New York Rangers forward Rick Nash skated for the first time since February after suffering an injury, and could be close to a return for the team. Nash has been dealing with a serious bone bruise, and he has not played for the Rangers since Jan. 22 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Nash was able to skate on his own without any pain on Thursday, and said that he is trying to stay "positive" after being off the ice for over a month. Nash said that he expects to be back for the team in 10-14 days as long as there are not any setbacks in his recovery. Nash originally was diagnosed as day-to-day with a bone bruise, but that evolved into more of a "week-to-week" situation through February.
The 31-year-old tried to skate back on Feb. 2, but he was shut down by the team after dealing with pain in his leg. Nash described the issue as "one of those injuries that had to get worse before it got better." Nash has missed the last 17 games for the Rangers, but he could return in time for the final stretch of the regular season. There has been some talk of sitting Nash until the playoffs start, but the team has not confirmed any set date for Nash to come back yet.
Nash participated in the morning skate on Thursday with the team and he also was able to take shots on goal without any pain in his leg. A realistic target date for Nash to return is when the Rangers head out west on a road trip on March 14. General manager Jeff Gorton said that the 10-14 day window is a "ballpark" figure and that Nash is "day-to-day" with his injury.
"It felt great," said Nash. "Not being able to do something you love, it's tough. Especially not being around the team too much, it's hard. But [Thursday] was a great day."
The Rangers have not been hurt much by Nash's absence, as the team has gone 10-3-1 in the last 14 games. The team also added Eric Staal in a trade at the deadline, giving the Rangers some flexibility and depth with Nash out of the lineup. The move with Staal and the absence of Nash could create some issues once the forward is ready to return. The team has been playing well without Nash, and that could cause his role to change slightly from what it was before he was injured.
Coach Alain Vigneault said that he will have "options" about how to use Nash now that Staal is in the lineup as well. Nash and Staal are already familiar with each other, as the two have played together for the Canadian Olympic team. That past experience should allow Nash to get acclimated to things faster once he is able to return.
