The New York Rangers had Sunday off, a day of rest after one of their best showings of the year. There was some news out of the organization as they made some minor personnel moves. It’s easy to read too much into some of these moves, but with the salary cap and COVID issues affecting the roster, there has been a lot of juggling going on when it comes to personnel.
Jack Johnson waived
No, this does not mean the team is giving up on him. It simply means that he needs to clear waivers if he is to be sent to the taxi squad. What it does mean is that Johnson may be destined for the taxi squad as he is still suffering from that nagging in jury he suffered early in the season. Coach David Quinn has referred to that injury while praising Johnson as a “warrior” for playing through it when needed.
It is good news for Libor Hajek who has been demonstrating that he belongs on the Rangers’ roster. He spent the first nine games on the taxi squad when Tony DeAngelo departed along with injuries to Jacob Trouba, Johnson and a COVID restriction for K’Andre Miller got Hajek back into the lineup. He has played in 16 of 17 games since then, scoring one goal and with a plus/minus of +2. He is averaging 15:17 minutes of ice time and is growing in confidence.
It also may mean that Tony Bitetto is on the road to recovery from a lower body injury. He didn’t make the road trip.
Morgan Barron on the taxi squad
Morgan Barron was added to the Rangers’ taxi squad on Saturday, meaning that he will be practicing with the team. It doesn’t mean that we will see him in a NHL game anytime soon, but with the Wolf Pack off until Thursday, it gives the brain trust a chance to see him in practice with the big league team.
Barron is off to an excellent start for the Wolf Pack with five goals and two assists for seven points in eight games. His five goals are good for seventh best among rookies and his .88 points per game rate is 18th best among AHL rookies It should be noted that the 22-year-old Barron has played fewer games than any of the rookies with more goals.
Will we see Barron in New York anytime soon? The Rangers have a surplus of centers on the roster and it’s hard to see him getting playing time ahead of Kevin Rooney or Brett Howden. That may change when the trade deadline rolls around.
The goalies
The goalie situation is getting more interesting with Keith Kinkaid playing very well, Alexandar Georgiev slumping and Igor Shesterkin still ailing. David Quinn said that Shesterki’s groin injury is “nagging” and he is truly day-to-day so there is no way of knowing if we will see him this week.
There’s been some suggestions that Georgiev would benefit from a trip to Hartford to get his game back, but that would mean he would have to clear waivers and there is no guarantee that that would happen. So that means he will remain with the Rangers and will work on his issues with coach Benoit Allaire and we won’t know if he is past them until he gets his next start.
Meanwhile, Keith Kinkaid has posted some pretty special numbers. He has appeared in four games, with a 1-1 record in two starts. His Save Percentage is .933 and his Goals Against Average is 1.53. At $825k he is proving to be a bargain.