Getty New York Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey has been ruled out for Game 3 listed "week-to-week" with an upper-body injury.
The New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1 in overtime of Game 2 to even the conference finals at 1-1 but lost left winger Jimmy Vesey to an upper-body injury midway through the second period.
Vesey didn’t return for the third period and overtime, and the Rangers ruled him out for the remainder of that game. Now, the Rangers have also ruled Vesey out for Game 3, scheduled for a matinee puck-drop in Florida on Sunday, May 26.
#NYR coach Peter Laviolette says Jimmy Vesey is week to week with an upper-body injury. No. 26 did make the trip.
No indication of who will come in for Vesey. Wheeler is cleared to play, as we knew.
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette confirmed the news on Saturday, May 25, ahead of Game 3 one day later in Florida with Vesey making the trip down south along with his teammates.
Laviolette told reporters that Vesey is “week to week with an upper-body injury,” via Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Rangers’ reporters Larry Brooks and Colin Stephenson echoed Walker’s report minutes after she shared the news on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter
Jimmy Vesey confirmed to not return to Game 2 after this hit from Lomberg
Panters’ Ryan Lomberg delivered a “massive hit” on Vesey, as described on ESPN’s broadcast, and Laviolette said after Game 2 that Vesey was “being evaluated.”
The coach said “We’ll see,” regarding Vesey’s availability for Game 3, before he ruled Vesey out less than 24 hours later.
Jimmy Vesey Out, Kaapo Kakko Back in the Lineup?
For the second time in the last three playoffs, Rangers’ former 2019 No. 2 pick Kaapo Kakko was a healthy scratch on a conference finals matchup. Coach Laviolette chose rookie enforcer Matt Rempe to replace Kakko in Game 2.
The last time Kakko was a postseason scratch was in 2022 when he missed Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I don’t want to let them down. I love them so much.”
Matt Rempe talks about the “Rempe” chants and the support of Rangers fans tonight:
Kakko hasn’t performed badly in the postseason, per se, but his playoff stats have been a bit subpar. The former No. 2 pick played in all 11 games before Coach Laviolette scratched him, averaging 11:33 minutes and scoring 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points across more than 125 total minutes on the ice.
With Vesey out, Laviolette needs to get back to the drawing board and find a solution to fill that vacated spot. On top of Kakko, Laviolette could choose between the two other players scratched on Game 2, Jonny Brodzinski and Blake Wheeler, assuming Rempe retains his place in the lineup.
Brodzinski appeared in 57 regular-season games this season and played in Games 4 and 6 of the second round. He’s a speedy and skilled player, and he scored 19 points through the regular season including 13 assists and 6 goals (both career highs).
Wheeler is the grizzled veteran of the Rangers, but he’s not played since he suffered a lower-body injury on February 15. He’s already been cleared and has skated with his teammates, and he’d bring a resume to the table that includes scoring 45 points in 65 playoff contests.
Rangers Recall 13 Players from Affiliate AHL Team
The Rangers had to wait until their AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolf Pack crashed out of the postseason to move players up to the NHL roster, but that’s what New York did on Saturday.
On May 25, New York recalled 13 players from the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL team announced.
UPDATE: #NYR has recalled 13 from Hartford.
In a statement released by the club on Saturday, the Wolf Pack indicated that Rangers General Manager Chris Drury recalled “seven forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender from Hartford.”
The list of players includes forwards Alex Belzile, Brett Berard, Anton Blidh, Jake Leschyshyn, Brennan Othmann, Tyler Pitlick, and Adam Sykora; defensemen Ben Harpur, Connor Mackey, Victor Mancini, Matthew Robertson, and Brandon Scanlin, and goalie Dylan Garand.
The Rangers will place all 13 players on the ‘taxi squad,’ meaning they won’t skate with the main group unless an injury forces New York to move one of the players to the active/gameday roster.