Rangers Struggling With Injuries
The Rangers are in a tough spot, having lost four consecutive games and seven out of their last eight. They could really use some reinforcements right about now.
Unfortunately, there’s no immediate help coming from players currently on injured reserve. Coach Mike Sullivan mentioned on Tuesday that none of them are close to being back on the ice.
Adam Fox is still on long-term IR due to a lower-body injury, with a possible return not happening until January 31st at the earliest. Igor Shesterkin might make it back around that time, but he still needs to show some improvement, along with Conor Sheary and Adam Edstrom.
When asked if any players might start skating within the week, Sullivan was cautious, saying he’d have to check the specifics for each player, but it seems like they’re “a little further down the road.”
This leaves the team with makeshift defensive pairings and puts more pressure on Jonathan Quick, who has been in goal since January 5th after stepping in for Shesterkin.
Sullivan has been in talks with Quick about managing his game time, especially since Quick is turning 40 this month. Quick seems up for the challenge, but Sullivan noted, “You don’t want your workload to reduce your profits. That’s something we have to focus on.”
After Tuesday’s practice in Tarrytown, Quick reported feeling good physically. “My body feels good, and the energy feels good,” he said. Yet he’s not immune to the team’s struggles—like everyone else, he’s had rough patches as the Rangers lost all three games leading into the match against Ottawa.
Quick reflected, “When you go through tough situations like this as a team, you think about your own individual game and think about how you can get better. It takes 20 guys to make any improvement.”
But it’s not just the players on IR facing difficulties. Matt Lempe missed Monday’s loss due to a broken thumb still bothering him, and JT Miller hasn’t quite returned to full strength since coming back.
Sullivan remarked on the ongoing health challenges, highlighting the need for players to be healthy and ready to make an impact. “They want to be in the lineup,” he said, addressing the tough decisions ahead.
Notably, Will Quill has not registered a point since December 23rd, though he remains a key player alongside Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. The team’s record lately isn’t promising, with just one win in the last eight games.
Sullivan hopes to see Quill get back to a more straightforward, aggressive style of play. Quill agrees but acknowledges the entire team needs to focus on reducing turnovers, especially near the blue line. “As a group, we need to be more ‘north-south,’” he stated. “But we need to eliminate turnovers.”
