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
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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
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