NHL

Rangers’ Prust not cleared for contact

Brandon Prust has not been cleared for contact approximately 10 weeks after undergoing right shoulder surgery. As such, the Rangers’ truculent winger will be unable to participate in scrimmages or in exhibition games until late in the preseason.

“The doctors told us that Prustie needs a couple of more weeks before contact,” coach John Tortorella said following yesterday’s first day of camp scrimmages. “He’ll get some exhibition games overseas.

“We’ll keep him out of the scrimmages here because he doesn’t know how to stop, not get hit or hit someone.”

The Rangers will play four preseason games on the bigger ice surfaces in Europe following three exhibition matches in North America. They will play in Albany against the Devils on Wednesday, in New Jersey on Friday and in Philadelphia a week from tonight.

Prust, who famously said last year, “It’s only pain,” while playing through one of the myriad ailments he sustained over the course of the 82-game grind, laughed when the motto was repeated to him.

“There is no pain,” he said.

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While Tortorella responded, “You can and you can’t, you can’t and you can, I’m sorry, you know what I mean?” when asked if anything could be read into scrimmage-line combinations, it is impossible to read anything positive regarding into Sean Avery‘s status with the club off yesterday’s lineups.

For even with Prust unavailable, Tortorella chose to assign Avery to a line with AHL center John Mitchell and junior-bound, first-round draft choice J.T. Miller while using Andre Deveaux, a big AHL free-agent signee, with Brian Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko.

Avery and the also endangered Erik Christensen were the only two forwards off the 2010-11 playoff roster not to skate with NHL mates. Christensen centered wingers Christian Thomas and Carl Hagelin.

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As expected, Wojtek Wolski skated with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik on a unit that had its way with the opposition in the morning scrimmage.

Tortorella said that he will take a look at other left wings on that line regardless of the unit’s success.

“I know it’s Gabby and Richie, but there are guys that are going to get checked out there,” he said. “Whether it’s good or bad I still want to see other people.”

Derek Stepan skated between Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan while Artem Anisimov centered Mike Rupp and Mats Zuccarello.

Pavel Valentenko — who would have to pass through waivers in order to be assigned to the AHL Whale — was paired with Dan Girardi in Marc Staal‘s absence.

Shane McColgan, the 5-9, 165-pound winger out of Torrance, Calif., was the most noticeable 18-year-old on the ice. The rambunctious McColgan was the 134th overall selection in this past June’s entry draft after recording 66 points (21-45) for WHL Kelowna.