Rangers Daily: Vincent Trocheck timeline; NHL has major Olympics concern
There’s a bit more clarity about how long Vincent Trocheck will be out for the New York Rangers. Already listed as week to week with an upper-body injury, the Rangers placed Trocheck on LTIR on Wednesday. That means the 32-year-old center must miss at least 10 games.
Since Trocheck didn’t play the past three games and the Rangers have seven more contests this month, the earliest date for his return is Nov. 1. The Rangers are in Seattle to play the Kraken and close out a four-game road trip that night. After that, the Rangers next host the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4.
Though far from a definite timeline, it’s clear that Trocheck is out for the rest of October. That means they will have played most of the first month of the season — save for one game and part of another — without one of their most indispensable players.
The Rangers lost two of three (1-2-0) since Trocheck sustained his injury in a 4-0 road win over the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 9. They were shut out in each of their past two games, each at MSG, and are the first team in NHL history to go scoreless in its first three home games in a season.
Despite that horrid stat, the Rangers (2-3-0) actually have played very well without Trocheck in the lineup. J.T. Miller’s upped his defensive game, as evidenced with how he helped shut down Connor McDavid in a 2-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Mika Zibanejad’s been engaged and active, sliding into Trocheck’s spot between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. And the centers are crushing it in the face-off circle, stepping up in the absence of one of the League’s top face-off men.
But let there be no doubt that the Rangers sorely miss Trocheck. And that will be more and more evident as his absence extends at least the rest of this month.
Speaking of injuries, let’s not overlook that the Rangers could be without their second pair on the blue line, when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Already down Carson Soucy, who’s on IR with an upper-body injury, New York could be without Will Borgen, as well. The veteran defenseman missed practice Wednesday with a lower-body injury.
That necessitated the chain of events which saw Trocheck moved to LTIR to create room under the salary cap to fit Scott Morrow on to the roster after the rookie defenseman was called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Ryan Paton from SiriusXM NHL Network Radio joined the latest Rink Rap podcast to discuss Panarin’s future with the Rangers, why Igor Shesterkin is worth every penny of his massive contract, and so much more.
Here’s a breakdown of New York’s lineup options after recalling Morrow from the minors.
Despite the Rangers’ scoring woes, Miller sees plenty of good things in how they’re playing, and preaches patience during this frustrating stretch.
It is more than a bit ironic that as the Rangers make history of the wrong kind when it comes to offense, Chris Kreider is off to a fast start with four goals in three games for his new team, the Anaheim Ducks.
ICYMI: here are our three key takeaways from the Rangers’ loss to the Oilers on Tuesday.
At least Malcolm Spence is scoring goals. Here’s the latest on New York’s top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, who’s lighting it up as a freshman at the University of Michigan. It’s part of pour weekly Rangers NCAA prospects report.
NHL news and rumors
ESPN: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expressed concern that construction for the main ice hockey arena for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics is way behind schedule. There’s a distinct possibility there won’t be enough time for a test event at the unfinished venue before the Winter Games begin.
TSN: The NHL Board of Governors meeting took place in New York, and Bettman told reporters afterward that the topic of expansion wasn’t discussed.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom is out at least a couple weeks with a lower-body injury. And there’s some concern about his replacement, Jake Allen, who didn’t finish his start Monday due to cramping. New Jersey recalled Nico Daws from AHL Utica.
NHL.com: Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno is taking a personal leave of absence because his daughter must undergo follow-up surgery related to her congenital heart disease.
Sportsnet: Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is out at least four weeks with a hand injury sustained Monday in a game against the Nashville Predators.
Florida Hockey Now: Another day, another long-term injury for the Florida Panthers. Already without forwards Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Tomas Nosek, the defending champs now lost defenseman Dmitry Kulikov for the next five months after shoulder surgery this week.
Daily Faceoff: The Buffalo Sabres (1-3-0) won their first game of the season, 6-4 over the Senators on Wednesday, but lost forward Justin Danforth to a lower-body injury.
Montreal Hockey Now: Good for former Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton, who landed a deserved contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens to remain their president of hockey operations. GM Kent Hughes also received a contract extension with things looking up for the Canadiens.
Sportsnet: Two weeks after losing goalie Pheonix Copley on waivers, the Los Angeles Kings re-acquired him in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning following an injury to No. 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper.
Daily Faceoff: The Philadelphia Flyers expect to get defenseman Cam York back in the lineup Thursday, when they face off with the Winnipeg Jets. York’s been on injured reserve since the start of the season.
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