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Rangers Daily: Chmelar scores for Hartford; Hellebuyck situation gets messy
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- Rangers Daily: Chmelar scores for Hartford; Hellebuyck situation gets messy
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In seven games with the New York Rangers this season, Jaroslav Chmelar not only didn't produce a point, he recorded just three shots on goal in a very limited role on the fourth line. But back in the minors Saturday, Chmelar thrived with increased ice time and scored a goal for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Now, this isn't to suggest the 23-year-old forward deserved a much bigger opportunity with the Rangers nor that he should've played ahead of other forwards in, say, the top nine. But it does point to what Rangers brass should know already, that there's something there with the still-developing youngster.
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Like last season in the American Hockey League, when he played in the top-six forward group with linemates like Gabe Perreault and responded with 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 46 games for Hartford, Chmelar got plenty of run with the Wolf Pack in their 4-2 loss to Charlotte on Saturday.
Playing on the power play in the first period, Chmelar used his big frame (6-foot-5, 238 pounds) to swoop in off the left boards and help Jusuo Parssinen win an offensive zone face-off. Chmelar then got the puck to Glenn Gawdin who in turn found Marc Del Gaizo at the right point. Del Gaizo let fly with the shot and there was Chmelar cruising by the front of the Checkers net to deflect the puck into the cage to bring Hartford within 2-1 on the scoreboard at 8:44.
ON THE BOARD‼️ pic.twitter.com/pR1ZG3uHnB
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) October 17, 2026
An all-around good play by Chmelar, who also led Hartford with six shots on goal. Keep in mind, he had only three shots in seven games with the Rangers, albeit in a different role, with less TOI, and in a much more difficult league.
However long Chmelar stays in Hartford, it's a fairly safe bet that he'll be back on Broadway at some point. He was called up a couple times last season, and it wasn't until down the stretch when he looked more comfortable. After failing to record a point in his first two recalls covering six games, Chmelar picked up six points (four goals, two assists) in 22 games beginning with his return to the Rangers on March 7.
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He made the team out of training camp, even though coach Mike Sullivan harped on the fact that Chmelar needed to be much more "assertive" on the ice. There was some physicality, but his overall game was meh — to use a real professional description — before the Rangers sent him back to Hartford on Wednesday and recalled veteran Taylor Raddysh .
As for Raddysh, the 28-year-old logged 7:23 TOI on Saturday with Sullivan once again deciding not to deploy the fourth line all that often in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In a very small sample size, Raddysh and fourth-line partners Justin Dowling and Oliver Bjorkstrand out-chanced the opposition 3-2 and had a team-best 79.01 expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick .
It's all a work in progress for the fourth line right now, as it is for Chmelar, who must focus on developing his all-around game and build up his confidence for the time being in Hartford.
New York Rangers news and analysis
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John Kreiser has the full game recap after the Rangers get a point but don't take full advantage of Dylan Garand's gem in 1-0 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets.
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Here are the key Rangers takeaways from that hard-fought defeat in Columbus, including how they answered the bell after their shoddy performance two night earlier in Newark.
ICYMI: This was written and posted before their penalty kill was again terrific on Saturday, but here's a story about that excellent Rangers PK unit .
Hey look who's back in the NHL — former Rangers center Jonny Brodzinski was recalled by the Washington Capitals from the AHL and was in their lineup against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
NHL news and rumors
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Sportsnet: Uh oh, things could get a whole lot messier in Winnipeg. Elliotte Friedman reports that Connor Hellebuyck 's suspension for not reporting to Jets training camp ends this coming Friday, and the star goalie could very well wish to return to the team despite his continuing trade request so that he can once again be paid. The Jets could speed up their efforts to trade Hellebuyck or could simply pay him but tell him to stay home and way from the team.
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Daily Faceoff: So, how does Jets captain Adam Lowry feel about Hellebuyck's possible return ? To say that he didn't sound thrilled Saturday and is an understatement. And coach Scott Arniel refused to discuss the topic. Yep, this is a big mess in The 'Peg.
TSN: Here's another injury blow to the Toronto Maple Leafs — first defenseman Chris Tanev landed on IR and now forward John Tavares is week to week with a lower-body injury .
New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols and Daniel Amoia weren't too impressed with how the Devils regressed in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals, just two days after smoking the Rangers 7-1.
NHL.com: Tracey Myers reports that the Dallas Stars will begin contract negotiations with pending UFA forward Jason Robertson at the start of December.
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Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski reacts to reports that the Penguins decided to trade some veteran forwards moving forward in order to give opportunities to a host of younger players in the organization.
Philly Hockey Now: Wait, what! The Flyers actually won a game, and William James details how their kids helped deliver that elusive first victory of the season, along with a heavy dose of veteran goalie Dan Vladar.
Florida Hockey Now: Alan Greenberg breaks down how defenseman Seth Jones is the real quiet assassin for the Panthers , even as several big-name forwards are piling up hat trick in South Florida.
Detroit Hockey Now: Bob Duff explains the several reasons why the Red Wings placed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker on waivers Saturday.
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