The Adam Sykora injury could have a bigger impact on the New York Rangers than the team might have thought.
The former second-round pick was already facing an uphill battle to crack the Rangers’ opening-night roster. Now, after leaving Monday’s preseason opener against the New Jersey Devils with a lower-body injury, his chances of winning that job could have taken another hit.
But there is another side to this.
Sykora’s injury could force the Rangers to rethink how they approach one of the few remaining roster battles in training camp.
Sykora took a hard hit from Devils defenseman Mikael Diotte in the first period and appeared to favor his right leg after falling awkwardly. He was helped from the ice and was officially ruled out with a lower-body injury. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said afterward that Sykora was still being evaluated.
The timing is particularly unfortunate.
Adam Sykora Injury Comes on Top of Uphill Battle
Sykora entered camp needing to make an impression.
The Rangers have added plenty of competition to their forward group this offseason, including Eeli Tolvanen, Joe Veleno, Pavel Dorofeyev and Tye Kartye. Tolvanen’s addition, in particular, appeared to make the path to an NHL roster spot much more difficult for Sykora.
Moreover, the initial training-camp groupings offered another clue.
Sykora was placed with the AHL group rather than the projected NHL group, while Kartye, Joe Veleno and Jaroslav Chmelar were among the forwards getting a look in the fourth-line competition. One analysis identified the battle as essentially Sykora versus Kartye, with the latter having an advantage because Sykora does not require waivers.
And now, the Adam Sykora injury changes the calculus somewhat for both the player and the team.
The Rangers can send Sykora to Hartford without exposing him to the waiver wire. Other players fighting for those final roster spots do not necessarily have that luxury.
Sykora did, however, give the Rangers something to think about late last season.
He played 11 games with New York and scored three goals and four points. He also posted 12 goals and 29 points in 62 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
That made the preseason an opportunity for him to show that he could bring the same energy to the NHL on a full-time basis.
Now that opportunity has seemigly got the kibosh.
Rangers May Have to Look Elsewhere to Round Out Lineup
This is where the Adam Sykora injury could change the roster battle.
The Rangers only have four preseason games on the schedule, with their regular-season opener coming September 29 against the Boston Bruins.
That does not leave much time for players competing for the final spots to make their case.
Plus, if Sykora misses the remainder of the preseason, New York could have little choice but to give additional opportunities to the other candidates.
Chmelar, Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh were already identified as players in the mix for the final forward spots.
There is also an argument that Sykora’s absence could make the Rangers’ decision easier.
If another player performs well enough over the next few preseason games, the organization could decide that player deserves the opportunity instead. Sykora’s injury would remove one competitor from the equation, at least temporarily.
Of course, nobody benefits from an injury.
The Rangers would much rather have Sykora healthy and competing for the job. He was one of the more energetic players in his brief NHL stint last season, and there is still a path for him to become an important depth option.
But the reality is that NHL roster battles are often decided by timing as much as talent.
And unfortunately for Sykora, the Adam Sykora injury could not have come at a worse time.
Adam Sykora Injury Could Change Rangers Roster Battle