Rangers should be allowed to call up a forward on an emergency basis

Suppose Tyler Motte remains unavailable due to an upper-body injury. In that case, the Rangers should be allowed to call up a forward on an emergency basis for their upcoming matchup against the Canadiens in Montreal.

This would allow the club to have a full lineup for the first time since the February 25th loss in Washington. K’Andre Miller will be back from his three-game suspension for the spitting match penalty he earned against the Kings, which means the Rangers will have a full defensive corps with six blueliners again.

However, it is unclear when Ryan Lindgren, who was injured against the Capitals, will be ready to return.

Before the Rangers’ 5-3 loss to the Senators, the NHL rejected their emergency recall because the league found that the organization had voluntarily put itself in a man-short situation.

The NHL counted the 4-2 defeat against Boston as the Blueshirts’ first emergency game, which must be played before a team can be granted an emergency recall. If the Rangers need to call up a forward on an emergency basis, Jonny Brodzinski is the most likely player to be called up, as he has seemingly earned the Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant’s trust.

Ryan Carpenter, who has skated in 22 games for the Rangers this season, is also an option that Gallant might be comfortable with. The other potential choices are Will Cuylle and Jake Leschyshyn.

Since the Rangers are nearing the end of the regular season and gearing up for playoff hockey, they likely don’t want to throw an inexperienced player into the lineup. Leschyshyn has recorded zero points in 13 games since coming to the Rangers. Cuylle is probably the least likely of the four after his four-game cameo in late January through early February.

Brodzinski seems like the logical choice, as he has skated in five games on the wing for the Rangers this season and saw a good amount of time on the wing last season as well. If the Rangers want to keep Barclay Goodrow as their fourth-line centre, Brodzinski would be the best fit.

»Rangers should be allowed to call up a forward on an emergency basis«