Vaakanainen Day-to-Day, Trocheck Skating in Non-Contact Jersey

While the New York Rangers came out of their west coast road trip riding a three game win streak, they wouldn’t come out of it completely unscathed as it appears Urho Vaakanainen picked up a lower-body injury somewhere along the way. With the Rangers currently practicing back in Tarrytown this morning, it has been noted that Vaakanainen will be out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. 

On the plus side, it does appear that Vincent Trocheck is making progress as he is skating today in a non-contact jersey. 

As mentioned when Trocheck was initially placed on LTIR, he will miss a minimum of 10 games or 24 days from the date of the injury before being eligible to return to action. It has been both 10 games and 24 days since the injury so it’s at least a good sign that he is back on the ice, even if only in a non-contact jersey. Trocheck did not participate in any line rushes nor did recent call-up Jaroslav Chmelar, indicating the lineup for the Rangers meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes could feature the same lineup as Saturday night with Matthew Robertson in Vaakanainen’s place. 

It’s also worth noting that former Ranger K’Andre Miller will not make his return to the Garden tomorrow night as he too is currently out with an injury. 

Trocheck's absence has been felt on this Rangers team that has struggled with offensive production. However, his return to the lineup might not be as simple as it would've been 10 games ago. Between the rise of Noah Laba and the rest of the team building chemistry with each other, there is a bit of a question pertaining to where you pencil Trocheck into this lineup. Nonetheless, his progress comes as good news as the Rangers look to enter an important 12-game stretch leading up to the ultimate NHL benchmark that is American Thanksgiving.