Blue Notes

              The Rangers pursued him, but Wisconsin free-agent defenseman Justin Schultz, one of the top college prospects, today agreed to an entry-level deal with the Edmonton Oilers.

             Schultz, 21, who was born in British Columbia, decided...

It has been an eventful week at Rangers Prospect Development Camp for free-agent invitee Kyle Jean. On top of scoring four goals in three scrimmages, the Lake Superior State junior collided with  2010 first-rounder Dylan McIlrath on Wednesday, causing McIlrath to sit out the rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday.

When asked about what it was like to see one of the team’s first-round picks...

A few interviews from the on-ice testing day of Rangers rookie camp:

-- Dylan McIlrath, the 2010 1st-round pick, enjoyed his time at the end of last season as a self-described "Black Ace" -- he turned pro after Moose Jaw's season ended, played five playoff games with the CT Whale and then skated with the extras during the Rangers run to the Eastern Conference final.

"This...

The Rangers will open up with eight games on the road to start the 2012-13 season, including a season-opener against the Stanley Cup-champion Kings.

The NHL released full schedules for each team Thursday afternoon.

The Rangers-Kings game is on Oct. 12 at 10:30 p.m. EST. Three days later, the Rangers take on the Sharks at 10:30 p.m. before returning to the East Coast to face the Devils...

Gloriously off the grid here in northwestern Ireland, and missed the NHL awards show, but catching up, I must say that Lundqvist certainly deserved the Vezina for his nightly regular-season efforts.

Will be checking in occasionally on the draft (wrote a preview last week), and will be back in the U.S. to write about free agency on June 30. What I'm reading from afar sounds...

I know, I know, it's not the Rangers, but Game 5 tonight at The Rock in Newark may be the final NHL game until November, given the CBA issues, so we're going to give ourselves some wiggle room on the site here. Sorry to all the Blueshirt purists: It's quiet out there at the moment.

Here's my advance for tonight's game, filed last night after practices at Pru:               ...

                                                   COACH DARRYL SUTTER                               ANZE...

         By my calculations, the Rangers currently have picks in the first four rounds of the draft in Pittsburgh on June 22-23: The 28th, 59th, 89th and 119th overall. The front office traded the picks in the lower rounds.The four selections are the fewest since 1968, when they had one. They drafted six players in each of the last two years and seven in...

Two Rangers forwards underwent surgery in Manhattan today for in-season injuries. Marian Gaborik, the team's leading scorer, had a torn labrum in his right shoulder repaired. Gaborik sustained the injury on April 18 and is expected to be sidelined up to six months.

Brandon Prust, an unrestricted free agent, had a torn tendon in his right ring finger repaired. He suffered the injury in a fight...

If you missed it on NBC last night, there was more self-analysis from John Tortorella with Mr. Costas: “I’m not good at it (post-game pressers)… I’m not looking to disrespect people.” He denied that Garden or NHL spoke with him about his abrupt, tight-lipped pressers in the playoffs. Some magic wand must have been waved, then…And of course, there’s always the caveat: “But I can’t promise that it...