Joe Fortunato

Blueshirt Bandwidth #42 w/ Scott Wheeler: Chris Kreider’s Exit Interview, Lafrenière’s Ceiling, & What’s Next for NYR Prospects The Athletic's Scott Wheeler joins the show to talk Rangers prospects and who should make the opening night lineup.

🔈🔉🔊 New podcast!

@joefortunato.bsky.social & @ierickohn.bsky.social are joined by @scottcwheeler.bsky.social of @theathletic.com to break down the Rangers’ prospects. Plus Kreider's exit interview, Lafrenière's ceiling, and more!

Listen & subscribe ➡️➡️➡️ www.blueshirtbanter.com/blueshirt-ba... #NYR

This was the longest podcast we've ever done! Had a lot to talk about. Went in depth on Gavrikov, the Miller trade, the body of work Drury put together on 7/1, the draft, and then some longer term discussions about the implications if no big names are available in 2026.

The notorious Chip 23 joins me. Is he Chris Drury? Maybe! Do you want a Leaf? Any Leaf? Tavares? Standing pat? Trading up in the draft (to actually make a selection????) and where it makes sense. This was a good one!

Full strength episode. Honestly about 12 of the 90 minutes was on the Rangers directly. Some good discussion on Perreault, Tortorella, Drury, Laviolette, Kreider, and more.

Sam's show. The Rangers are still bad. Drury and analytics. The summer bloodbath. Do we really care if the kids are or aren't playing? What exactly led to some of these lineup decisions. Did I say the Rangers are bad?

My God do I wish we knew about Torts before we recorded.

We come for a few fan complaints on this show. More on the mediocrity of this team, the damage that’s being done, and it’s too late to change it.

I wrote about how Drury and Laviolette seem to have different visions for this team.

And the guy who is currently making the calls won't be here next year and why that's weird

We talked about this on the pod this week, but I'm divorcing myself from getting annoyed over the lineup card. Lavi is gonna do what he's gonna do, and Drury is gonna have to clean up the mess this summer.

That said, I don't hate the forwards. Miller and Laf I've wanted to see

90 minutes of: All of us divorcing ourselves from the Laviolette lineup card (kids won't develop anyway with the way he'd play them), a potential rift between Drury and Laviolette, the three-game losing streak, systems, Urho extended, next year, and our good boy Quick.

I wasn't opposed to getting out of the Chytil business. Miller has been fantastic and Chytil has 6 points in 13 games in Vancouver -- to say nothing of the injury risk.

I get your point but Miller was not a rental and the plan was always for him to help longer term.

Soucy didn't even get 13 minutes last night. I'm writing something up about this but it sure feels like Laviolette doesn't have much of an interest in some of these guys who are going to be here next year.

Perhaps because he knows he will not be.

But at the very least, they sold. At least partly. And the main returns for selling will happen this summer. Better that Drury didn't panic there.

Not that this situation is good -- it's not -- but in no man's land after selling is what it is.

Plus I've heard this week's draft is weak

The Rangers will continue to be in the playoff discussion because of how bad the east is, but they continue to show you they are very simply not good enough. It's either that, or they are unable to meet the moment of games that matter.

Neither of those are good

Laviolette goes into every day and asks himself "how can I fuck with the kids today."

He always wins.

LMFAO

Also worth noting Ottawa has two games in hand and Columbus has one.

Two must win, basically playoff games, and the Rangers have played two of their worst 5v5 games of the year (which is saying something)

Rangers vs. Senators: Bad, Worse, and Demoralizing The New York Rangers lost a game they couldn't have needed more, and in the worst way possible.

Rangers vs. Senators: Bad, Worse, and Demoralizing

The New York Rangers lost a game they couldn't have needed more, and in the worst way possible.

Read it here ➡️➡️➡️ www.blueshirtbanter.com/rangers-vs-s... via @joefortunato.bsky.social #NYR

My Laviolette gut tells me Jones wears the L for yesterday and aside from inserting de Haan for him there are no other lineup changes

MTPS: What the Hell Was That?? An NHL Trade Deadline Post-Mortem Lazy sites break down the trade deadline into winners and losers. But we ain’t lazy. The trade deadline isn’t black and white. There are lots of shades of gray. Here are the winners, losers, what the ...

MTPS: What the Hell Was That?? An NHL Trade Deadline Post-Mortem

The trade deadline isn’t black and white. There are lots of shades of gray. Here are the winners, losers, what the actual f*%!, and more.

Read it here ➡️➡️➡️ www.blueshirtbanter.com/mtps-what-th... #NYR

I mean if you're Chris Drury there is no way you don't have three chefs from the best Italian restaurants in the city bringing the ingredients to make chicken parm on the spot after the game on Ottawa, right?

Gotta show Brady the high life.

Emergency Bandwidth: Rangers Trade Deadline Reactions Blueshirt Bandwidth · Episode

🔊🔊🔊If you all missed it, @iEricKohn and I did a full trade deadline Emergency Bandwidth about the Smith and Soucy trades, do some Kreider and Miller speculation, and talk a bit about some of the other big things that happened this deadline.

open.spotify.com/episode/3Pgk...

I give Drury a solid B+ for the deadline. Moved the guys he needed to move, got back long term pieces that help right now, and re-stocked the draft cupboard.

Gotta see how some of these younger guys pan out, but he only gave up players they weren’t keeping around next year.

We talked a lot of things.

Trade deadline thoughts, obviously. Rangers should probably keep Jones. The kids are dawgs and it has made the team somewhat enjoyable again. A playoff push would have real meaning now (but still don't have expectations). Kreider/Mika speculation.

We've talked about this a bunch on the podcast, but @ierickohn.bsky.social goes into some serious depth on the subject for our full access subscribers

Rangers vs. Islanders: Another Good Win Against a Bad Team Winning 4-0 over the Islanders just one day after winning 4-0 against the Predators is nice. But these are good wins over bad teams.

Rangers vs. Islanders: Another Good Win Against a Bad Team

Winning 4-0 over the Islanders just one day after winning 4-0 against the Predators is nice. But these are good wins over bad teams.

Read it here ➡️➡️➡️ www.blueshirtbanter.com/rangers-vs-i... via @joefortunato.bsky.social #NYR

About 1,600 words on what's ultimately another trade win for Chris Drury, what it says about the direction he's going in, re-shaping the team in his imagine, analysis on what the Rangers sent out and, of course, what they got back in return.

I am pleasantly surprised by this

I will say, one of the major differences between this team and the team right out of the Four Nations is there are now numerous guys (Othmann, Berard, Parssinen, Jones) who have been injected into the lineup who don’t stop skating. Motor running every shift. Makes a difference

This has been about as good of a period as the Rangers have had in a while. Effort, defensive play, offensive chances have all been there.