In February, when Alain Vigneault was coaching the Canucks, he and general manager Mike Gillis essentially forced Manny Malhotra onto injured reserve for the remainder of the 2012-13 season because they believed effects from a severe left eye injury a year earlier had compromised the center’s ability to protect himself on the ice.
Saturday night, Malhotra skated against Vigneault’s Rangers at the Garden in his second game as a member of the Hurricanes, having signed as a free agent with Carolina this week following a tryout with the club’s AHL Charlotte affiliate.
“I understood what Alain and Mike did and their motivation behind it, but as I said from the beginning, that did not reflect what I felt about the situation,” Malhotra told The Post before the Rangers’ 5-1 victory. “I felt that I was trending upward at the time and getting to where I needed to be.
“I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t take a more aggressive stance in stating my position and attempting to remain on the roster. I knew even during the meeting that I would move on and attempt to play this year and that free agent space was going to be tight because of the change in the CBA.”
Vigneault said he has “mixed feelings and mixed emotions” seeing Malhotra back on the ice.
“On one hand I know that’s what he really wants to do, and he worked extra hard to get the opportunity, so I’m really happy he’s getting that,” the coach said. “But he had a real serious injury to where we felt as an organization and staff that he was putting himself in tough situations on the ice.“My feeling is there was a grey area. It was a tough one, he’s a real quality person who wants to play. I hope everything works out.”
“There were quite a few times when I [was showing video] and asked Manny, “Did you see that?’ and he would answer, ‘I could feel him…’ ”
Carl Hagelin, who scored twice, took a wicked slash across the left wrist from Riley Nash with 7:10 remaining in the match, but escaped without injury.
Neither Derek Dorsett nor Vigneault was pleased with 20-year-old rookie defenseman Ryan Murphy’s low-bridge that undercut the Blueshirts’ forward as he drove to the net off a right wing rush at 13:36 of the second period. Murphy was assessed a clipping penalty.
Dorsett elbowed Murphy in the face the next time they were on the ice together at 17:56, before Vigneault addressed the play in his postgame press conference.
“Borderline very, very dangerous,” said the coach, who added knee-to-knee hits can be “career-ending.”
J.T. Miller, who struggled much of the way, played fourth-line center in the third period and finished with 12:12 of ice time. Derek Stepan got his hat trick on seven shots in just 14:10. Brad Richards, who led the forwards with 18:44, had five shots on nine attempts.