Injured players will be returning for the Rangers, almost surely beginning tomorrow night with Ryan Callahan against the Penguins at the Garden, and perhaps even with Vinny Prospal, who was activated for the first time all year at the conclusion of Tuesday’s game against Florida, because, as general manager Glen Sather told The Post in an e-mail later in the week, “He is ready to go.”
Perhaps ready to go in tomorrow’s first of 29 remaining down the stretch, perhaps not until later in the week, but Prospal, the 35-year-old forward who underwent knee surgery the first week of October and who feared his career over as late as the first weekend of 2011 following setbacks in his rehab, is on his way.
And while this represents a triumph of spirit and dedication for the universally popular alternate captain with the infectious smile and positive attitude, it also represents one more challenge for coach John Tortorella, who will be confronted with significant choices as his wounded hockey warriors rejoin the effort.
Philosophy professor Jaromir Jagr once said that having a lot of choices isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, for it only increases the odds of making the wrong one. There is no doubt Tortorella, who was able to wring the most possible out of his depleted group through a demanding schedule leading into the All-Star break, faces choices that will only make or break the season.
The schedule turns favorable for the Rangers, who starting tomorrow will play only five games in 12 days and six in 17 coming out of the winter recess. This means there is no pressure whatsoever to accelerate the returns of the rehabbing Erik Christensen, Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko, who are all expected to be back by mid-February.
But there will be significant pressure on Tortorella not only to construct his best lineup without regard to nameplates or paychecks, but also to communicate with the athletes who stand to be dramatically affected by this influx of reinforcements.
Nonexistent is the Rangers player under Tortorella who is weaned back into the lineup following injury. This coach has always defined healthy as healthy enough to take a regular turn.
And so his immediate use of Prospal, the team’s second-leading scorer last season while primarily playing with Marian Gaborik, is going to be fascinating because of the trickle-down effect if the pair is reunited.
Prospal, who would earn a $1.4 million bonus for playing in 10 games on top of his $1.08 million base salary, hasn’t played since last season. He will turn 36 on Feb. 17, and is trying to step into an accelerated pace.
Tortorella could move Prospal into the middle between Gaborik and Sean Avery while shifting pivot Artem Anisimov onto a line with Callahan, but that would mean either Brian Boyle — impossible — or Derek Stepan would become a fourth-line center.
Tortorella could try Prospal on the left with Anisimov and Gaborik, but then what about Callahan and Avery? The coach could start Prospal on the fourth line, but he hasn’t done anything like that.
And these knotty problems are the easy ones, before the projected returns of Christensen, Dubinsky and Fedotenko force healthy scratches, with everyone but everyone recognizing that captain Chris Drury’s spot is in jeopardy.
The Rangers are on their way to becoming whole. This will open a whole lot of opportunity for this overachieving team. It could also present a whole lot of problems if not handled the proper way.