Rangers Forward Suffers Significant Injury; Trade Deadline Looming

Credit: © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Rangers forward Blake Wheeler suffered what appeared to be a severe right leg/ankle injury in Thursday’s 7-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens, magnifying the need for the team to acquire a right wing before the trade deadline next month

The silence at Madison Square Garden was deafening as fans witnessed Blake Wheeler’s injury during the first period of Thursday’s 7-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Wheeler needed assistance to get off the ice, then sat in a chair until a stretcher came to take him to the locker room. The team announced that he would not return, labeling the injury lower-body.

There was no further update following the game. During his post-game press conference, head coach Peter Laviolette was asked about Wheeler’s situation.

“We’ll evaluate it and address it tomorrow” – but there’s clearly concern. “He’s a veteran player who came here for a reason. To see something like that happen, that’s tough.”

Mercogliano

Wheeler has 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 53 games this season, the 37-year-old’s first with New York after signing a one-year, $850,000 contract July 1. He has played in 1,172 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, and Rangers in his 16 seasons.

Mika Zibanejad, who scored a goal and two assists in the win, was somber when talking about his friend and teammate’s scary injury.

“You never want to see really anyone, but especially a teammate and a friend, go down like that. We were trying to make the best of the situation with 11 forwards, but it’s our teammate that gets hurt and it’s not just the impact that he has on the ice, but off the ice as well. You don’t want to see that happen.”

Dan Rosen

Related Post: NHL Rumors: Columbus Blue Jackets Looking to Speak to Jeff Gorton?

RW Need

The Blueshirts have been looking for a top-six right wing since training camp began last September. They will now have to alter their line combinations to fill the vacancies on the right side of Chris Kreider (Hat Trick on Thursday) and Zibanejad.

One option will be to move Jimmy Vesey up to the first line, reuniting that trio who has had success over the past few seasons. Kapp Kakko is another option, but he has found success playing on the third line with Will Cuylle and Johny Brodinski. Laviolette may not want to break up that trio, putting more pressure on Kakko’s shoulders.

The club could recall Brendan Othmann for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. He played a bit of right-wing during camp and some with Hartford. That scenario would allow the coaching staff to keep the other three lines intact should they place Othmann on the first line and see if he can play with the two veteran players on the top line.

Follow Frank on X at @RangerProud

In this week's episode we discuss how the 4 Nations have been a pleasant surprise, NYR's tricky situation, and more.How to support us and our sponsors:Columbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITRThanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. 4 Nations Break
  2. Too Good to Tank, Too Bad to Rank
  3. Miller Time
  4. Borgan a Bargain?
  5. Guest Ryan Mead

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Nick Suzuki skating for the Montreal Canadiens

NHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators with Line Combinations 2/22/2025

Montreal Canadiens (25-26-5, 55 Pts) at Ottawa Senators (29-23-4, 62 Pts)Venue: Canadian Tire CenterDate: Tonight- Saturday, February 22Time: 7:00 pm ESTTV: ESPN+Radio:Montreal – TSN 690Ottawa – TSN 1200 DraftKings Sportsbook Betting Lines:Montreal +1.5 ML +150Ottawa -1.5 ML -180O/U 5.5 Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster Montreal Canadiens News & Notes: The Canadiens lost three straight games heading […]

Read More
Brady Tkachuk skating for the Ottawa Senators

Player Profile: Brady Tkachuk

Brady Tkachuk was born on September 16, 1999, in Phoenix, Arizona. Brady comes from a family of hockey players as his father, Keith, played 1,201 regular season NHL games with three teams and totaled 1,065 points. Brady’s brother Matthew is a forward on the Florida Panthers, and several cousins have played in the NHL. Brady […]

Read More
Could Mikko Rantanen Be On the Move Again?

Could Mikko Rantanen Be On the Move Again?

Mikko Rantanen may be a name to watch over the next two weeks.

Read More