Rangers Send Georgiev to AHL ; Recall Mazanec

The New York Rangers have demoted goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, calling up goaltender Marek Mazanec in his place, the team announced Friday.

As has been the case throughout the season, this is almost certainly a short-term move with the purpose of getting the young goaltender playing time. The Rangers have just one game on Saturday, which Henrik Lundqvist is likely to start, before enduring a nine-day All-Star break. The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, play back-to-back games Friday and Saturday and overall have six over the next eight days. Presumably, Georgiev will start the bulk of them.

It remains to be seen whether the Rangers will send other players to Hartford following Saturday’s game against Boston with that break in mind. Forwards Filip Chytil, Brett Howden, and Boo Nieves, and defenseman Ryan Lindgren are the players eligible to be sent to the AHL without requiring waivers.