It certainly seems like the Rangers will be without yet another defenseman.
But a different one is likely to make his NHL debut.
Erik Gustafsson exited in overtime 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, other than that Gustafsson is still considered day-to-day.
Gustafsson was elbowed in the head by Sam Reinhart, though it appeared to be inadvertent as Gustafsson was low to the ground 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 action in what would be his NHL debut.
A former undrafted free agent, Scanlin has played in 57 games for the Wolf Pack this year, recording eight goals and eight assists.
His 16 points are a career-high over three years in 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 another step in the right direction on Monday.
It’s been just one week since Lindgren sustained the injury, which was expected to keep him out a few weeks.
“[Lindgren] was really strong out there, practiced hard,” Laviolette said on Monday. “It’s great to have him out there.”
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 opportunity, recording a plus-3 along with three assists in those games. He’s mostly been paired with Chad Ruhwedel.
“I think for the four years I’ve been pro, this is the best 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 first line.
Laviolette praised Wennberg’s contributions in that area.
Wennberg has won 49.4 percent of faceoffs since arriving to the Rangers.
“I think he’s played excellent,” Laviolette said. “I have seen some [success]. I still count on Mika to go out there. Sometimes it goes to the faceoff dot as well, whether I need a righty or a lefty out there. 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 skilled, there’s a good balance to our lineup right now.”
