SOME OPINION, MOSTLY FACT:

GO FIGURE: New York Rangers have newcomer Erik Gustafsson slotted on the left side of their No. 3 defense despite a reputation for not being very good in his own end. This will be his eighth team in the last five years including a failed training camp with the Islanders. Last year he had a brief scoring streak with Washington before being shipped to Toronto. Inability to pass the puck to teammates has always been a problem yet new Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, who had Gustafsson in Washington, apparently gave him the job ahead of Zac Jones, the native Richmonder who probably would be better off being traded to a team that really wants him. Jones cannot be sent back to AHL Hartford without first going through waivers which he undoubtedly would not clear. In Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to New Jersey, which finished its preseason schedule unbeaten (6-0), Gustafsson, paired with Braden Schneider, was, for the most part, inconspicuous. His primary contribution was a perfect hip check that sent one of the Devils flying to the ice. Jones did not dress. Thursday, the Rangers were back on MSG ice against Boston in what would be their final exhibition game. Laviolette apparently was aware of Jones’ versatility, using him on the right side with Gustafsson on his left. Schneider sat this one out. Boston won 3-1 including an empty-net goal near the end. Veteran Ryan Lindgren was out of position when the Bruins evened the score. The go-head goal came when veteran D’Andre Miller first failed to control the puck along the boards in the NY end then went for a skate, leaving goalie Igor Shesterkin alone for a shot from right on. Miller, like Lindgren, is a left-handed defenseman. The Rangers finished 1-5 in preseason … Friday, they sent top draft choice forward Brennan Othmann to Hartford and waived forward Jonny Brodzinski and defenseman Ben Harpur with plans to send the veteran pair to the AHL Wolf Pack, too. Brodzinski was Hartford team captain the last two seasons … Filip Chytil, who appeared in one game before suffering an undisclosed injury, was expected to open the regular season Oct. 12 at Buffalo as the No. 2 center. Now his availability is questionable … In the only surprise (somewhat), Will Cuylle, 21-year-old forward who had been ear-marked for Hartford, apparently has made the opening-night roster. ….. HOW TO EXPLAIN?: Attempts to find out how Major League Soccer fans have embraced the new contract with Apple-plus have been deflected by both parties. Definitely not a good sign. All but a handful of games are carried by the streaming service which is charging an extra fee beyond its regular price that brings the overall cost to more than $20/month. As ridiculous as that might sound, about a million signed up originally, according to MLS and Apple … unwilling (again) to provide an exact number. That was BLM – Before Lionel Messi. The arrival of the super-star surely increased business … but still no figures … except to note average age of Apple watchers was 8-to-9 years younger that those who tuned in on Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC to see the NFL. So what? Well, the point is … is … is … uhh, the older the audience the less likely they care about futbol in this country where it was slow to gain popularity and catch up with the rest of the world where it’s been No. 1 for … for … for … uhh, forever. I know one latecomer to the sport who stopped watching MLS this year and, frankly, he hasn’t missed it. Now if was the English Premier League … ….. NICE TRY: Richmond Raceway will keep its two NASCAR dates for another year which is good … and somewhat surprising, too … after two disappointing (if not surprising) turnouts this year. The 2024 dates are March 30-31 and August 10-11. In 2023, “The Track Paul Sawyer Built” was saddled with a pair of day-time events during the heat of the summer and drew crowds said to be less than 30,000. There was reason to believe the governing body, which owns the local facility, was laying the groundwork to take one of the track’s dates and move it elsewhere. Keeping the heretofore “fall” race in early August makes it, once again, attendance challenged despite a 6:30 p.m., start. The spring race will get under way at 7 p.m., and should do better than the 28,000 (est.) of 2023. Then again … it will be held on Easter Sunday … which was an off-date for years because promoters didn’t think fans would come. Until next time ...