Tonight marks the dawn of a new era in Rangerstown. Sammy Blais is a St. Louis Blue, Hunter Skinner is a Springfield Thunderbird, and Niko Mikkola and Vladimir Tarasenko are New York Rangers. Chris Drury swung a trade to pair those two players with a pair of draft picks to get a head start on the trade deadline action by bringing in Tarasenko and Mikkola from the Blues. Although the Blueshirts are in the midst of a successful 18-4-3 stretch, the team was in desperate need of a top end right winger.
Tarasenko is expected to slot into the right wing spot opposite Artemiy Panarin.