When the Rangers leave for Europe following tonight’s preseason game in Philadelphia, defenseman Marc Staal won’t be with them.
Rangers coach John Tortorella confirmed after yesterday’s practice that Staal, who is dealing with post-concussion symptoms, will miss the beginning of the trip.
But he also said Staal could join the team before the trip is over, and wouldn’t rule him out of being in the lineup for the Rangers’ regular-season opener on Oct. 7 against the Kings in Stockholm, Sweden.
“Once he feels better, and we feel like he can get into all the things we want him to do to get ready for the regular season, he’ll come out,” Tortorella said.
The decision not to bring Staal doesn’t mean, however, that he has suffered a setback. He practiced fully yesterday after meeting with specialists on Thursday and Friday, and Tortorella said he’d have an update on Staal’s condition in four or five days.
“That’s ongoing,” Tortorella said of the meetings with specialists. “We’re not looking for results. It’s just an ongoing procedure to try and help him. You guys keep on asking me for results … It’s not results-oriented. It’s to try to help him.”
Because Staal won’t make the trip, the Rangers will take 10 defensemen to Europe: Dan Girardi, Michael Sauer, Ryan McDonagh, Steve Eminger, Michael Del Zotto, Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath, Stu Bickel, Brendan Bell and Blake Parlett.
But, at least to begin the trip, the focus instead will be on the one defenseman that isn’t there.
“It’s a case where it’s hard because you don’t know when he’s gonna be back,” Ryan Callahan said. “It’s not an ankle or a hand where you have an exact timeline.
“There’s no secret that he’s a huge part of our team, and he’s one of our top defensemen, and if we don’t have him it’s gonna be a hole. Hopefully he gets better soon and we have him for the start of the season.”
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Brandon Prust won’t play in tonight’s game as he continues to recover from offseason surgery on his right shoulder. Tortorella said that Prust, who practiced yesterday, will get his first game action in Europe.
In addition to the 10 defensemen, the Rangers will also take three goalies — Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron and Scott Stajcer — and 19 forwards. That means two of the 21 forwards who will be in Philadelphia won’t make the trip.
“I have a pretty good idea of who the two [cuts] are, but I also want to take a look at them in this Philly game, and you never know,” Tortorella said.