Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

• Brett Cyrgalis discusses how the Rangers were in desperate need of the All-Star break to recharge and gear up for the stretch run (NY Post)
• Colin Stephenson notes that the team’s three game winning streak heading into the break could be a rallying point as they head into the second half of the season (Newsday)
• Dave Shapiro relays word that Cristoval Nieves and Ryan Lindgren were assigned to AHL Hartford after Saturday night’s victory (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Shapiro also recapped Hartford’s 3-0 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds from Saturday night (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Steve Paulus examines where the Blueshirts stack up in the race to the bottom of the standings (Blue Line Station)/

Around the NHL:

• Eric Francis heard from Carolina Hurricanes’ defenseman Dougie Hamilton about the infamous quote that leaked out after his trade out of Calgary (Sportsnet)
• After opening initial discussions late last week, talks between the Ottawa Senators and pending UFA Matt Duchene are scheduled to continue throughout the break (TSN)
• Sam McCaig lists the top ten Stanley Cup Finals matchups fans would like to see (The Hockey News)
• loserpoints analyzes which players score the most “meaningless” points that don’t help their teams win (Raw Charge)/