NHL rumors: Rangers' Ryan McDonagh out indefinitely with upper body injury
The New York Rangers are forced to play the last three games of the regular season without their captain, Ryan McDonagh after getting hit in the right hand by a shot attempt in their 4-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Monday.
With the upper-body injury, McDonagh's status in the postseason has become uncertain and there are no further details as of the moment about the extent of the injury. As a matter of fact, head coach Alain Vigneault declined to reveal the exact nature of the injury, per report from The Associated Press. The only information the team provided in a statement is that he will be out indefinitely.
McDonagh's injury is a big loss to the Rangers because he is the team's best defenseman. In 73 games, he produced nine goals and 25 assists, but his rating of plus -26 is what makes him so valuable. But for Vigneault, injuries should be seen as part of the game of hockey and that they will always find a way to win in tough situations like this.
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This isn't the first time the defenseman missed some time this season. Back in February, he suffered a concussion after being at the receiving end of a punch by Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers. That injury forced him to sit out four games. A month after that, he again was sidelined for two games after getting an elbow from Leo Komarov in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But this is new territory for him because he never missed a game in the postseason due to injury.
In order to compensate for the temporary loss of McDonagh, the team recalled Brady Skjei from Hartford in the AHL. He is expected to fill in for the last three games. It is unclear at this point if he will remain with the team once McDonagh comes back.
