Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn ImagesFormer New York Rangers forward Sam Carrick has been dealing with an injury that has hampered his availability.
Carrick suffered an upper-body injury during the regular season on March 31 that sidelined him for the entirety of the Buffalo Sabres' first-round series against the Boston Bruins and the opening two games of their second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
Despite initially having a six-to-eight week timeline to return to game action, Carrick was cleared to play in Game 3 in Montreal on Sunday.
In the final seconds of Game 3, Carrick went down after receiving a punch to the face from Arber Xhekaj.
Xhekaj was fined $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
On Tuesday, Carrick skated in a non-contact jersey and did not slot onto any line, putting his availability in doubt.
The Rangers traded Carrick to the Sabres on March 6 in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.