The New York Rangers may need to address a potential injury concern at the center position following Joe Veleno's lower-body injury sustained early in the first period of their 4-2 victory over the Mammoth on Sunday night. Veleno, 26, was injured during a collision with Clayton Keller and was unable to put weight on his right leg as he left the ice with assistance. Head coach Mike Sullivan stated that Veleno is currently being evaluated for the injury and more information may be available on Monday.
This offseason, the Rangers aimed to strengthen their center depth, acquiring Cole Beaudoin as a key piece in the Trocheck trade with Utah on July 1. Beaudoin, however, has played only two professional games with the AHL Wolf Pack, raising questions about whether the Rangers would prefer to let him develop further in the AHL or bring him up immediately.
Other center options for the Rangers include Justin Dowling, Glenn Gawdin, Juuso Parssinen, and Dylan Roobroeck, with Dowling, Gawdin, and Parssinen having NHL experience. Dowling was a healthy scratch for Hartford during Sunday’s game.
Sullivan expressed satisfaction with Tye Kartye's performance on the second line, where he played alongside J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev. Sullivan noted Kartye's speed and puck pursuit skills, highlighting his previous familiarity with Miller as beneficial. The coach emphasized the team's ongoing exploration of player combinations to optimize their chances of success.
In the same game, Eeli Tolvanen scored an empty-net goal, extending his point streak to three games, while Mika Zibanejad surpassed Mark Messier for the sixth-most assists on go-ahead goals in franchise history with 134 assists.