Bantering Points: 4/22/25

Here are today's news and links:

From Blueshirt Banter:

Joe Fortunato eulogizes the 2024-25 New York Rangers (BSB)

Chris Feldman recaps breakup day for the Blueshirts as the 24-25 group came together (sans their recently fired head coach) for one final time before departing into the off-season (BSB)

Rangers News:

Mollie Walker heard from Chris Kreider about how in spite of the abundance of trade rumors surrounding him, Kreider would prefer to remain on Broadway as the team's longest-tenured player (NY Post)

Colin Stephenson examines some of the player's breakup day comments as the same core of players that made it to the Eastern Conference Final two of the last three seasons get ready to watch the entirety of these playoffs from their couches (Newsday)

Vincent Mercogliano offers his takeaways from breakup day (LoHud)

Anthony Russo ponders whether or not New York's apparent cultural issues can be repaired (The Hockey Writers)

Nicholas Seltz gives his assessment of Igor Shesterkin's performance over the course of the season (The Hockey Writers)

Stan Fischler details the how's and why's of Peter Laviolette losing the Bliueshirts' locker room after only two seasons as head coach (The Hockey News)

Remy Mastey heard from Braden Schneider about the upper-body injury he missed the end of the season with being a torn labrum Schneider has dealt with for multiple years (The Hockey News)

Peter Baugh di$cu$$e$ what might have went wrong for the Ranger$ thi$ $ea$on through the eye$ of the player$ at breakup day (The Athletic)

Around the NHL:

Alex Ovechkin scored his first career playoff overtime-winner as the Washington Capitals staved off the Montreal Canadiens and escaped with a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of their series (TSN)

The Seattle Kraken relieved Dan Bylsma of his head coaching duties after one season behind the bench (NBC Sports)

Ryan Clark reports that the Vancouver Canucks declined the option on head coach Rick Tocchet's contract that could have kept him in Vancouver, but will continue negotiations to retain Tocchet (ESPN)

The Winnipeg Jets topped the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in Game 2 of that playoff series to take a 2-0 series lead as the scene shifts to St. Louis (Sportsnet)