Clearly, the big news out of Rangers' camp Saturday was the departure of Pavel Buchnevich early from practice. As we know, due to league rules, all that can officially be said is that the player is unfit to practice. Since a reason can't be given, speculation that the absence is COVID related seems right on point.
Update on injury reporting for 2020 Return to Play. pic.twitter.com/d1lmNMMTbH
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 11, 2020
“Yeah, under league policy, I'm not allowed to elaborate on injuries,’’ coach David Quinn said when asked after practice about Buchnevich. You know my view on this, but if you don't, the policy is ridiculous. Hopefully, behind the scenes, everyone who needs to know when someone has COVID is informed. This includes staff at the rink, reporters and other non-playing personnel. But to not be able to reveal, when a player acquiesces, the diagnosis just seems shortsighted.
On the status of Buchnevich, who scored 16 goals, with 30 assists (for a career-high 46 points) in 68 games playing on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. First, we don't officially know if Buch left practice early due to COVID. Second, even if that is the case, we also don't know if he failed a test or if test results were delayed, resulting in him being required to leave practice. If Buch does have the virus, that would put his availability for the first game August 1 in doubt, even if he is asymptomatic.
Kaapo Kakko stepped in to take Buchnevich’s place on the first line, and Brendan Lemieux, who had been rotating in on the fourth line, moved up to fill Kakko’s spot on the third line. Lemieux will be suspended anywhere from 1-3 games, so if Buchnevich is out, that could open the door for Vinni Lettieri to crack the lineup. If coach David Quinn really wanted to roll the dice, Vitali Kravtsov might be an option, though that is a bit more of a stretch.
David Quinn post-practice press conference.
"Our guys certainly are aware our D-zone coverage was one of the reasons why we were able to have the second half we had, and one of the reasons why we're continuing to have the opportunity to play."
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 18, 2020
Coach Quinn talks focusing on D, Tony, Trouba + more. â¬‡ï¸ pic.twitter.com/6bkN9hUJCK
Quinn spoke briefly about Tony DeAngelo, who met with reporters via Zoom with part of the interview centered on his upcoming restricted free agency. ADA finished the regular season with career highs with 15 goals, 38 assists and 68 games played. He did say the right things but admitted the contract is a focus, as that's human nature, but the main concern is Carolina. How nice would it have been if Vlad Namestnikov was moved in the off-season rather than shortly into the year, freeing up some cap room for a two-year rather than one-year deal for DeAneglo?
"I think Tony for the first time is in a situation two years in a row — where he’s got the same coaches, the same environment — it’s a similar situation to what he had last year,… Quinn said. “Tony is a guy that’s got world-class skill, and he continues to hone his skills defensively.…“I think (COVID-19 has) affected a lot of people a lot worse than it's gonna affect myself,’’ DeAngelo said Saturday. “We're all in the same boat, players and free agents, and stuff, but there's a lot of people that are unemployed (because of COVID-19), so we're pretty blessed to still be able to play.’’
“Obviously, we’ll take care of that in the offseason. Kind of just focused on the playoffs right now. I won’t lie [and say] that’s not in the back of everyone’s mind, I think it's human nature.…
"We just h ave to pick up where we left off. We can't be too confident in where we were because we still had some hills to climb & work to do to get in, but now we've got a shot." - @TonyDee07 pic.twitter.com/2HlGfUUiEa
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 18, 2020
Hello Artemiy :)
The ðŸžman is the No. 1 winger right now! #NHLTopPlayers | @NYRangers pic.twitter.com/YCiAU93ycU
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 17, 2020