Right wing Kaapo Kakko is set to return tomorrow night for the home ice match up against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kakko has missed four games with an upper body injury suffered in the 2-1 win over Toronto, and has played just three of the Rangers’ seven games this season.
The return of Kakko helps bolster a top six that has struggled to put up offense early in the season, and while Kakko himself is still finding his game, and is yet to register a point this season, he does provide a more skilled option that those used to date. How Gallant might reconfigure the lines remains to be seen.
While Kakko returns, fourth line right wing Ryan Reaves is set to miss his first game of the season. Reaves injured either a leg or his groin in his first shift Monday and did not return to the ice despite sitting on the bench for the second and third periods. It was curious to see Reaves on the bench, as typical protocol is for injured players to spend the rest of the game in the lockerroom. When queried, Gallant responded that Reaves wished to continue to support his team mates from the bench.
The return of Kakko and loss of Reaves means that either Julien Gauthier or Greg McKegg will remain in the line-up for the short term.
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