Rangers GM Jeff Gorton met with the media on Saturday following the NHL draft and said (NYR):

• His thoughts, "feel great. Yesterday was a huge day for us with the three picks and really excited about what we were able to do. Today was more about value and our list and getting guys that had potential and that we were really high on. I think we were able to do that."
• Why take Olof Lindbom in round two, "there are forwards, defense and goalie, it's not like we have 22 positions here. We are trying to take the best players on our list and we had a goalie first overall, by a long shot, we thought that with our history with goalies and who we have in our organization to help develop goalies, that it would be a good pick. We will see. Only one goalie plays for you at a time and we will see how it works out. Over time, the value of goalies is very high. We like the player a lot and felt like it was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up at that time."

11:28AM: At 39, the Rangers have selected Swedish goalie Olof Lindbom, the first goalie selected in the draft.

He was ranked 59th by The Hockey News

The Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes struck a deal that sent (McKenzie):

• Dougie Hamilton, Adam Fox and Michael Ferland to Carolina
• Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin to Calgary

Both the Flames and Hurricanes had been mentioned as possible trading partners for the Rangers.

It was reported yesterday by Larry Brooks that the Rangers were not interested in Hamilton and that Fox, who was defense partners with Ryan Lindgren for Team USA in the past, was not available.

The LA Kings have agreed to terms with Ilya Kovalchuk on a three-year deal worth $6.25 million per season.

Kovalchuk had long been connected to the Rangers as a potential option.

Kovalchuk nearly signed with the Kings in 2010 before re-signing with the Devils.

Rangers Director of Player Personnel Gordie Clark met with the media following the first round of the NHL draft and said (NYR):

• On picking Kravtsov, "he's such a high end hockey player, we had him as the second best forward in the draft and everyone was on board. We all went to see him, what he did in the playoffs certainly stamped..we've been on him since last November and followed him all year long. What he did in the playoffs didn't surprise us at all, looked like he was just getting ready to break out for an 18-year old boy at that level."

With their picks in the first round on Friday, the Rangers selected Vitali Kravtsov at 9, K'Andre Miller at 22 and NIls Lundkvist at 28.

• The Rangers originally had the 26th pick but traded up to 22 and sent 26 and 47 to Ottawa for 22.

Heading into Saturday's Day 2, the Rangers have the following picks:

• Second Round: 39
• Third Round: 70, 88
• Fourth Round: 101
• Fifth Round: 132
• Sixth Round: 163

11:26PM: Jeff Gorton said on NBCSN, "we were trying to get the best players that we could. We got three players that were pretty high on our list. The move for Miller was something that we felt wasn't going to be there with our later picks so we moved up a few spots to get him. To get Lundkvist there, we are feeling pretty good about the day so far."

On the rest of the draft, "we are really comfortable, we like our list, we think it's deep and that we have a lot of players left, we have quite a few picks left so we are ready for tomorrow."

On David Quinn, "he fits right in, looks the part and is happy to be here and so far so good, he hasn't lost any games."

With the 28th pick, the Rangers selected Swedish defenseman Nils Lundkvist.

From the Rangers release:

• Lundkvist, 17 (turns 18 years old on July 27), split this past season between Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and Lulea's junior team in SuperElit.
• He skated in 28 SHL games with Lulea, registering two goals and three assists for five points, along with a plus-two rating.
• His 28 games played were tied for the second-most among SHL defensemen younger than 18 years old in 2017-18 (Dahlin - 41). He averaged 16:00 of ice time in his 28 SHL games and posted a plus/minus rating of even or better in 22 of the 28 contests.
• The 5-11, 172-pounder was selected as the Best Defenseman in SuperElit in 2017-18. In addition, he registered five assists and posted a plus-five rating in six playoff games during the season.
• Lundkvist participated in the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, registering two assists and a plus-one rating in seven games while helping Sweden earn a bronze medal.
• At the 2018 NHL Scouting Combine, Lundkvist ranked second in the Vertical Jump (26.7 inches), finished third in the Standing Long Jump (114.5 inches), and finished fourth in the No Arm Jump (20.69 inches).

With the 22nd selection, the Rangers chose defenseman K'Andre Miller.

• The Rangers traded 26 and 48 to Ottawa for 22. 48 was the pick the Rangers acquired from New Jersey for Michael Grabner.

From the Rangers release on Miller:

• Miller, 18, skated in 58 regular season and tournament games with the U.S. National U18 Team in the United States Development Program (USNTDP) this past season, registering nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points, along with a plus-23 rating and 26 penalty minutes.
• The 6-3, 199-pounder has been a member of the USNTDP for each of the last two seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18).
• Miller helped the United States earn a silver medal at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, as he registered three points (one goal, two assists) and a plus-four rating in seven games.
• In addition, he represented the United States at the 2016 World U17 Challenge, the 2017 U18 Five Nations Tournament, the 2016 U17 Four Nations Tournament, and the 2017 U17 Five Nations Tournament. Miller has also been invited by USA Hockey to the 2018 World Junior Summer Showcase.
• At the 2018 NHL Scouting Combine, Miller led all participants in the Left Hand Grip (170 pounds) and the Right Hand Grip (180 pounds).

With the 9th overall selection, the New York Rangers selected winger Russian winger Vitali Kravtsov.

From the Rangers release:

• Kravtsov, 18, received the Alexei Cherepanov Award as the Kontinental Hockey League's Rookie of the Year in 2017-18.
• In 16 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk during the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs, Kravtsov registered six goals and five assists for 11 points. Kravtsov's 11 points were the most a KHL junior player (younger than 20 years old) has registered in one playoff year in the league's history, eclipsing the previous record of nine held by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Valeri Nichushkin.
• In addition, Kravtsov's six goals in the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs were tied for the second-most a KHL junior player has recorded in one playoff year in the league's history.
• The 6-3, 184-pounder was selected as the KHL's Rookie of the Month in both March and April of 2018, and he was also named the KHL's Best Rookie in each of the first three rounds of the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs.
• Kravtsov led all KHL players younger than 19 years old in assists and points, and he was also tied for first among KHL players younger than 19 years old in goals during the playoffs this past year. In addition, Kravtsov tied for seventh among all players in the KHL in goals in the 2018 Gagarin Cup Playoffs, and he was also tied for second among all players in the league in game-winning goals (three) in the playoffs.
• He registered at least one point in seven of his first nine playoff games in 2018, posting four multi-point games over the span, and he registered the game-winning goal in overtime in his first playoff game of the year on Mar. 4 against Neftekhimik.

David Quinn said on NBCSN that Kravtsov, has "a lot of hockey sense and skill, people rave about his character. He is someone we have talked an awful lot about over the last month and we are ecstatic to get him."

6/22/18 | 3:38PM: Jeff Gorton said on Thursday, "for anybody that would be skeptical of a rebuild, all you have to do is look at the last few months and the trade deadline and some of the things we have done. I think it's pretty obvious we are trying to accumulate young players and assets and trying to get better and give these players opportunity."

He added that the Rangers won't be a team of 18-19-20 year olds and that "we need to have the necessary players on our team that can help these guys learn the game and help us do everything we can to win every night. I think that is pretty clear where we are at."

Larry Brooks wrote that the Rangers will "jump in" if a "price-is-right" player is available but they are not trading away a "boatload of draft picks and prospects."

6/22/18 | Larry Brooks tweets that while it remains "unlikely," Ilya Kovalchuk reportedly still has "eyes" for the Rangers.

6/17/18 | According to Larry Brooks, in the NY Post, Ilya Kovalchuk has not ruled out signing with the Rangers but that he "probably" won't. (NY Post)

The Rangers enter tonight's first round of the NHL Draft with picks at:

• 9
• 26 (via the Rick Nash trade)
• 28 (via the Ryan McDonagh trade)

They have been linked to many different players at their potential picks and have also been mentioned as a team that could move up.

The Rangers have seven picks for tomorrow's rounds 2-7 of the draft.

9:46PM: Gorton's full comments included (NYR):

• On the 3 first round picks, "we intend to use them but they are in play. As of right now we will use them but if something comes up that will change."
• On how important this is, "it's very important, 3 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds. We have a lot of opportunity to make our team better for the future, build pieces that we need. It's a vital time for us."
• How excited are you, "You think it's a couple of months away but it goes fast. Our scouting staff has done a great job of going through the process and we are excited about what is going to happen."

The NHL has announced the Rangers schedule for the 2018-19 season and the Rangers have sent through the following information:

• Six of the first nine games are at MSG
• First five games at MSG are against Western Conference teams
• 12 of their final 23 games are against Metro opponents
• They have a season-long five-game homestand from 2/2 to 2/10
• 11 back to back sets, same as 2017-18 and tied for the fewest among Eastern Conference teams.
• March is their busiest month with 15 games, 9 of which are on the road
• Their longest road trip is four games and that happens three different times (10/25/18 - 11/1/18), (2/12/19 -2/19/19), (3/11/19 to 3/16/19)
• They reach the mid-way point of the season on January 6, 2019 against the Coyotes
• The Rangers bye-week begins on 1/20/19 and leads into the All-Star break on 1/26. The Rangers last game before the bye week is 1/17 at Boston and their next game is 1/29 against the Flyers.

The NHL has announced that the upper limit for the 2018-19 salary cap will be $79.5 million.

The salary floor will be $58.8 million and the mid-point is $69.15 million.

With the salary cap at $79.5 million, the Rangers are projected, as of now, to have at least $24.9 million depending on different roster construction. (Cap Friendly)

With a roster that includes Brendan Smith, Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson, the Rangers should have around $26.6 million in cap space.

6/21/18 | 9:06AM: Larry Brooks writes that Namestnikov's agent has not heard yet from Rangers GM Jeff Gorton about anything related to contract talks. (NY Post)

Namestnikov is two-years away from being a UFA and his agent said that he isn't reading anything into not hearing from Gorton yet. (NY Post)

6/11/18 | Elliotte Friedman wrote over the weekend that he is "curious" to see what the Rangers will do with Vlad Namestnikov. (Sportsnet)

6/21/18 | 9:06AM: Larry Brooks writes that unless Jeff Gorton can work out a deal with Montreal for the third pick, it's likely the team will remain at #9. (NY Post)

Brooks says that at #9 the Rangers could possibly select from a group of Noah Dobson, Evan Bouchard and Oliver Wahlstrom. He notes that Swedish defenseman Adam Boqvist is not believed to be a target of the Rangers. (NY Post)

6/18/18 | According to Larry Brooks, while the Rangers have spoken with the Carolina Hurricanes about potentially acquiring the second overall a pick, a deal seems "extremely unlikely." (NY Post)

The 2018 NHL Awards were held on Wednesday and the Rangers had the following players pick up votes:

• Lady Byng: Ryan Spooner (tied for 26th) one 2nd place vote, one 3rd place vote

The Rangers did not have any players generate a vote for the Norris, Calder, Selke, Vezina, Hart Trophy or any of the end of season All-Star teams.

Jeff Gorton did not receive a vote for GM of the year.

Darren Dreger said on TSN on Wednesday that his "gut feeling" is that Erik Karlsson will be traded by the Ottawa Senators. (TSN)

Ken Warren of the Ottawa Sun wrote that the Rangers have a number of draft picks this weekend and have the "bankroll" to acquire a "marquee name."

• The Rangers have previously been mentioned as a team that could be a fit for Karlsson.

Warren notes that in addition to the seven picks the Rangers have in the first three-rounds this season, they already have three picks in the first two-rounds next year. (Ottawa Sun)

The Rangers have announced that they will open the 2018-19 season at Madison Square Garden against the Nashville Predators on 10/4.

The NHL will release the full schedule tomorrow.

In his mock draft at TSN, Craig Button has the Rangers selecting Oliver Wahlstrom at 9 and:

• Jay O'Brien (center) at 26
• Vitali Kravtsov (winger) at 28

Corey Pronman, of The Athletic, has the Rangers selecting defenseman Noah Dobson at 9 and says that he is someone he thinks would "tick" boxes for them because of his mobility and hockey IQ.

At 26, Pronman has winger Serron Neal and winger Jonatan Berggen at 28.

6/19/18 | 4:47PM: The Rangers have announced their preseason schedule:

• 9/17 at NJ
• 9/19 vs Philly
• 9/22 at Islanders (Bridgeport)
• 9/24 vs NJ
• 9/26 vs NYI
• 9/27 at Philly

12:36PM: The Devils have announced that they will play the Rangers twice in the preseason, on 9/17 in New Jersey and 9/24 at MSG.

6/15/18 | The Flyers have announced that they will play two preseason games against the Rangers.

• The Rangers host the Flyers on 9/19 at 7PM
• The Rangers visit the Flyers on 9/27 at 7PM

The Rangers also play the Islanders in Bridgeport on 9/22 and at MSG on 9/26.

Kevin Hayes, Ryan Spooner and Vlad Namestnikov are all listed on TSN's trade bait board.

Hayes is listed at 8, Spooner at 18 and Namestnikov remains at 23. (TSN)

It was reported over the weekend that Hayes is drawing a lot of interest around the league and some have noted that Calgary is believed to be interested in him.

The Rangers have placed defensive prospect Sergey Zborovskiy on unconditional waivers with the intent to terminate his contract.

He was a third round pick of the Rangers in 2015 (79th overall) and spent last season playing in the ECHL and AHL.

He played 47 games for Greenville in the ECHL with 5 goals and 12 assists and 10 games with Hartford where he didn't record a point and had 10 PIM.

6/18/18 | Larry Brooks writes that Brendan Smith has remaining in New York this summer and is working with Ben Prentiss to improve his "fitness." (NY Post)

Brooks writes that the Rangers not only expect Smith to be in the mix for a job on deffense but to be the player they signed last summer. (NY Post)

5/14/18 | 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.

Bob McKenzie, of TSN, released his final draft rankings for Friday's draft and had Brady Tkachuk listed at 3 behind consensus 1 and 2 Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov. (TSN)

McKenzie listed Filip Zadina at 4, Finnish center Jesper Kotkaniemi at 5 and then defensemen Noah Dobson, Evan Bouchard and Quinn Hughes at 6, 7,8 respectively. (TSN)

He listed Oliver Wahlstrom 9th and Adam Boqvist 10th. (TSN)

6/17/18 | Larry Brooks writes that Kevin Hayes is generating "significant interest" around the league. (NY Post)

Brooks notes that the Rangers could have a glut at center and that if Hayes were to be moved it would likely be as the "centerpiece" of a deal to acquire a defenseman. (NY Post)

He wrote that it's unlikely the Rangers would move Hayes in an effort to move up in the draft. (NY Post)

6/23/18 | Mats Zuccarello said that playing in the NHL has been his dream and that New York has become a home to him. (VG)

Zuccarello said that he would like to finish his career with the Rangers but understands that it's a "business" and that he might move. (VG)

6/16/18 | According to Larry Brooks, in the NY Post, Mats Zuccarello is not expected to be moved. (NY Post)

Jeff Gorton told the Boston Globe that Jimmy Vesey needed a bit of a "fresh start" and one of the players that Gorton thinks David Quinn will help.

Gorton said that Vesey needs an "opportunity to play a little more and show what he has . . . so I will be curious to see how David will help Jimmy." (Boston Globe)

Gorton said that it was an "obvious choice" for the team to hire David Quinn because of his past coaching at different levels and developing players.