After the defense corps lost Ryan Lindgren for a few weeks, the Rangers forward group has taken the latest hit.
Jimmy Vesey is expected to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury he sustained during practice on Sunday, head coach Peter Laviolette announced on Monday before the Blueshirts lost their fourth exhibition game of the preseason, 3-1, to the Devils at the Prudential Center.
Losing Vesey creates a hole on the fourth line, which has also featured Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski throughout this training camp.
Of the aforementioned players, only Edstrom suited up Monday night in Newark.
“That’s what training camp’s about,” Laviolette said after Monday’s practice with the non-game group. “It’s an opportunity for guys to step up. I do think some guys have had good camps, and that’s the evaluation process. We’re still going on. We’ve still got three [preseason] games left, and so those evaluations are still taking place.”
Vesey missed the last four games of the Rangers playoff run last season, after suffering a separated shoulder on a hit from Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg.
Over his last two seasons with the Rangers, Vesey has totaled 24 goals and 27 assists in 161 contests.
The plan was for Jonathan Quick to get a full game on Monday before Igor Shesterkin plays in a majority of the final two exhibition contests on Tuesday and Friday, Laviolette said on Monday.
Quick finished with 25 saves on 28 shots in the loss to the Devils.
The Rangers lineup Monday night was extremely prospect-heavy, considering the fact that a majority of the Devils varsity team is in Czechia for the NHL’s Global Series.
Notables who suited up include: Quick, Edstrom, Connor Mackey, Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, Victor Mancini, Adam Sykora and Bryce McConnell-Barker.
“The first period, I thought we played pretty good, we just made a couple big mistakes and let them behind for breakaways,” Laviolette said. “Second period, I didn’t like. I didn’t think we were sharp at all. We were slow, we turned the puck over and didn’t make good decisions. Thought we could’ve skated a little better, competed a little bit better.
“Addressed it going out into the third and the third period I thought we pressed the whole way and kept looking to get into the game. Finally, got one on the board, but too little too late.”
Mackey, Anton Blidh and Adam Erne wore letters for the Rangers.
Blidh scored the Rangers’ lone goal of the game off a long rebound in the third period.
In order to fill out the lineup, the Rangers recalled Blake Hillman and Blade Jenkins from the Wolf Pack on professional tryouts.
Ryder Korczak, who was hurt for most of his time in Rangers training camp, skated in a yellow non-contact jersey on Monday in Hartford.
