Rangers injury update: Jimmy Vesey takes part in morning skate before Panthers game
Jimmy Vesey was back on the ice with is New York Rangers teammates at their morning skate ahead of a game against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Though he’s skated on his own recently, this is the first time Vesey was out there with the rest of the team since he sustained a lower-body injury during the preseason.
The 31-year-old forward’s return to the Rangers lineup is not imminent, however. Vesey is on LTIR, meaning he must miss the first 10 games of the season. The Rangers (5-0-1) play their seventh game on Thursday. The earliest Vesey can come back is Nov. 3 against the Islanders.
Still, this is very positive step in the right direction. It also gives him roughly 10 days to get up to full speed and progress towards being a full-contact participant in practice.
“It’s just a part of the progression,” Peter Laviolette said Thursday. “The next step in his long road back, so it was good to have him out there. He looks good.”
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Rangers face difficult decisions when Jimmy Vesey comes off LTIR next month
Vesey revitalized his career in this second stint with the Rangers over the past two seasons, scoring 25 points in 81 games in 2022-23, and 26 points in 80 games last year. He has become a key component on New York’s fourth line, and can fill in anywhere in the lineup if needed.
His eventual return to the roster will create a difficult decision for Laviolette. Currently, four players are rotating on the fourth line: Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom, Jonny Brodzinski, and Matt Rempe. When Vesey returns, one of those players will be sent down to Hartford of the American Hockey League. The fourth line has played very well thus far for New York, giving them a comparable bottom six to what the defending champion Panthers deployed last season.
Fan-favorite Rempe may get the short end of the stick, and be sent down to work on his game with the Wolf Pack. It wouldn’t necessarily be the worst idea, especially if he is spending most of his time with New York as a healthy scratch. The 6-foot-9 forward has played just two games, so far.
Brodzinski has a goal and an assist in four games, and Edstrom has blossomed into a solid role player, and dressed for each game this season. Carrick is the veteran center of the line and is in no danger of losing his job.
Carrick, Brodzinski, and Edstrom have played very well as a unit, which could afford Vesey the chance to take it slow with his recovery and possibly move in and out of the lineup when he is fully healthy.
Those are decisions for down the road. Vesey still has work to do but it’s clear now that he’s moving in the right direction.
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