Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

• Larry Brooks notes that Brett Howden’s eventual return to the lineup will cause a bit of a logjam up front (NY Post)
• Colin Stephenson heard from Brendan Lemieux about his first goal as a Blueshirt, the team’s current state, and more (Newsday)
• Dave Shapiro answers questions about Mats Zuccarello’s departure, the conditional draft picks the Rangers received for him, and the organization’s top five prospects (Blue Seat Blogs)
• Nicholas Zararis previews how the Rangers could utilize their abundance of cap space heading into the 2019-20 campaign (Blue Line Station)
• Robby Sabo passes along some tidbits from an ESPN interview with former Ranger Theoren Fleury (Elite Sports NY)
• Michael Obernauer previews today’s matinee against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals (Official Team Site)/

Around the NHL:

• Scott Billeck relays word that with last night’s 5-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators, the Tampa Bay Lightning tied the record for fastest 50 wins in a single season (NBC Sports)
• Rick Westhead reports that the NHL Alumni Association has reached an agreement with Canopy Growth Corporation to help finance studies towards post-career health (TSN)
• Jared Clinton lists five candidates to be the next head coach of the Ottawa Senators (The Hockey News)/