Adam Sykora’s preseason injury has changed the Rangers’ picture in a hurry, and the update on Wednesday made the outlook even clearer: he’s out 4-5 months with a lower-body injury.
The injury happened Monday in New York’s 3-2 loss to the Devils, when Sykora was hit by New Jersey prospect Mikael Diotte. Diotte, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound defenseman, drove hard into Sykora, with his elbow catching the Rangers forward in the jaw. Sykora recoiled, went down awkwardly, and his leg bent behind him as he fell to the ice.
He needed help getting off the ice and went straight to the dressing room in visible pain. He was done for the night, and the Rangers didn’t provide an update until Wednesday before practice in Westchester.
For the Rangers, this is more than a short-term setback. Sykora had become a useful depth option after showing late last season that he could handle NHL minutes. He brought energy, scored three goals in 11 games, and quickly won over fans with his pace, his smile and the way he played the game.
He wasn’t expected to break camp on the opening-night roster after the team added more help up front in the offseason, but he looked like a dependable call-up option from Hartford if the Rangers needed reinforcements.
The injury also lands hard on Sykora’s own development. A return in late January at the earliest, or sometime in February, means he’ll miss most of his fourth full season in pro hockey.
That’s a real interruption after a strong year in Hartford, where he posted a career-high 12 goals and tied for third on the Wolf Pack with 29 points. He also handled himself well in his first NHL look.
At 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds, Sykora plays the kind of fast, straight-ahead game Mike Sullivan likes, and he brings edge and energy every shift. He’s also well-liked in the room, and there was even a chance he could have worn a letter with Hartford this season if he didn’t make the Rangers roster.
Now he’ll have to fight back into the organization’s forward picture once he’s healthy. That won’t be simple. Liam Greentree and Nathan Aspinall are turning pro this season, and Sykora had already slipped a bit on the depth chart through no fault of his own after the Rangers signed Eeli Tolvanen shortly before camp, while Matt Rempe returned to health and Jaroslav Chmelar kept emerging.
The Rangers still have enough depth in the bottom six to survive Sykora’s absence, but Hartford will feel it too. He played every situation for the Wolf Pack and served as a respected leader. His influence on younger players like Greentree, Aspinall and Cole Beaudoin, all 20, as well as Dylan Roobroeck, also 20, and Brody Lamb, 23, matters.
The other injury concern from the Devils game was Vincent Iorio, who also suffered a lower-body injury. He is day to day.
Iorio is expected back at practice soon and will try to earn a spot as an extra defenseman with the Rangers. He would need waivers to be sent to Hartford, something that could happen before camp ends.
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