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New York Rangers roster moves: Tokarski up, Georgiev, Lettieri & Beleskey down

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 24: Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers stretches during warmups before the game against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on November 24, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 24: Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers stretches during warmups before the game against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on November 24, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – DECEMBER 01: New York Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev (40) shoots the puck away during the New York Rangers versus the Montreal Canadiens game on December 1, 2018, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – DECEMBER 01: New York Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev (40) shoots the puck away during the New York Rangers versus the Montreal Canadiens game on December 1, 2018, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

With five days off this week, the New York Rangers made some roster moves.  Dustin Tokarski was called up from Hartford and Alexandar Georgiev, Matt Beleskey and Vinni Lettieri were sent down.

With a rare five day respite in the schedule, it will be an opportunity for some rest, but also for the team to get in some much needed practice.   These roster moves are mostly a response to the schedule, but will also be an opportunity to assess talent.  The Hartford Wolf Pack have two games this week. They visit Bridgeport on Wednesday and host Charlotte on Friday.

Don’t be surprised to see Alexandar Georgiev get extended time in Hartford.  He needs to play and has had two bad games since his shutout over the Islanders.  He allowed nine goals on 68 shots versus Washington and Montreal for an .867 save percentage. That’s not good, though he was left high and dry by the Ranger defense in Montreal.

Beleskey and Lettieri will also get into the games in Hartford.  Beleskey had a solid game against Winnipeg and could use the work.  He has only played in 14 AHL games this season due to a separated shoulder suffered in the pre-season.  Lettieri was much more of a warm body, getting the least ice time of any Ranger in the Winnipeg game.

Whether they stay in Hartford depends on the health of Mats Zuccarello and Vlad Namestnikov.    We’ll know more later in the week if the injured duo take part in practices.   It’s all good news for Steven Fogarty who appears to have earned the right to stick around.

As for Tokarski, his numbers in Hartford have not been overwhelming as he  split goaltending responsibilities with Marek Mazanec. In ten games his record is 5-3-1 with a GAA of 3.38 and a save percentage of .897.   His recall is mostly due to the fact that the NHL requires a minimum of 18 skaters and two goalies to be on the active roster at all times.  In order to get Georgiev the playing time this week, they have to call up a goalie.

The Rangers get back to action in on Saturday night against the Panthers in Sunrise and then play in Tampa on Monday night.   They then have three more days off before hosting Arizona at Madison Square Garden on Friday, December 14th.  With only three games in 13 days don’t be surprised to see Henrik Lundqvist start all of the games.  That would mean Georgiev could get as many as five starts in Hartford.   A series of good games will do a lot to help his confidence.  If he doesn’t play well in the AHL, they may decided to leave him there to get more action.

Next. Dialing back expectations for prospects. dark

Tokarski will be the backup on the trip to Florida and for as long as Lundqvist is slated to start all of the upcoming games.

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