VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Stacking wins is always guaranteed to improve vibes around a team, but making bold moves in the name of becoming champions will reinvigorate a club.
That is what president and general manager Chris Drury did for the Rangers when he brought in noted goal-scorer Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola in a trade with the Blues last week. The Rangers were already winners of three straight and seven of their last 10 before the deal was made. They’ve added two more victories since then, but the real difference in the team can be seen among the players on the ice during practice and in the feeling of the locker room.
There’s an unmistakable buzz surrounding the Rangers, who are seemingly beaming with confidence after getting some reaffirmation of the belief in the team from the front office.
“When you add two new guys, especially two good players and one guy that’s been an elite scorer in the league, it’s just been really good energy,” Jimmy Vesey told The Post after practice Monday at Rogers Arena. “When management goes out and does that, it shows the team that they’re serious about how far we can go. It just gave us a little boost.”
The Rangers’ eight-day road trip to western Canada couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s the perfect opportunity for Tarasenko and Mikkola to further integrate into the team. A major plus for the two new additions, however, is that they both already have a friend on the team.
Tarasenko played with Artemi Panarin for a few years while representing Team Russia at international tournaments, while Mikkola and Kaapo Kakko were teammates on the Finnish national team that won the 2019 World Championships. To have someone who is not only a familiar face, but also speaks your native language, probably makes the transition to a new team a bit easier.
“When you come to a new team, it takes a little bit to get to know everyone,” Mika Zibanejad said. “It’s obviously helps [to have pre-existing friendships on the team], especially in the short amount of time that they’re here right now. It helps a lot. You have someone you can talk to, as well as everyone else trying to help them out.
“I think it’s important to kind of jell as a group and obviously that was one of the things to get it done now and not wait two, three weeks. Gives us a little more time to play together and get to know each other.”
Drury’s ability to get the deal done weeks in advance of the March 3 trade deadline gives the Rangers ample time to mesh new and old faces before the playoffs. The team had a Super Bowl viewing party at its hotel in Vancouver after a long day of travel on Sunday, and there will be even more opportunities to bond this week.
When a talented team has a high level of camaraderie, the results usually take care of itself.
“We’ve just got to continue to play our game well,” coach Gerard Gallant said of the upcoming games against the Canucks, Oilers and Flames. “There’s always tough teams, no matter who you’re playing. … Just continue to do what we’re doing. You can’t worry about what teams we’re playing. You just got to play your game. We’ve been on a good roll here and you got to keep working hard to keep winning.”