in 11:58, playing 4:14 in the first, 4:41 in the second and 3:03 in the third

Rick Nash spoke on Wednesday at Bruins break up day and said that he would love to return to Boston and that winning is his number one priority while choosing a new in free agency this summer. (NHL.com)

Nash said that the number two priority is finding a "good place to live" and a place that his family he enjoys. (NHL.com)

He said that Boston fit that criteria and that it was a seamless transition for them. (NHL.com)

Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist in Swedens' 7-0 win over Austria.

Zibanejad played 16:56, had two shots on goal, a plus three, rating and played 5:52 in the first, 5:30 in the second and 5:34 in the third.

Elliotte Friedman reports that Rod Brind'Amour will become the next coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. (Elliotte Friedman)

Brind'Amour has been an assistant with Carolina since 2011-12 and has no head coaching experience.

He played 1,484 games in his NHL career, scoring 452 goals and 732 assists.

The Rangers are now the only team without a head coach.

The Rangers, via the Rick Nash trade with Boston, will pick 26th overall in the 2018 Draft. (Cap Friendly)

The Rangers also own the 9th overall pick and will also have a pick between 28 and 31 from Tampa Bay as part of the Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller trade.

The Rangers have 7 picks in the first three rounds and are believed to be interested in moving up from the 9th pick.

According to Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post, former Penguins and Sabres coach Dan Bylsma is not a candidate to replace Alain Vigneault.

Bylsma is currently an assistant for Team USA at the World Championships and noted that the Rangers seem to be interested in hiring a coach that can develop with their young group. (NY Post)

He added though that while the talk has been that the Rangers may be looking for a "younger coach," that it shouldn't preclude them from looking at someone like Dave Tippett. (NY Post)

Chris Kreider and Neal Pionk helped team USA defeat Germany 3-0 in the World Championships today.

Kreider played 15:46, did not register a shot on goal and played 5:22 in the first, 6:14 in the second and 4:10 in the third.

Pionk played 12:45, was a plus one, and played 4:53 in the first, 2:21 in the second and 5:31 in the third.

Igor Shesterkin stopped 18 of 18 shots in Russia's World Championship win over Belarus.

Shesterkin was making his first start of the tournament and stopped 4 shots in the first, 6 in the second and 8 in the third.

Shesterkin has made two appearances in the tournament, stopping all 22 shots he has faced.

Pavel Buchnevich played 13:32 in the game, didn't register a point and had 1 shot on goal.

Tampa Bay defeated Boston 3-1 today to eliminate the Bruins in the second round of the playoffs.

For the Bruins in the playoffs:

• Rick Nash: 3 goals, 2 assists, minus seven, 10 PIM, 39 shots on goal, 16:13 per game
• Nick Holden: 2 games played, 1 assist, 12:25 per game.

In the Nash and Holden trades the Rangers made with Boston, they received Rob O'Gara, a 2018 third round pick, Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, prospect Ryan Lindgren, a 2018 first round pick and 2019 7th round pick.

Mike Zibanejad had a goal, two shots and a plus two rating in Sweden's win over the Czech Republic.

Zibanejad played 18:21 with 6:38 in the first, 5:40 in the second and 6:03 in the third.

Lias Andersson only played 6:42 (2:37 in the first, 2:53 in the second and 1:12 in the third) and was called for tripping in the second period.

Filip Chytil was a minus one in 13:02 for the Czech team, playing 5:49 in the first, 6:06 in the second and 1:07 in the third.