by Jamy Baron

We are three games into the regular season and the Rangers have sent down Mats Zuccarello to the Connecticut Whale. Kris Newbury has been called up to replace him on the roster.

Averaging only 8:26 in ice time, this demotion is necessary for Zucc’s development. He isn’t going to get any better by playing 4th line minutes on the big club, so this demotion is a good thing for Zucc.

Newbury has 4 goals and 8 points in 4 games played for the Whale and has NHL experience so he makes the most sense for the call-up. Newbury won’t be getting too much ice-time either, but his role is a 4th line player which Zuccarello is not.

The Rangers have also recalled defenseman, Brendan Bell which is worrisome because that means Michael Sauer may not be healthy enough to play in Western Canada.

The Rangers next game is on Tuesday as they kick off their Western Canada road trip against the Vancouver Canucks.