Kaapo Kakko, still wearing a red non-contact jersey, was more involved in the Rangers' morning skate on Monday since rejoining the team on the ice last week.
The Finnish forward appeared to be picking up the pace, but head coach Peter Laviolette acknowledged that, saying there were “no real limitations.”
“He's close in terms of maybe changing the jersey color,” Laviolette said before the Blueshirts' 6-3 loss to the Canucks at the Garden.
Kakko, who missed his 19th game on Monday, hasn't played since Nov. 27, when he awkwardly tripped and fell during a game against the Sabers.
The prognosis appears to have been much worse than expected, with the injury not being a season-ending injury.
The Rangers will likely want Kakko to practice a few times as a full participant before returning him to the lineup.
He missed all week with a lower-body injury and could return sooner than Tyler Pitlick, who missed Monday's second game.
Most likely, either Brennan Osman ($863,333 cap hit) or Johnny Brodzinski ($762,500 cap hit) will be out of Kakko's lineup.
Laviolette did not have much of an update on Filip Szitil, who has returned to the Czech Republic in hopes of speeding up his recovery from a suspected concussion.
Sitil missed his 29th straight game on Monday but continues to skate and work.
“We're still making plans for him to leave.” [there] Training,” Laviolette said of Chytil. “He's getting better.”
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves on 25 shots in his 25th start of the season against the Canucks.
Monday night marked the seventh time Shesterkin has allowed five or more runs in a game and the second time in his last three starts.
With this loss, the Russian netminder's record dropped to 16-9-0.
The Rangers, who had a season-high 48 shots against the Canadiens on Saturday, had 42 against the Canucks, giving the club 90 shots through two games.
It was the first time since October 25 and 26, 2022, that the Rangers had 40 or more shots in consecutive games.
The Rangers are scheduled to practice Tuesday before heading to St. Louis for the first game of a two-game road trip against the Blues and Capitals.
They are scheduled to practice in Washington on Friday and play the Capitals on Saturday's matinee.
