Stepan (Photo: AP)
In case you missed it, both Derek Stepan and Kevin Klein are on the current road trip for the Rangers. Both will be promptly inserted back into the lineup in prominent roles upon their returns, and both will require some lineup maneuvering to ensure the best lineup is on the ice. That said, there will be a few difficult decisions to make when they do return.
Klein’s return is likely to be easier to manage, as the Rangers will likely return Brady Skjei to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. It may not happen immediately with Dan Girardi still injured, and it may not be the best move for the defense given the decline of Girardi and Marc Staal, but it’s what will happen. While Girardi is out, I expect some kind of rotation between Skjei, Dylan McIlrath, and Dan Boyle.
Stepan’s return makes things a bit more interesting. He will be slotted back into his top line center role, likely pushing Jesper Fast back to the fourth line. That pushes one of Tanner Glass, Emerson Etem, or Viktor Stalberg out of the lineup.
Considering Glass’ strong play of late, there really is no wrong decision with who to play. While this level of play is unlikely to continue for an extended period of time, it’s smart to ride the wave while you can. Knowing AV, that’s likely what will happen, especially while he isn’t all that enamored with Etem.
Stepan’s return brings much more balance to the lineup and helps players slide back to where they belong. The offense drying up at the same time he went down was more coincidence than correlation, since the Rangers were due for a SH% drop, Stepan’s creativity was certainly missed. The Rangers have one of the deepest forward groups in the league, and it’ll be good to have them healthy again.
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