The Rangers’ roster for the rest of the season, including playoffs, is beginning to take shape after acquiring Patrick Kane in a three-team deal with the Blackhawks and Coyotes. However, with Kane’s $2.625 million cap hit, the Rangers’ lack of cap space makes it tricky to ensure they have 18 skaters and two goalies available for their game against Philadelphia on Wednesday. This could force the Rangers to use five defensemen again, as they did following Miller’s ejection for spitting in Sunday’s game against the Kings. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren’s upper-body injury may also keep him out of the game, and with K’Andre Miller’s three-game suspension, the Rangers are limited in their options.
Despite this, head coach Gerard Gallant is willing to use the approach of using fewer defensemen if needed. The Rangers demonstrated their ability to adapt to this situation in their game against the Kings. The forwards helped defensively, and the defensemen focused on maximizing every second, sitting on the bench during television timeouts to avoid getting stranded and taking shifts that lasted too long. The experience could be useful if the Rangers face a similar situation in the future.
The Rangers assigned Ryan Carpenter to AHL Hartford and recalled defenseman Braden Schneider, but Miller’s suspension negated that addition. The Rangers will have to rely on their current roster to handle the deficit, and they are taking it one shift at a time. The Rangers hope that their postseason run will be a lengthy one, and they are prepared to adapt to any situation that arises.
»Rangers employs Patrick Kane in a three-team deal«
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