Tanner Glass and Steven Kampfer Recalled From Hartford
Well this is.......interesting to say the least. With the status of Michael Grabner and Kevin Klein up in the air as of right now, the Rangers have opted to recall two players to serve as a 7th defenseman and 12th forward respectively. With all of the options at his disposal Jeff Gorton has opted for the following players to come back on Broadway for the time being:
OFFICIAL: #NYR have recalled forward Tanner Glass and defenseman Steven Kampfer from @WolfPackAHL.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 5, 2017
Steven Kampfer and Tanner Glass are back in New York. Kampfer was recalled for the February 28th game against the Washington Capitals to serve as the 6th defenseman until Brendan Smith arrived in the city, so his recall to serve as the likely spare blueliner doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
The Tanner Glass recall is something a bit more unexpected, but not totally out of left field. After getting physically pummeled over the last few games by the likes of Washington, Columbus, and Montreal, it’s no surprise that Jeff Gorton has opted to recall a player of Glass’ ilk. While having a lineup of speed and skill would seem like the optimal scenario, the Rangers general manager seems to think otherwise, and as such, Tanner Glass is back in New York for the time being.
With Grabner being the only injured forward as of right now, it will be interesting to see what Tanner Glass’ role will be in his third stint in New York. There doesn’t seem to be any room for him in the lineup without sitting a better player, but that hasn’t stopped Alain Vigneault from dressing Glass on previous occasions. Perhaps Pavel Buchnevich is going to be sent back down to Hartford for more seasoning, or the team is ready to move on from Brandon Pirri or Matt Puempel. Either way, this is an interesting development in Rangerstown, so stay tuned for the fallout from the decision.