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Three cuts were made yesterday, as Matt Lombardi, Steve Kampfer, and Mike Kostka were all placed on waivers. There are more cuts coming today, as Alain Vigneault will need to trim the roster to 22-23 players. That number may or may not include Derek Stepan, who is out with a broken fibula.

There are two options for the Rangers with Stepan. They can put him on IR (out at least a week) and open up a roster spot, which is the very least they will do. They can also put him on LTIR, which means he will need to miss at least ten games or three weeks (whichever comes first). LTIR gives the Rangers cap flexibility, as they can go over the cap ceiling by the same amount of Stepan’s cap hit. This allows them to keep an extra skater.

That’s apparently what AV is looking to do, per Pat Leonard.

Anthony Duclair appears to have made the roster, which probably prompted AV to lean towards keeping 14 forwards. If Stepan is not placed on LTIR, then the Rangers would not be able to carry the extra forward.

This gives the Rangers extra flexibility to continue with player evaluations. It’s been one of the more exciting camps in a while, with kids and vets competing for spots, and doing so with superb play. There are still five forwards that need to be cut, and only one, maybe two, are “guaranteed” to be sent to Hartford.

Don’t forget that the Rangers also need to move a contract before rosters are set. They are at the maximum of 50 contracts with Duclair making 51. If Duclair didn’t make the club, his contract wouldn’t have counted towards the reserve list, as he is under 20 years old (contract wouldn’t slide though, so they’d still burn a year on the deal). It’s something they are actively exploring, and they are probably hoping someone gets plucked off waivers. Otherwise a trade is coming.

Stepan going to LTIR is more or less a formality at this point, but it was something that became a necessity with so many players performing well in the preseason. We may wind up getting some extended looks at players in the first few weeks of the season. Can’t remember the last time we’ve had this many kids look so good in one camp.

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