Emergency call-up likely vs. Canadiens
If Tyler Motte is still unavailable with an upperbody injury, the Rangers should be allowed to call up a forward on an emergency basis ahead of their matchup with the Canadiens on Thursday in Montreal, which will give the club a full lineup for the first time since essentially the Feb. 25 loss in Washington.
K’Andre Miller will be back from his three-game suspension for the spitting match penalty he earned against the Kings. The Rangers will then have a full defensive corps with six blueliners once again. It is still unclear when Ryan Lindgren, who was spotted in a sling after being injured against the Capitals, will be ready to return.
Before Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Senators, the Rangers’ emergency recall was rejected by the NHL after the league found that the organization voluntarily put itself in a manshort situation. Since the Rangers had enough cap space to make a regular recall before they traded for Patrick Kane, the NHL evidently felt the team had willingly used up all its salary cap space by addressing its roster emergency with the former Blackhawks star.
The possible head injury Motte sustained on a dirty hit from Ottawa’s Austin Watson then put the Rangers down two players for the game in Boston on Saturday. The NHL counted that 4-2 defeat as the Blueshirts’ first emergency game, which is required to be played before a team can be granted an emergency recall.
Of the eligible forwards, who have to come with a cap hit of $850,000 or less, to be recalled from AHL Hartford, Jonny Brodzinski would probably be the safest bet. Gerard Gallant usually prefers the players he is familiar with, and Brodzinski has seemingly earned the Rangers head coach’s trust. Ryan Carpenter, who has skated in 22 games for the Rangers this season, is also an option that Gallant might be comfortable with.
The other potential choices are Will Cuylle and Jake Leschyshyn. Cuylle is probably the least likely of the four after the 21-year-old had a four-game cameo in late January through early February. Since the Rangers are nearing the end of the regular season and gearing up for playoff hockey, they likely don’t want to be throwing an inexperienced player into the lineup.
Leschyshyn, plucked off the waiver wire from the Golden Knights, has recorded zero points in 13 games since coming to the Rangers.
Carpenter has played just one game on the wing for the Rangers since the former Flame signed with the club as a free agent this past summer. On the other hand, Brodzinski has skated in five games on the wing for the Rangers this season. The 29-yearold also saw a good amount of time on the wing last season, as well.
If the Rangers want to keep Barclay Goodrow as their fourth-line center, Brodzinski seems like the logical choice. Leschyshyn hasn’t played at wing at all for the Rangers this season, while Cuylle skated all four of his NHL contests on the left side of the fourth line.