From the moment Stu Bickel was recalled by the Rangers from the AHL Whale on Dec. 19, the 25-year-old defenseman’s objective was to avoid a return ticket to Hartford.
“That’s always your goal as a professional, to get into position to make it to the NHL and then stay,” Bickel said yesterday. “I should say that the focus since I’ve been here has been on doing what I can to help the team win, and we have been winning so that’s been a big help, but definitely my objective is stay here.”
Bickel will take a huge step in cementing a spot on an NHL roster for the remainder of the season when he skates against the Coyotes tonight at the Garden in his 10th game since making his big-league debut in New Jersey the night following his promotion.
Reaching that milestone means Bickel would have to clear waivers in order to be reassigned to the Blueshirts’ top farm club. And because right-handed defensemen who can play adequately are in as much need around the NHL as left-handed relief pitchers who can get a batter out are in Major League Baseball, it’s extremely unlikely Bickel would get through. That’s not to mention Bickel’s age, size (6-foot-4, 207), willingness to take the body, and contract situation ($600,000 as an impending restricted free agent).
Right defenseman Michael Sauer continues to make progress in his recovery from the concussion he suffered on Dec. 5. He has been symptom-free for at least a couple of weeks and is doing light physical activity such as riding a stationary bike, but he is not close to returning.
Similarly, right defenseman Steve Eminger is likely still up to eight weeks away from returning from the separated shoulder sustained in Phoenix on Dec. 17, the injury that prompted the Rangers to recall Bickel.
Thus, with the trade deadline set for Feb. 27, Bickel likely will remain a staple in the lineup unless the Rangers obtain a more experienced right defenseman for the playoff push.
This presumes Bickel, who has been paired with Marc Staal for the three games since the alternate captain’s return, maintains an acceptable level of play. Ordinary isn’t going to cut it on a club with grand aspirations.
“At the start, the coaches kind of just let me play in order to see what I was about and what I could do, but now there’s a lot more dialogue about fitting in with how the team does things and what the defensemen are expected to do in different situations,” said Bickel, a plus-four who has been on the ice for just three goals-against. “I don’t think that there’s too much I have to change, I have to stay aggressive and be physical, but certainly I can improve my coverage and my reads on certain plays.
“There’s been a fair amount of teaching about my positional play, so I just have to continue learning and staying with it.”
Staal had played nearly all of the previous three seasons with either Dan Girardi or Michal Rozsival on his right. So there has been an adjustment upon his return. Of course, the entire return has been an adjustment.
“It’s been a long time since I played with anybody, really,” Staal said, chuckling. “But, yes, there are some different reads playing with [Bickel]: when he’ll pinch, when he’ll go, different situations like that.
“The one thing you notice about Stu right away is that he’s very sure of himself on the ice. His confidence doesn’t seem to waver.”
That’s one of the reasons he isn’t likely to ever be on waivers, much less get through them.