We’re mail-bagging here, answering questions as the Rangers established franchise history by sweeping a road trip of at least five games with Monday night’s win in Winnipeg.

The first four victories had come in Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, the final trio marking the Blueshirts’ first sweep of western Canada since the 2017-18 club did it in the first three games following the deadline purge in which captain Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner (plus) were sent away in the wake of The Letter.

The Remnants of the Rangers went into Vancouver and won 6-5 in overtime with Henrik Lundqvist making 50 saves.

Two nights later, The King celebrated his 36th birthday by becoming the first goaltender to record consecutive victories with 50 saves or more since the NHL began tracking the stat in 1955 with a 50-save, 3-1 triumph in Calgary.

The following night in Edmonton, Alex Georgiev recorded the first victory of his NHL career in a 35-save, 3-2 triumph over the Oilers to complete the improbable three-game sweep with a lineup featuring John Gilmour, Rob O’Gara, Paul Carey, David Desharnais, Cody McLeod and Ryan Spooner.

The Rangers, by the way, won only four more games (4-9-3) the rest of the way.

Now let’s get to these questions, submitted by subscribers to my colleague Mollie Walker’s Texts from the Blue Seats.

Blake Wheeler doesn’t seem to have worked out thus far. What are the options if he needs to be replaced? Mutual contract termination? Call up Othmann? Kane or Puljujarvi?
— Paul Collett

How long can they keep playing Wheeler?
— Gary Heintz

Do you see Blake Wheeler making it through the whole season wearing a Blueshirt? Maybe it’s just me, but he looks very slow here at the start.
— Michael Silvers

It is safe to say that there is some concern over Wheeler’s halting start, but I would expect both management and the coaching staff to remain patient with the 37-year-old winger, who made his return to Winnipeg on Monday after wearing the Jets logo for the previous 12 seasons.

Perhaps that will help energize Wheeler, who was reinstated on the second power-play unit for this game after falling off in favor of Will Cuylle.

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Wheeler, who has not recorded a point in the first nine games, has seemed a step or so off the pace, just late to the battle, just late to get to the front of the net.

Regardless of how often the Minnesota native said he felt comfortable during training camp, this move to New York has represented a major adjustment. It is still early in the process.

And though Wheeler has struggled, he is not caving in his line that has featured Cuylle on the left and Vincent Trocheck in the middle. In 74:19 of five-on-five play through the team’s 6-2 getaway heading into Monday night, the unit is on the positive side of shot attempts at 50.38 percent with an xGF% of 50.80 even though the trio had not been on for a Rangers goal but had been on for one against.

The Blueshirts do, however, expect more. At some point, they will need more.

I do not expect Patrick Kane to return to Broadway; that’s so spring of 2023.

And before promoting 20-year-old Brennan Othmann, just seven games into his pro career after recording three assists in Hartford’s 4-1 victory over Lehigh Valley, I’d imagine head coach Peter Laviolette would move either Jimmy Vesey or Barclay Goodrow into Wheeler’s spot while reinserting Tyler Pitlick into the lineup on the fourth line.

There is great respect for Wheeler’s professionalism and leadership. The Rangers will give him some time. If No. 17 does not respond, intermediate internal moves would precede an attempt to sign or acquire a third-line winger.

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How is Brennan Othmann doing in Hartford?
— Scott Mason

Othmann’s three-assist night on Sunday ended a four-game stretch in which the winger did not record a point.

He’s got six points (2-4) in seven contests overall and has gone six straight without a goal since scoring a pair in his pro debut for the Wolf Pack on Oct. 13.

The lad has been fine. The byword is: patience.

Want to catch a game? Tickets for all upcoming Rangers games can be found here.

It’s early, but Kaapo Kakko is really worrying me. He’s strong on the puck and is decent defensively, but his accuracy is so bad. He never could hit the broad side of a barn. Do we keep him on the first line? Do we trade him? And [K’Andre] Miller is the most frustrating player to watch. Shows signs of greatness, but then he looks lost out there and is a giveaway machine.
— Michael Quigley

Miller has played fewer than 225 pro games. He is still learning. I agree, however, that consistency and rush reads need to improve for this 23-year-old with immense physical gifts to take the next step.

I’d expect Miller to benefit from associate coach Phil Housley’s tutelage. Remember, defensemen are also adapting to a new system and No. 79 is adapting to his third coach in four NHL seasons.

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Kakko, with one goal and one assist through the first nine games, has not been as productive as he or the club would like, but his auxiliary numbers are on track and so are his line’s.

The Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Kakko unit began Monday with a 62.19 xGF percentage, a 57.64% attempt share, a 58.57% shot share, a 62.30 scoring chance percentage and 65.52% share of high-danger chances even while scoring just two goals in 85:04 of five-on-five play.

I see no need to mix things up. Pucks will go in, though one would like to see more dynamic play from the Finn.