Rangers News: Rangers To Send Five Players Down

According to our good friend Andrew Gross, the Rangers are going to be quite active today. Here is what he had to say during his recap of last night's loss:

Defenseman Michael Del Zotto and forwards Evgeny Grachev, Brodie Dupont, Chad Kolarik and Kris Newbury will be rejoining Connecticut tomorrow. Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi are expected back for the Rangers home game against the Penguins Tuesday but there will likely be some forwards brought back to the NHL club.

OK, let's sift through the mess.

First of all, it's fantastic news to see that Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi are going to be expected back for the Rangers next game against the Penguins on Tuesday.

This is why it's not surprising that they're sending down Michael Del Zotto . It was no secret that Del Zotto was only up to replace Giriardi, and while he played well he didn't exactly blow me away. The coaching staff has been pretty adamant that he still has things he needs to work on in Connecticut, hopefully the past two games get's him into gear.

The forwards are a different story. Gross makes the assessment that more forwards will be brought up before the game with the Penguins. This makes sense since the Rangers probably sent to forwards down to get some playing with with the Whale -- then bring then back up as needed after the break.

From what I've seen during these little stints Grachev got the longest look last night, playing nearly eight minutes. Both Kolarik and Newbury played under seven minutes, and Dupont was a healthy scratch. I have a feeling that Grachev's hot play is going to continue at the Whale, and he might get another look as well. Still, nothing is set in stone.

Gross also said:

Tortorella said a decision on who to bring back likely wouldn't be made until Monday so the Rangers can assess their injury situation.

So don't expect news on this till then.

Thoughts?