Veteran New York Ranger to return from long-term absence

The New York Rangers are set to get a boost to their roster for the Eastern Conference finals as Blake Wheeler will be joining the team after recovering from his injury.

The 37-year-old has not played since February 15th, when he was stretchered off the ice after a hit from Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble left him in obvious pain. He missed the rest of the regular season and each of the first two rounds of the playoffs. However, he told reporters today that he is ready for game one of the Eastern Conference Finals, set for this Wednesday.






This news lines up with what we have been seeing on the ice as fans. Wheeler re-joined the Rangers recently and has been practicing with the team in a bigger and bigger way.




This morning, he was in regular gear and was a full participant in practice with the rest of the Rangers forwards. Additionally, Filip Chytil, who played one game in the second round, also was a regular at practice.




Adding Wheeler and Chytil back into the lineup makes an already deep Rangers team look even more dangerous. Their opponents in the Florida Panthers are just as deep up front though, so it should be a highly competitive contest to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup finals this year.

Source: BladeofSteel
New York Rangers forward set to return after lengthy absence