Jimmy Vesey left Rangers practice early Sunday morning after falling on the ice and limping back to the locker room.
Head coach Peter Laviolette said Vesey suffered a lower-body injury and is currently being evaluated.
“It seemed kind of harmless,” Laviolette said.
Vesey, 31, is struggling to return to his permanent spot on the fourth line, where he has spent the majority of the past two seasons.
He skated to the left of Sam Carrick and Matt Lempe on Sunday before heading to the locker room.
After serving as a healthy scratch in the first game last season, Vesey ended up appearing in 80 of 82 games.
He had 13 goals and 13 assists, averaging 12:23 on ice per game.
The Devils were scheduled to head to Prague on Sunday for two regular-season games against the Sabers, but they will likely be left with a relatively barren lineup to face the Rangers in a home-and-home exhibition series.
Most of the Devils' high-profile players are expected to play at the O2 Arena on Friday and Saturday, while the rest will play against Rangers on Monday and Tuesday.
“It's definitely going to be different,” Laviolette said. “We're still in the evaluation phase. No matter which player we pick, it's still in training camp and we have a chance to evaluate it. We're going to look at it exactly, how the first three games went, and how the last three games went. We'll use it for the purpose of what happens in the game. But now that their team has gone overseas, things will certainly change.”
Despite the back-to-back schedule, Laviolette said there may be some players who will play in both games.
When asked how he evaluates players who aren't up against competition at the NHL level, Laviolette was matter-of-fact about the process.
“If you think he's that good, he should dominate,” he said. “The evaluation process is still going on. It should be a top player for you. If you're looking for someone to join your team, maybe you'll be in the same role, the same situation. Maybe the role will expand further. How are they working in that expanded role? So we'll just use it as an evaluation period.”
Victor Mancini continued to skate on the right side of Adam Fox on Sunday in Ryan Lindgren's absence.
The remaining defensive pairings included Quandre Miller vs. Jacob Trouba, Zach Jones vs. Braden Schneider, and Connor McKee vs. Chad Ruhwedel.
Adam Edstrom rejoined the Rangers' main group on Sunday, slotting into the rotation on the fourth line alongside Vesey, Carrick and Rempe.
