It definitely looks like the Rangers shall be without one more defenseman.
But a distinct one is prone to make his NHL debut.
Erik Gustafsson exited in extra time of the Rangers’ 4-3 shootout win over the Panthers on Saturday with an upper-body injury.
He didn’t practice on Monday, which doesn’t bode well for his availability for the Rangers’ clash against the Flyers on Tuesday.
Head coach Peter Laviolette didn’t have much of an update on Monday, apart from that Gustafsson continues to be considered day-to-day.
Gustafsson was elbowed in the pinnacle by Sam Reinhart, though it gave the impression to be inadvertent as Gustafsson was low to the bottom while falling.
If Gustafsson is out on Tuesday, Brandon Scanlin was recalled from AHL Hartford as a seventh defenseman last week and would likely see motion in what can be his NHL debut.
A former undrafted free agent, Scanlin has played in 57 games for the Wolf Pack this 12 months, recording eight goals and eight assists.
His 16 points are a career-high over three years within the AHL.
Gustafsson has recently been paired with Adam Fox.
Ryan Lindgren (lower body) practiced with the team on Monday, wearing a red non-contact jersey.
He had returned to skating on his own last week, and took one other step in the precise direction on Monday.
It’s been only one week since Lindgren sustained the injury, which was expected to maintain him out just a few weeks.
“[Lindgren] was really strong on the market, practiced hard,” Laviolette said on Monday. “It’s great to have him on the market.”
The Rangers’ mounting injuries to their blue line have opened the door for Zac Jones, who has played the last nine games after going over a month without an appearance.
He’s impressed given the chance, recording a plus-3 together with three assists in those games. He’s mostly been paired with Chad Ruhwedel.
“I feel for the 4 years I’ve been pro, that is the most effective stretch of games I’ve had,” Jones told The Post on Monday. “Just back to playing my game, so it feels good.”
When the Rangers acquired Alex Wennberg ahead of the trade deadline, in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fourth-rounder, Laviolette had said he envisioned the veteran center taking some defensive-zone faceoffs away from Mika Zibanejad and the primary line.
Laviolette praised Wennberg’s contributions in that area.
Wennberg has won 49.4 percent of faceoffs since arriving to the Rangers.
“I feel he’s played excellent,” Laviolette said. “I actually have seen some [success]. I still count on Mika to go on the market. Sometimes it goes to the faceoff dot as well, whether I want a righty or a lefty on the market. There’s a more comfortable feeling for me knowing that he’s now here as a left-handed center man. He’s a responsible player, still expert, there’s a superb balance to our lineup immediately.”