Stepan's return will have a major impact on the Rangers line-up. AP Photo/Bruce Bennett, Pool

Stepan’s return will have a major impact on the Rangers line-up. AP Photo/Bruce Bennett, Pool

As Derek Stepan has finally hit the ice with his team mates (albeit in a non contact jersey) the questions will now begin to focus more on where rather than when will Stepan play. Following the excellent instant chemistry Rick Nash has shown with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello the logical thinking will be to try and keep that trio in tact in the short term. Of course, given Nash’s not so pretty possession numbers perhaps Alain Vigneault will consider reuniting Stepan with the Rangers best and hottest forward.

Questions will be raised about Stepan’s match readiness. Will Stepan need to be eased back in? And can Nash be a spark for Stepan the way he appears to have been for Zuccarello and Brassard? The options for Stepan are numerous at this stage. With Stepan’s return almost certainly meaning the end of the Marty St Louis at center experiment, the chances are that Stepan will be paired with St Louis and Kreider, (finally) giving the Rangers two legitimate scoring lines for the first time this season.

Stepan will almost certainly be inserted back into a prominent role right from his first shift. The options at center are simply too few to afford easing Stepan back in and building up his ice time gradually. His absence has impacted St Louis’ effectiveness given his deployment at center and the Rangers need St Louis to be a difference maker.

Stepan may not play as much special teams as he normally would but with the schedule quickly getting hectic over the next few weeks he will play a lot. The only real decision seems to be whether to keep Nash with his new linemates or reunite him with Stepan. The Rangers bottom six are also still a work in progress (well, the entire line-up is to some extent) although the Carl Hagelin-Dominic Moore-Lee Stempniak line appears to be the most well established at this point.

Stepan’s return will also have a knock on effect on other players, particularly in the bottom six. His return from injury influences the cap situation and may mean a guy like Chris Mueller gets sent down to Hartford because of a lack of cap space and ice time. Stepan also impacts Anthony Duclair as St Louis will bump the young winger out of a spot in the top six.

At this stage it appears that Stepan will be thrust into an important role as soon as he is able to play. The biggest question now appears to be who will play with Stepan and who misses out as a result of Stepan’s return. Expect some major upheaval within the next week.

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