With a game against the winless Arizona Coyotes serving as the Rangers’ latest challenge, tonight’s contest will serve as an important measuring stick. Did Jeff Gorton actually construct one of the worst rosters in the NHL? Or is the team capable of at least beating up on other bad teams? We’ll find out later. Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

• Justin Tasch previews tonight’s game against Adam Clendening’s Arizona Coyotes (NY Daily News)
• Brett Cyrgalis relays word that the leg tweak Henrik Lundqvist played through during Monday night’s 4-1 defeat isn’t something to worry about (NY Post)
• Cyrgalis also discussed how the line of Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, and Jesper Fast has emerged as a reliable combination for Alain Vigneault (NY Post)
• Greg Joyce heard from the Rangers’ former first line center, Derek Stepan, about what he expects on his return to Madison Square Garden (NY Post)
• Justin Starr highlights five players that need to step up their game (Blue Line Station)
• Brandon Sapienza doesn’t think that there’s an impactful center on the market for the Rangers to seriously pursue (Blue Line Station)
• Dave Shapiro offers his thoughts on New York’s recent roster moves (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Josh Khalfin talks about some of the organization’s prospects, including Ty Ronning, Nicklas Jensen, and more (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Greg Kaplan took Jeff Gorton’s demotion of Tony DeAngelo as the general manager;s admission of not having anything resembling a plan (Blueshirts Breakaway)
• Dominick Renna points out that pile blame onto Alain Vigneault for the Blueshirts’ slow start is missing the point (Elite Sports NY)
• Media Availability: Alain Vigneault,(4:30) Rick Nash,(2:37) Ryan McDonagh,(1:18) and Cristoval Nieves (0:56)/

Around the NHL:

• Quiz yourself on what type of hockey fan you are (Wayfair)
• Sean Leahy notes that the Vegas Golden Knights have granted forward Vadim Shipachyov permission to seek out a trade (NBC Sports)
• Andrew Berkshire breaks down whether Montreal Canadians forward Alex Galchenyuk is better suited as a top line center or as a depth winger (Sportsnet)
• Former Winnipeg Jets forward Shane Doan has joined the NHL’s department of hockey operations under Colin Campbell (TSN)
• Shayna Goldman questions whether the Ottawa Senators might be overvaluing defenseman Cody Ceci (FanRag)/

Do you know who the former Ranger in the picture is?