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Rangers' Peter Laviolette Explains Arthur Kaliyev's 'Dream' Move

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jan 10, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The New York Rangers’ decision to claim Arthur Kaliyev off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings paid immediate dividends.

The 23-year-old winger debuted Thursday night in a 3–2 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden with the Rangers coming off a loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

Head coach Peter Laviolette shed light on the move, describing it as an opportunity to bring in a young player with untapped potential to the retooling organization.

“Chris (Drury) and I communicate all the time,” Laviolette said, per Remy Mastey of The Hockey News. “That goes a little bit more to his side and the people watching him. Obviously, there is communication, we watch the player as well.

“He is a young player, there is potential there and like I said, we are bringing him in and giving him an opportunity.”

For Kaliyev, the move represented more than just a fresh start and it was also a homecoming as he was raised on Staten Island.

“I didn’t expect it, obviously, but it’s kind of like a dream come true,” Kaliyev said on Thursday. “I used to always come watch games here.

”It’s crazy. Not much more words you can say.”

The former No. 33 overall pick from the 2019 draft had struggled to find consistency in Los Angeles, where he produced 71 points in 188 career games before getting waived on Tuesday.

Arthur Kaliyev, who moved to Staten Island when he was two years old, rooted at least in part for the Rangers growing up

Rick Nash was his favorite Ranger pic.twitter.com/ecGe2siL1v
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 8, 2025

Thursday’s game marked a turning point for Kaliyev, who had yet to appear in a regular-season game this campaign after breaking his clavicle during training camp, and the Rangers, which improved to 19-20-2 at the season’s halfway mark.

Igor Shesterkin returned to the lineup after missing four games and made 21 saves in his return from injury. On the goalscoring front, Sam Carrick sealed the victory with an overtime goal, while Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin also scored.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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