Artemi Panarin’s lower-body injury doesn't appear to be an issue at all for the New York Rangers.
Last week, Panarin suffered an apparent lower-body injury and missed a couple of practices because of it.
The 33-year-old forward returned to practice on Friday in a red non-contact jersey, as he seems to be progressing in his recovery.
“Just a lower-body (injury), I’ll be alright soon,” Panarin said. “It’s so much better, almost there.”
Last year, Panarin also missed training camp due to a minor lower-body injury, so at his age, the Rangers have just been overly cautious with him.
While the Rangers want to continue to take things slow regarding Panarin’s injury, Mike Sullivan confirmed he would like to see Panarin play in the preseason.
“In a perfect world, we'd like to get him into a game or two,” Sullivan said. “But a lot of it is going to depend on where he is. Certainly, we'll err on the side of caution.”
Panarin shared the same sentiment as Sullivan about getting in some preseason action before the regular season kicks off.
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However, Panarin did not confirm if he would return ahead of the Rangers’ season opener on Oct. 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“For sure, for sure before the season starts I would love to play a couple (preseason) games,” Panarin emphasized. “Just trying to be there, dealing with a little issue. If we are quick enough, I will play.”
As of right now, Panarin’s recovery from this injury is trending in the right direction.