Bantering Points: 4/17/25

Here are today's news and links:

From Blueshirt Banter:

Chip makes the case for why Braden Schneider's recently revealed injury should have been cause to shut the rugged defenseman down sooner than the Rangers did (BSB)

Jake DiBlasio ponders how the Blueshirts should handle K'Andre Miller as he enters restricted free agency in the off-season (BSB)

Rangers News:

Andrew Crane relayed word from Calvin de Haan as the veteran defenseman addressed his recent comments voicing his frustration about his usage since arriving on Broadway at the trade deadline (NY Post)

Vincent Mercogliano ranked New York's players as the team prepares to close the book one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history (LoHud)

Remy Mastey notes that Artemiy Panarin was voted as the Blueshirts' most valuable player (The Hockey News)

Stan Fischler gives his take on how the Rangers fell so far from last season's heights to a spring without playoff Hockey this year (The Hockey News)

Brian Abate highlights the team's inability to find a new defensive partner for Adam Fox in spite of the flurry of trades involving defensemen throughout the season (The Hockey Writers)

Nicholas Seltz points to a handful of stats from New York's season that tell the tale of their struggles (The Hockey Writers)

Around the NHL:

Sean Farrell recaps the Montreal Canadiens' 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, locking in a matchup between Montreal and the Washington Capitals in the playoffs and eliminating the Columbus Blue Jackets from playoff contention (NHL.com)

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will miss his team's season finale after undergoing surgery to close a hole in his heart (TSN)

Wednesday's results finalized the eight opening round matchups for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Sportsnet)