Injuries have been a hurdle for the New York Rangers to clear so far this preseason. Standout defenseman Ryan Lindgren will be sidelined for an extended period of time while superstar winger Artemi Panarin also recovers from an injury. Most recently, the Rangers’ forward depth took a hit with veteran winger Jimmy Vesey leaving training camp practice with a lower-body injury this weekend.
Jimmy Vesey exited Rangers practice with an injury
Vesey exited Rangers practice on Sunday and is being evaluated for a lower-body injury, per Mollie Walker of The New York Post. The Blueshirts have some competition in their bottom six and Vesey is currently vying for a role on the fourth line. If this injury keeps him sidelined, it could be detrimental to his chances of earning a lineup spot.
There seems to be hope, however, that Vesey’s injury isn’t anything to be overly concerned about. Head coach Peter Laviolette told Walker that the injury does not seem severe:
“It seemed somewhat harmless,” Laviolette said.
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Vesey played a key role for the Rangers last season
Last season, Vesey played an important role for the Blueshirts. The 31-year-old forward appeared in 80 of 82 regular season games for New York, posting 26 points (13 goals and 13 assists) with an average ice time of 12:23 per game.
Whether or not Vesey would be a regular in this season’s lineup remains to be seen and will largely be reliant on the way the rest of the team’s depth forwards perform throughout the rest of training camp and preseason. The veteran presence he brings is valuable, however, the potential and youth that other forwards like Matt Rempe or Adam Edstrom bring to the lineup might be more important to include regularly.
