Jimmy Vesey was evaluated for an upper-body injury and could miss the next game for the Rangers, meaning Blake Wheeler may be the next man up.
During the New York Rangers’ 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2 against the Florida Panthers, Jimmy Vesey left the contest early after taking a hit from Ryan Lomberg.
Coach Peter Laviolette said that Vesey was being evaluated for an upper-body injury but didn’t specify how serious this injury might be or if he will miss any time.
Through 12 playoff games this year, Vesey has one goal, two assists and three points while averaging 11:11 minutes of ice time.
The 30-year-old forward is a valuable piece to the Rangers bottom-six, so his presence will certainly be missed if he were to miss the next game or even longer.
However, Vesey’s potential absence paves the way for Blake Wheeler to work his way back into the lineup.
Wheeler suffered a gruesome leg injury back in February, which sidelined him for the rest of the regular season and carried into the playoffs, but the veteran forward made clear prior to this series that he is available to play if needed.
"It's going to be in the coach's hands from there, but I'm ready in any capacity I can to help out," Wheeler said in the days leading up to the Eastern Conference Final.
The fact that Vesey did not return after the second period of Friday night’s game is a discouraging sign and may mean that his health going forward could be in jeopardy despite there being no further reports on his status.
It’s nice to know though that the Rangers could plug in Wheeler at any point whenever necessary.
Depth is key at this point in the playoffs when players like Vesey are going down with injuries and the Rangers are fortunate to have Wheeler ready to go.