It was announced that J.T. Miller would not be skating in practice due to a “nagging” knee injury (which turns out just means he needed stitches after getting hit with a puck in last night’s game against Buffalo).
Though this injury is not something that should cause serious concern for the Rangers in the long term, it raises the question of if the team could handle losing another player to injury.
Since the start of the season, four Rangers offensemen have missed games due to serious injury. While it was likely the Rangers point scoring would slow down at some point during the season, these injuries have threatened the strength of the Rangers’ offensive core.
Mika Zibanejad
Mika Zibanejad’s broken fibula (suffered against the Florida Panthers on November 20) is the biggest concern.
Zibanejad had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in his first 19 games of the season and has been one of the Rangers strongest two-way forwards on the ice this season. His speed and sense in the zone have generated an absurd amount of offensive opportunity on the ice (which is evident from those 10 assists).
With Zibanejad out for the foreseeable future, the Rangers have had to move players to patch holes in the center. Moving skaters like Kevin Hayes, Derek Stepan and Brandon Pirri (who all have over 10 points this season) has worked thus far due to the Rangers depth.
However, there are so many questions that this kind of injury leaves, which will linger as Zibanejad heals. All that’s left to do is wait and see how the 23-year-old comes out the other end.
Josh Jooris
Josh Jooris was the first Ranger to drop out of the lineup after separating his shoulder on October 27, just seven games into the season. After missing 11 straight games, Jooris has played three games, but still has not earned a solid spot on the Rangers roster.
With the aforementioned Zibanejad out for the next six to eight weeks, it is time for Jooris to step up, but with little playing time since his return he has not had the opportunity to do so.
Jooris is a grinder – he works for the net every time he is on the ice. He is also over 50% (at 51%) for faceoff wins at even strength and has 16 hits in 10 games. He has historically played the defensive zone well and is quicker into and out of the zone than Oscar Lindberg.
At least for now, he needs to be played to try to aid the hole that Zibanejad has left. It is a positive thing that Jooris is healthy, and assuming that he sees ice time, he can hopefully jive with Matt Puempel and Jesper Fast, who have been dangerous as of late.
Chris Kreider
Chris Kreider has missed six games this season due to neck spasms, which is an area of concern because it seems at this point the issue is ongoing. Kreider, who has four goals and 10 assists on the season, has only two points in the last five games.
Kreider is a veteran on the offense this year, and was off to a solid start, recording eight points in the first six games of the season.
While he still is generating plays on the offensive end, he needs to start to put the puck in the net. Regardless of whether his average play is a result of his injury or if it just has to do with not playing in games consistency, the seemingly constant change in who he is on the ice with or if it is another issue altogether, Kreider’s neck spasms will be an area of concern for the remainder of the season.
Pavel Buchnevich
Similar to Kreider, rookie Pavel Buchnevich had an extremely positive impact on the Rangers’ first line at the start of the season (playing with Zibanejad and Kreider). However, the 21-year-old has been out of the lineup for weeks due to back spasms.
Buchnevich generated a good deal of hype coming out of the Ranger system at the start of the 2016-2017 season. He played well in the first games in October and then missed five straight when his back started to bother him. Eventually, he was moved from the first line to the third and then the fourth line before he was out altogether.
At this point, it is unclear when to get the young rookie might return. He had an MRI last week, which showed there was no structural damage to his spine, and he is currently in rehab to try and strengthen his core. In an interview with the New York Daily News last week, Vigneault said he expects the rookie back in two to three weeks. Meaning we may see him again in January.
Final Thoughts
It is impossible for players not to get hurt during the season. What is most important is that when they return, they bounce back and play as well as they did before they were injured.
At this point, the Rangers look good despite the lingering injuries to some very important players on the team. To lose a player at this point, especially if it was one like Miller, is something that the Rangers could afford. Any other injuries to any player would be detrimental because almost all of them they have managed to make themselves a vital piece of the Rangers’ puzzle.