Ex-Rangers center who’s ‘been amazing’ for Sabres sustains worrisome injury
When the New York Rangers handed out the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award to Mika Zibanejad prior to their game against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, Sam Carrick was roughly 370 miles away playing for the Buffalo Sabres.
Had he not been traded by the Rangers ahead of the March 6 NHL Deadline, there’s a chance Carrick’s name would’ve been called as the winner for the prestigious award presented annually to the Blueshirts player who goes above and beyond the call of duty.
But instead, the veteran heart-and-soul center was in Buffalo, where he’s had a major impact on his new team. But a third-period fight with New York Islanders hulking captain Anders Lee left Carrick’s immediate availability in doubt.
Carrick sustained a left-arm injury and didn’t finish the game. That’s a mouthful already, considering the 34-year-old missed only three games this season and last combined. But he could be in line to miss an extended stretch now, depending on further testing and evaluation of his injury.
“Anders Lee is a big guy. So, when he flipped [Carrick] over, it looked like he really hurt his left arm. I don’t know if it’s a shoulder, an elbow, a wrist,” Sabres television analyst and former Rangers goalie Martin Biron told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast Wednesday.
“Sam Carrick’s been amazing by the way. I love the guy. The fans love him. And he’s scored a ton of goals; he’s been amazing.”
Acquired to anchor the fourth line of a younger team headed to its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011, Carrick’s been all that and more since the Sabres acquired him from the Rangers for third- and sixth-round draft picks this year.
Carrick has five goals and six points in 13 games with the Sabres, including a two-goal outing against the San Jose Sharks on March 19. He also has a couple fights, something he notably did with the Rangers, stepping up with heavyweight Matt Rempe missing from the lineup most of this season due to a thumb injury.
He quickly became a fixture in Buffalo’s lineup, and a fan favorite.
“Buffalo being the blue-collar, hard-nosed town that it is, they love that. They love a Rob Ray, Matthew Barnaby rough and tumble kind of attitude, and they have loved Sam Carrick and that fourth line,” Biron explained. “So, we’ll see. That could be a really significant [injury] situation for the Sabres moving forward.”
Sabres ‘just hate to lose’ former Rangers center Sam Carrick to injury
That Carrick took on Lee at the opening face-off of the third period, after the Islanders star sent Sabres forward Josh Norris crashing into the boards face first with a check from behind in the second period, is not surprising. That’s especially so considering Carrick’s team-first mentality and toughness.
“I mean, you look at what Carrick’s done for us,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said postgame. “I don’t think I can say enough about him. He’s fought; he’s scored goals. He’s been a big, big part of our team, and for him to challenge a guy that hit Norris from behind, I just hate to lose him.”
Norris felt similarly.
“I feel terrible for ‘Ricky’,” Norris said. “He didn’t have to do that; that’s just the type of guy he is, the type of teammate. I really appreciate that from him and just feel for the guy. Hopefully it’s not too bad.”
The Sabres scored three times in the third period to rally for a 4-3 victory, giving them 100 points on the season — the first time since 2009-10 they reached that total. Buffalo is first in the Atlantic Division, and tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Eastern Conference.
Carrick recorded an NHL career-high 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) with the Rangers last season, his first on Broadway after agreeing to a three-year $3 million contract, that expires in 2027. He had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 60 games with the Rangers before the trade to Buffalo.
The final home game on the Rangers schedule is set for April 8 at MSG against the Sabres. Let’s see if Carrick will be able to make a happy homecoming (of sorts) to the Garden next week.
