In the past few weeks, we have heard good news out of practice that both Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger were on the ice and skating with the team. Both were wearing non-contact jerseys, but the news was still good that they were skating. The Rangers could use one or both of them back, as it will only make their already strong blue line stronger.
With Eminger, there is an actual timeline for his return, as his injury is less complicated than Sauer’s. Surgery for Eminger’s separated shoulder occurred on December 19, and the timetable for a return was 8-10 weeks. Right now we are at the beginning of week five, so there is a minimum of three weeks until we can expect to see Eminger back in the lineup.
As for Sauer, the news of him skating was seen as great news, but then yesterday it was reported by Andrew Gross that he suffered a setback. Concussions are a tricky thing, so Sauer’s setback is disappointing, but not surprising. With the news that he had suffered a setback and was shut down for the week, it’s expected that he is at least three weeks away, but likely to be more.
Both will be back this season, but it looks like Eminger might be the first one to return, as his timeline for return is more definitive. Then again, it did take Marc Staal 40 games to come back from his concussion symptoms. There’s nothing wrong with cautious optimism, but the safe money would have Eminger back before the trading deadline, and Sauer back for the playoffs.
The Rangers have called up Kris Newbury from the CT Whale. The call up is likely a precautionary move to replace Ruslan Fedotenko in the lineup, who left last night’s game with back spasms.
Brandon Dubinsky is still a game time decision with his shoulder injury. If Dubi can play, then Newbury likely won’t dress. If he can’t then expect to see Newbury slide into Fedotenko’s spot in the lineup.
As speculated by myself yesterday and debated between myself and Chris today, defenseman Marc Staal will return to the lineup today for the Winter Classic. He will play on the third pairing with Stu Bickel. No word on who will sit, but my hunch is either Ryan McDonagh (flu) or Jeff Woywitka (healthy).
This is big news for the Rangers, who have been without Staal the entire season. Staal will see limited minutes, but it is great to see him back.
Per Jim Cerny, defenseman Ryan McDonagh left practice early with the flu. Following his departure, Marc Staal skated with his usual partner –and McDonagh’s current partner– Dan Girardi. The Rangers are not carrying any extra defensemen in the event that McDonagh cannot go tomorrow.
This leads to my own speculation: Could Staal play tomorrow if McDonagh can’t go tomorrow? It seems to be the only scenario that would be likely if this is the scenario. We may know more as the day progresses, either directly via an announcement, or indirectly via specific roster moves.
For Staal to be activated, the Rangers need to put both Mike Sauer and Steve Eminger on LTIR. Neither are close to returning, so those would be the logical moves to clear the cap space.
This is just speculation on my part, but it’s going to be interesting to see what happens if McDonagh’s condition doesn’t improve. It’s just the flu, but it’s still the flu.
The big news out of practice today is that Marc Staal, out all year with post-concussion symptoms, was cleared for full contact. The news on Staal is great news, but also not all that surprising. He had been making serious progress in his recovery, and had been traveling with the team and practice –in a yellow non contact jersey– for a few weeks now.
With Staal cleared for contact, his timetable for a return is now measured in days, not weeks. Considering the state of the blue line, Staal may be back sooner rather than later.
The injuries to the Rangers blue line continue to mount. Jeff Woywitka left practice early today, and as a result the Rangers called up rookie defenseman Tim Erixon, per Chris Botta. The move hasn’t formally been announced yet, nor does the AHL Transaction Log have anything on it, but it is expected to be announced shortly.
One delay in the announcement could be because of salary cap restraints, which is believed to be the reason why Erixon wasn’t called up to replace Steve Eminger (and why Stu Bickel was). In any case, Erixon is with the Rangers, but unlikely to play unless Woywitka can’t go (bruised foot from blocking a shot). The Rangers blue line is a mess, and with no changes coming in the next week, this could be a long four games.
Starting this morning, the NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze took effect, and will last until December 27, which is next Tuesday. What the roster freeze means is that no player can be traded or waived until the end of the freeze. It was been implemented every holiday season since the new CBA was signed, and guarantees players the safety and security of not being traded or waived during the holidays.
This does not prevent a team from calling players up or returning them to the AHL, assuming waivers is not required. This also does not prevent players from signing as free agents.
For a shorthanded Rangers club, the effect of the roster freeze is pretty simple: what you see now is what you get for the next week. The injured players will likely remain on LTIR until after the freeze, as the Rangers cannot waive anyone to make room for a returning player. That means any pipedream of having Marc Staal or Mike Sauer return before the 27th is not happening. The six defenseman you see today are the six defensemen you will see suit up for the Rangers for the next four games.
As for the “logjam” at forward, Sean Avery and Erik Christensen will remain Rangers until next Tuesday. After that, the future is uncertain, but that won’t come to a head until next week. Wojtek Wolski will remain on LTIR for this period as well, as the Rangers cannot make moves to clear the necessary cap or roster space to activate him. Wolski’s situation is identical to Staal’s and Sauer’s, with the only difference being he is closer to return than the two defensemen.
So this New York Rangers roster you see before you today is what you will be seeing for the next eight days. Love it or hate it, you’ll have to deal with it. Injuries have ravaged the blue line, and there are still depth issues among the forwards. Nothing can be addressed until after the 27th, which is four long games away.
What more can happen to the Rangers blue line? Marc Staal hasn’t played all year because of a concussion. Mike Sauer is out definitely because of a concussion. There was a makeshift bottom pairing that consisted of any combination of Steve Eminger, Jeff Woywitka, and Anton Stralman before the Sauer injury. Since the Sauer injury, Eminger was forced into top four duties, and played well. Now he is out, and the future of Woywitka is unknown since he is banged up.
Let’s assume Woywitka can go on Tuesday. After all, he is a hockey player. That leaves the Rangers in need of another defenseman. The smart money would be on Tim Erixon being called up, but he comes with a $1.75 million cap hit. With Mike Rupp activated, the Rangers don’t have room to carry that cap hit without making another roster move to clear some cap space. Since Sean Avery carries the biggest cap hit among those not playing regularly, it’s safe to assume that if Erixon is called up, then Avery will indeed be waived.
Another option is to call up Brendan Bell, who has NHL experience, but he would need to clear re-entry waivers prior to joining the club. It is unlikely someone would claim him, but the Rangers might not want to take that chance. If it is Bell that is called up, then placing Eminger on LTIR should clear enough cap space to make room for Bell.
The Rangers thin blue line just got a lot thinner. With the Christmas roster freeze a day away, the Rangers need to make their moves quickly.
This news should not come as a shock, but Andrew Gross is reporting that Mike Sauer indeed has a concussion following the massive hit by Dion Phaneuf in the Rangers 4-2 loss on Monday night (video below). The hit was clean, but Sauer’s helmet came off and he hit his head on the boards, which is the likely cause of the concussion. John Tortorella has said that Sauer is day-to-day, but concussions are a tricky beast. Just ask Marc Staal.
When Derek Stepan blocked that shot last night, and needed help getting off the ice, Ranger-nation held their collective breath. Luckily, Stepan didn’t miss a beat, and was out for his next shift. Clearly there was no damage done to the ankle, or else he would not have come back into the game.
However, that doesn’t mean that the Rangers won’t rest their prized young center when something like this happens; and that is exactly what they did. Stepan was not on ice at practice, as he was resting his ankle. It is likely that Stepan has a contusion or a bruise on his ankle, and nothing more. I would be shocked if he misses a game.
So again, back away from the cliff (specifically you prukachu). It’s hockey, stuff like this happens.
