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. 

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was named a finalist for the 2019-19 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the NHL announced on Tuesday. 

The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is awarded to a player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and have made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

The winner of the award is chosen by a committee of senior NHL executives led by Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. 

The Rangers appear to be moving toward hiring John Davidson to replace Glen Sather as the team's president, according to Larry Brooks of The Post. 

Davidson, 66, is currently the president of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who just unexpectedly swept the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Rangers would have to wait until the Blue Jackets are out of the playoffs before they can hire Davidson, though.

Former Rangers coach Alain Vigneault is back in the NHL, and his old team is going to be seeing plenty of him.

Vigneault was named the new coach of the Flyers on Monday after sitting out the 2018-19 season. It was Philadelphia where Vigneault coached his final game with the Blueshirts last season, getting fired by Jeff Gorton just hours after the season finale when the team returned to New York.

"It is an honor to be selected as the next head coach of the Flyers," Vigneault said in a release. "The history they have established and the passionate fan base has made this a first-class franchise. I am excited to work with Chuck (Fletcher,) the talented group of players and prospects coming up through the system, in order to return Philadelphia to the top of the NHL landscape."

The probable top two picks in the 2019 NHL Draft have topped NHL Central Scouting's final rankings lists.

American center Jack Hughes is ranked No. 1 on Central Scouting's list of North American skaters, while Finnish wing Kaapo Kakko is ranked No. 1 on its list of International skaters. 

The Rangers drew the No. 2 pick in the June draft during last week's NHL Draft Lottery, while the Devils came away with the No. 1 pick. Hughes has long been considered the consensus No. 1 selection, but there's been recent talk of Kakko at least closing the gap on Hughes as far as who the top prospect is in this year's draft class after a strong season in the Finnish Liiga.

Winter is here.

With Game of Thrones set to return Sunday for its eighth and final season, New York athletes gave their predictions and talked about theories for how the saga will end.

Click below...

The ping pong balls went the Rangers' way Tuesday night, and by getting the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, they not only end up with their highest ever selection in the draft, but they're guaranteed to get a game-changing prospect for their rebuild.

They're likely to end up with Finnish right wing Kaapo Kakko, assuming the Devils select American standout Jack Hughes at No. 1. Those two players are the top tier of this upcoming draft class, with the consensus being that Kakko has the ability to be a star in the NHL.

Get to know the player who might accelerate the Rangers' path toward contention:

Record-setting season

The Rangers had their biggest win of 2019 on Tuesday night at the NHL Draft lottery. 

The Blueshirts, projected to have the sixth pick, jumped all the way to the second overall pick for the NHL Draft, which takes place on June 21 in Vancouver. 

The Rangers had a 23.3 percent chance of landing a top-three pick. They have never chosen within the top three picks under the current draft format. 

Come Tuesday night, the Rangers will be hoping the ping pong balls are bouncing their way. 

After a rebuilding effort that saw them finish seventh in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers enter Tuesday night's NHL Draft lottery with the sixth-best odds of winning the No. 1 overall pick (7.5 percent). Additionally, the team owns a 23.3 percent chance of gaining a top three pick, according to tankathon.com. 

The Rangers sunk their odds with a meaningless overtime victory Saturday in Pittsburgh. 

Ending the season on a high note is surely a morale boost for the organization and its players. 

But the Rangers' 4-3 overtime victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday actually knocked the Blueshirts from fifth to sixth in the NHL Draft lottery draw, when they could have moved up to fourth had they lost in regulation to the Penguins. 

Instead, the meaningless victory means the Rangers now own a 7.5 percent chance of drawing the top pick in the lottery; they have not selected first overall since 1965. 

The Rangers capped their season with an overtime win over the Penguins, 4-3, on the road. >> Box score

First Period:

• 6:36 PIT Sidney Crosby: Assists: Jake Guentzel, Jared McCann
• 12:48 NYR Brendan Smith

The Rangers are out of the playoffs and relegated to setting a foundation for next season and playing a spoiler role.

Friday, New York lost its third straight but nearly prevented the Columbus Blue Jackets from clinching a playoff spot. The Rangers scored with seven seconds left in regulation before losing 3-2 in a shootout.

It seems likely that veteran Henrik Lundqvist will start in goal for the Rangers after Alexandar Georgiev started against the Blue Jackets.

The Rangers couldn't give the Madison Square Garden faithful one more win at home this season, falling to the Blue Jacets, 3-2, in a shootout >> Box score

First Period:

N/A

While the Blue Jackets are hoping Friday marks the beginning of a playoff run, the Rangers (31-36-13, 75 points) will be ending an era with their home finale.

The team announced Thursday that president Glen Sather will step down at the end of the season, though he will remain with the organization as a senior adviser.

Sather -- who built four Stanley Cup-winning teams as the Edmonton Oilers' general manager and head coach from 1977 through 1989 and then oversaw another Cup winner as general manager in 1990 -- was named the Rangers' president and general manager on July 1, 2000 and remained in both roles through the 2014-15 season. >> Read More

With Glen Sather stepping down as president of the Rangers on Thursday, the hunt is on for James Dolan & Co. to find his replacement. 

The search is reportedly on already, and one name that immediately comes to the forefront is Steve Yzerman. According to The Post's Larry Brooks, Yzerman is "amenable" to listening to the Rangers about the job. 

It is unknown if the Rangers have reached out to the Tampa Bay Lightning to talk to Yzerman yet. He is currently in the final year of his contract as an advisor to the owner. He served as the team's general manager before holding this role, and played a key role in building the Lightning into the Eastern Conference powerhouse they are today.

Glen Sather was already a Hall of Famer before he arrived in New York as a 56-year-old on June 1, 2000, building and coaching the Oilers dynasty of the 1980s to four Stanley Cups and adding one more solely as an executive in 1989-90, two years after ownership forced the trade of Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles.

The cigar-chomping Sather is an iconic figure in NHL history, an undisputed giant of the game. His Rangers legacy is complicated.

For there is an unmistakable void in Sather's 19-year run with the Blueshirts, the first 15 of which were spent as both president and general manager before he ceded the GM title to Jeff Gorton, with a 90-game stint as coach across the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons sprinkled in.

Though he orchestrated one of the most memorable runs in franchise history during which the Rangers went to the playoffs 11 out of 12 years, the 75-year-old will step down as president and into an advisory role, as the club announced Thursday, without a Stanley Cup.

Rangers president Glen Sather is stepping down as the team's president, and will transition into a role as senior advisor to the owner and alternate governor, the team announced on Thursday. 

Sather, 75, has been team president since June 2000 and had also been New York's GM from 2000 to 2015 before he relinquished duties to Jeff Gorton.

Sather also coached the Rangers for 1 1/2 after he fired Bryan Trottier midway through the 2002-03 season.

The Rangers couldn't come back from the Senators' quick start in a 4-1 loss at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. >> Box score

First period:

• 12:14 OTT Bobby Ryan (Power Play); Assists: Chris Tierney, Brady Tkachuk
• 13:29 OTT Zach Smith (Short Handed); Assists: Magnus Paajarvi

With little to play for in the final week of the season, both the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators hope to finish strong.

Each club looks to bounce back from a loss Wednesday night when they meet in New York City. Both New York and Ottawa will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

The Rangers (31-35-13) had won two in a row before falling 4-2 at New Jersey on Monday night. Rookies Brett Howden and Filip Chytil each scored, and Henrik Lundqvist made 37 saves in losing his fifth straight start while still one win shy of 450 for his career. >> Read More

The Rangers allowed two late goals in the third period as they lost to the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Monday at Prudential Center. >> Box score

First period:

• 3:54 NJD Miles Wood; Assists: Connor Carrick, Mirco Mueller
• 14:34 NJD Travis Zajac (power play); Assists: Damon Severson, Nico Hischier
• 18:40 NYR Brett Howden; Assists: Connor Brickley, Neal Pionk

Harvard defenseman Adam Fox, whose NHL rights are owned by Carolina, won't be signing an entry-level deal with the Hurricanes, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, and the Jericho, N.Y. native is being linked to the Rangers.

The Hurricanes will try to trade Fox, owner Tom Dundon told The News & Observer. Carolina acquired Fox's rights from Calgary in a trade at last year's NHL Draft which saw the Hurricanes bring in Fox, Dougie Hamilton and Michael Ferland for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. 

LeBrun had recently mentioned that the Rangers are believed to be among the teams interested in Fox, a third-round pick from the 2016 draft, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the 21-year-old righty were interested in joining the Blueshirts, who were his favorite team growing up. 

This spring marks the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest non-Stanley Cup Finals playoff series in history -- the New York Rangers' epic seven-game Eastern Conference finals win over the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers, on their way to their first championship since 1940 that season, trailed three games to two before winning Game 6 when Mark Messier backed up his victory guarantee with a natural third-period hat trick and winning Game 7 on Stephane Matteau's goal in the second overtime.

The tri-state rivals will not commemorate the anniversary with a similarly high-stakes meeting this spring. Instead, the Rangers and Devils will each be looking to take solace in playing out the string in inspired fashion Monday night, when they complete their season series as New Jersey hosts New York in Newark.

The Rangers won consecutive games for the first time since the All-Star break, defeating the Flyers on the road, 3-0, on Sunday. 

Goaltender Alexander Georgiev was excellent in net once again, stopping all 29 shots he faced. He's now made 62 consecutive saves. 

The team received goals from a trio of players in the well-rounded offensive effort. >> Box score

First period:

• 16:25 NYR Pavel Buchnevich; Assists: Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider
• 19:57 NYR Ryan Strome; Assists: Brett Howden, Brendan Smith 

A practically lost season for the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist is going to be even more barren as the calendar flips to April. 

With the team well out of playoff contention, the team is expected to sit the 37-year-old goaltender and organizational stalwart for the majority of remaining games. Backup goalie Alexander Georgiev, who started in Philadelphia on Sunday, is expected to receive most of the playing time in net. 

The team prepped for Lundqvist for this decision by keeping an open dialogue with him. 

After allowing two goals in a 27-second span during the first period, the Rangers rallied to defeat the Blues Friday night, 4-2. Rookie goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 44 saves, and his six 40-save games are the second-most by a rookie in franchise history behind Mike Richter's seven. Jimmy Vesey scored the go-ahead goal in the third and Chris Kreider's empty-netter snapped an 11-game goalless drought. >> Box score

First period:

• 14:35 STL Vladimir Tarasenko; Assists: Brayden Schenn, Ryan O'Reilly
• 15:02 STL David Perron; Assists: Jaden Schwartz

It appears Alain Vigneault has secured his first coaching job since being fired by the Rangers last April.

TSN's Darren Dreger reports that Vigneault will be the head coach for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. Hockey Canada is expected to make the move official early next week, according to the report.

Vigneault has not been heard from publicly since he released a statement after his firing. His job with Team Canada could be a precursor to a return behind an NHL bench for the 2019-20 season.

The climb ended long ago for the Rangers (29-34-13), who are in the second year of a rebuilding project. New York hasn't won consecutive games since it headed into the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak.

The Rangers are just 8-14-6 since the All-Star Game and have fallen on especially hard times lately. Of New York's last six losses, five have been by at least three goals.

The defeat Wednesday embodied the issues facing the youthful Rangers, who trailed the Bruins 3-2 more than midway through the third period before allowing Boston to score three power-play goals in a span of a little more than four minutes. The final two goals were scored during a five-on-three opportunity generated when New York was whistled for having too many men on the ice 31 seconds before defenseman Brendan Smith was sent to the penalty box for high sticking.

David Pastranak tallied a hat trick and two assists, as the Rangers couldn't stop him in a 6-3 loss to the Bruins on Wednesday night. >> Box score

First period:

• 2:48 BOS David Pastranak (Power Play); Assists: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron
• 16:29 NYR MIka Zibanejad (Power Play); Assists: Ryan Strome, Pavel Buchnevich

New York won 3-2 at Boston on Jan. 19 -- the Bruins' most recent regulation home defeat -- and 4-3 in a home shootout Feb. 6. But the Rangers enter amid a 2-7-5 stretch following Monday's 5-2 home loss to Pittsburgh.

Goals by youngsters Brendan Lemieux and Vinni Lettieri gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead late in the first period against the Penguins. However, New York managed 19 shots on goal over the next two periods after recording 16 in the first.

"First period, we were all over them," defenseman Brady Skjei told the Rangers' official website. "Just kind of got away from it. >> Read More

Copyright 2019 by the Associated Press

The Rangers' season will end in a few weeks, but it's already over for Jesper Fast. 

Fast had been playing through a shoulder injury over the last few weeks, and perhaps even the past couple of months, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post. 

Ultimately, the team decided it wasn't necessary for the 27-year-old to continue playing through the injury. Rangers coach David Quinn hopes Fast will not have to undergo surgery during the offseason. 

The Rangers allowed five unanswered goals after taking an early two-goal lead as they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Monday at Madison Square Garden. >> Box score

First period:

• 8:25 NYR Brendan Lemieux; Assists: Pavel Buchnevich, Mika Zibanejad
• 15:15 NYR Vinni Lettieri (power play); Assists: Tony DeAngelo, Filip Chytil
• 15:41 PIT Nick Bjugstad; Assists: Marcus Pettersson, Dominik Simon

The Rangers (28-32-13), who are out of playoff contention, are coming off a 3-2 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

They have had three days to prepare for Toronto. The teams have split their first two meetings this season.

Defenseman John Gilmour and forward Vinni Lettieri were called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League for the game Tuesday. Lettieri played in his 19th game for the Rangers this season. Gilmour played in the Rangers' final 28 games last season but was playing his first NHL game this season.

Alexandar Georgiev is a puzzle the Maple Leafs cannot solve. The rookie goaltender made 44 saves and Ryan Strome scored in overtime to give the Rangers a 2-1 win in Toronto Saturday night, snapping a five-game losing streak. Georgiev, who made 42 saves in regulation on Saturday, stopped 55 of 56 Maple Leaf shots on Feb. 10 at MSG. He's the first Rangers goalie since the 1967-68 expansion to record multiple 40-save wins against the same team in a season. The Rangers had lost 11 of their previous 12 games. >> Box score

First period:

• N/A

The Rangers (28-32-13), who are out of playoff contention, are coming off a 3-2 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

They have had three days to prepare for Toronto. The teams have split their first two meetings this season.

Defenseman John Gilmour and forward Vinni Lettieri were called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League for the game Tuesday. Lettieri played in his 19th game for the Rangers this season. Gilmour played in the Rangers' final 28 games last season but was playing his first NHL game this season.