Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

• Greg Joyce writes that even after another year of lottery luck, the Rangers won’t be cutting any corners in this phase of their rebuild (NY Post)
• Vincent Mercogliano looks at how Alexis Lafreniere’s presence in the organization could affect the team’s prospect pool (LoHud)
• Will Wright examines the possibility of reaching for Quinton Byfield with the first overall selection in the October Entry Draft (Blue Line Station)
• Steve Paulus suggests that Jeff Gorton knows what is necessary to fix the Blueshirts’ glaring flaws (Blue Line Station)
• Brendan Azoff writes that winning the first overall selection could result in a roster shake up for the Rangers (The Hockey Writers)
• Jim Bay previews what residents of Rangerstown can expect from Lafreniere once he arrives on Broadway (Empire Sports Media)/

Around the NHL:

• Adam Gretz recaps all of yesterday’s playoff action, including four games that saw three series turn into 1-1 ties and one become a 2-0 stranglehold (NBC Sports)
• Emily Sadler details how some artificial noise is playing a role within the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton (Sportsnet)
• Frank Seravalli relays word that after Montreal Canadiens’ head coach Claude Julien was hospitalized with chest pains, his team’s players have rallied around him (TSN)
• Steven Ellis and Ken Campbell discuss what can be done to fix NHL officiating (The Hockey News)
• Nashville Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis has announced his retirement after the completion of his 16th season in the league (On The Forecheck)/