The New York Rangers left little time in getting newly acquired defenceman Keith Yandle out on the ice. The Rangers are hoping he will unlock their power play. Bruce Bennett / AFP
The New York Rangers left little time in getting newly acquired defenceman Keith Yandle out on the ice. The Rangers are hoping he will unlock their power play. Bruce Bennett / AFP

New York Rangers mortgaging future for shot at Stanley Cup now



Subtlety does not win you a Stanley Cup.

That, anyway, was the message the New York Rangers bellowed as Monday’s trade deadline came and went.

Last year’s finals losers clearly want another shot at the silver trophy, making the most dramatic personnel moves for the stretch run and the looming post-season.

The eye-opening trade was with the Arizona Coyotes for Keith Yandle, a 28-year-old All-Star defenceman who is not shy about pushing the puck.

“I’ve been shopping for this guy for awhile,” Rangers general manager Glen Sather said.

“He’s the type of player I like. He plays the style our team plays.”

And then some.

The Rangers notably faltered on the power play last spring in the finals against the Los Angeles Kings. Yandle’s 24 power-play assists lead the league.

The Rangers bolstered their depth, as well, adding young forwards Carl Klingberg and James Sheppard, and a veteran defenceman in Chris Summers.

Just as important as the Yandle pickup was the signing of veteran forward Mats Zuccarello to a four-year, US$18 million (Dh66.1m) extension.

Zuccarello was approaching free agency this summer and the Rangers reportedly were shopping him around the past couple of weeks.

In the end, the franchise opted to end the suspense.

It is all about “Win today.” The price, of course, was a familiar one in New York: “Goodbye tomorrow.”

The Rangers gave up, among other pieces, their first-round pick in 2016, their second-round pick this year, and perhaps their best young prospect, dazzling 19-year-old forward Anthony Duclair, to the Arizona Coyotes.

The Rangers have not drafted a first-rounder since 2012 and will not have another until 2017.

A youth movement is the last thing on their minds.

“First-round picks are valuable,” Sather said. “But you have to give to get. Giving up the assets we had to make the deal work, that was just part of the deal.”

The Rangers are 21 years removed from their last Stanley Cup title, so their impatience is understandable.

They currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division, tied with the New York Islanders, behind only the Montreal Candiens for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Rangers goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, is widely regarded as the best in the NHL. Star forward Rick Nash is in the midst of a career year, with 38 goals, behind only Alex Ovechkin.

Best of all, the Rangers are on a roll. They have won 10 of their last 12 games, and picked up a point in one of the losses.

All of that has happened since Lundqvist was injured in early February, with back-up Cam Talbot in the net, proving it is not a team that needs its hallmark player to succeed.

Fellow Eastern contenders, Montreal and the Pittsburgh Penguins, have been patching holes in recent weeks, as well. But neither could claim the kind of prize Yandle represented as trade season closed.

Yandle, of course, was thrilled to go from the wreckage of the Coyotes’ season to Broadway.

“It’s going to be a lot different,” said Yandle. “In Arizona, you kind of fly under the radar. Here, you can’t hide from the lights. So it’s going to be fun.”

Fun is one way to put it. Full-throttle serious about winning the Stanley Cup is the other.

sports@thenational.ae

Follow us on twitter at @NatSportlUAE

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

'Panga'

Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta

Rating: 3.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

Coffee: black death or elixir of life?

It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?

Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.

Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver. 

The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.

But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.

Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.

It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.

So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.

Rory Reynolds

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X

Price, as tested: Dh84,000

Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: Six-speed auto

Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia