Not long ago, Blake Wheeler was presumed to be out for the rest of the season due to a nasty right leg injury he suffered following a hit by Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble at the mid February.
The 37-year-old Rangers winger had to be helped off the ice by his teammates after his injury.
On Monday, Wheeler returned to the ice with his teammates for the first time as they practiced for Tuesday night’s second game of the playoffs against the Hurricanes at the Garden.
Wheeler, a popular player in the locker room as a veteran voice and leader, will not play in Tuesday night’s game and it’s possible he won’t play at all in the postseason.
But his presence was widely praised Monday as he led the team while his teammates clapped and banged their sticks on the ice.
“It’s awesome,” Rangers center Barclay Goodrow said after practice where he saw Wheeler back on the ice. “Seeing “Wheels” there gave us a boost of energy. We all know the hard work and effort he puts in every day. I know he loved being back with the guys.
“You may not realize how much you like him and need to be with the guys until you don’t have him anymore. So it was good to see him there. It was definitely a good boost.
Wheeler, who spent 12 seasons in Winnipeg before joining the Rangers this season and playing 54 games before his injury, was redshirted, meaning he has not yet been medically cleared to play.
“I’m sure he loves being back with the guys,” Goodrow said. “It’s been a long time since he was here. Now he’s back in the mix. He has so much energy that he brings.
Wheeler’s return to the practice ice was in addition to Filip Chytil’s presence in practice throughout the playoffs.
Chytil, who appears medically cleared to play, has not played since his injury in November.
He traveled to Washington for Games 3 and 4, but did not wear the uniform.
Some thought Rangers coach Peter Laviolette would activate him for the Carolina series because he is one of the team’s best skaters and played well against the Hurricanes in the regular season.
But Laviolette apparently didn’t want to break up with a good thing, with rookie Matt Rempe playing well on the fourth line alongside Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
Laviolette has been particularly tight-lipped about his plans for Chytil, but on Monday he gave the first hints that Chytil and even Wheeler could perhaps play a role if the Rangers deepen their playoff run.
The most realistic chance for Chytil to return to a game is if Laviolette sees the need to shake up the lineup in the event of a loss or two in the series.
“You hope it’s going to be a long road to get to the end, and you know you’re going to need a lot of bodies,” Laviolette said Monday. “So to see Blake back there — even though he was wearing a different color jersey — I think that was really important for him and for our team. These are the steps in the process that allow it to become available again – at any time.
“It’s a long road. I can tell you this from experience. It’s a chore and it takes a lot of bodies, so everyone has to work hard every day.
Mika Zibanejad called it “a lot of fun” to see Wheeler back on the ice.
“’Whees’ has obviously been gone for so long, and the way he works, the level of commitment and, honestly, the attitude he brings every day, it’s awesome,” he said. “Every day you come in, he has a smile on his face. It spreads throughout the room, so it’s great to see it again.
New York Post
