Karl Henriksson signs, Trouba out, Zac Jones in?

The New York Rangers will look to rebound from an awful loss to the Islanders, taking on the slumping Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden.  With two games against the Flyers followed by two with the Buffalo Sabres, another four game winning streak is not out of the question. As slim as their playoff hopes are, another streak could prolong them for at least for another week.

The lineup will definitely have a new look at least on defense.  After practice, Coach David Quinn said that Jacob Trouba is “day to day” and when asked if that means Zac Jones will crack the lineup, Quinn said Jones is “a candidate to play tomorrow.”   Later, Quinn did confirm that Trouba is definitely out for the game with the Flyers.  If he was concussed, it could be a few days longer than just one game.

Igor Shesterkin is right back in net, coming off the worst outing of his career.   Hopefully the Rangers learned a lesson from their effort against the Islanders and they won’t continue to leave their zone without the puck.

With Trouba out of the lineup, it leaves Adam Fox as the only right shot defenseman.  Brendan Smith can play both sides and Libor Hajek has said that he has played the right side as well.  The question is whether Tony Bitetto will get another chance after two pretty mediocre outings.

There’s no denying that there is a lot of curiosity about Zac Jones and what he can bring to the Rangers’ lineup.  He certainly won’t start with as high a profile he had with UMass where he was their power play quarterback.

Karl Henriksson signs

The Rangers announced the signing of  Swedish prospect Karl Henriksson to an Entry Level Contract.  He just finished his first full season in the SHL.  He played 44 games for Frölunda, scoring one goal and adding six assists while averaging 12:34 minutes ice time per game.

Henriksson was a second round pick by the Rangers in 2019, the 58th overall selection. He is smaller at 5’9″, 175 pounds, but is known for his tenacity on defense and at least one scouting report mentioned his ability on faceoffs.

Henriksson was waylaid by COVID in December and that prevented him from playing at the WJC in what would have been a great opportunity for him to show what he is  capable of.

He just turned 20 in February and there is no doubt that he will be given a chance to earn a job as a bottom six center who can win faceoffs and play defense. It’s most likely that he will start next season in Hartford, though the Rangers could loan him back to Frölunda.

The playoff picture

There were no East Division games on the slate Wednesday, so the standings remain the same from Tuesday night.  The Rangers have 10 games left and pretty much have to win them all.

Thursday’s games

Flyers @ Rangers
Bruins @ Sabres
Capitals @ Islanders
Devils @ Penguins

Standings
1- Washington       46     29-13-4     62 points
— Islanders             46     29-13-4      62 points
3- Pittsburgh          46     29-14-3      61 points
4- Boston                44     26-12-6      58 points
5- Rangers              46     23-17-6      52 points
6–Philadelphia       45     20-18-7      47 points
7- New Jersey         45    14-25-6       34 points
8- Buffalo                 46    12-27-7       31 points