Brett Howden was retroactively placed on injured reserve Thursday, but the Rangers’ 20-year-old center took another step in recovering from his sprained knee and there is now a timetable for his return.
Howden practiced with the team Friday in a non-contact jersey, and coach David Quinn said he is “a week to 10 days” away from being ready.
Having played in all but one of the Rangers’ first 48 games, Howden came back from the 10-day break in late January feeling refreshed. He then hurt his knee late in the first period of the first game back, Jan. 29, and has been out since.
“I think the worst part about it is you’re away from pretty much the whole room here,” Howden said as the team prepared for Saturday’s home matinee against the Devils. “It’s kind of tough when the guys are on the road and you’re back here trying to rehab and get back to getting strong again and getting ready to go. It’s fun to be part of the team, practicing with them again. Just hopefully keep taking it day by day and keep progressing.”
This trade deadline is the one-year anniversary of Howden coming to the Rangers as part of the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Lightning. Howden said he often forgets he was even traded — mostly because even though he was Tampa Bay’s first-round pick (No. 27 overall) from 2016, he never suited up for the Lightning — and he isn’t really too focused on what might happen to his current team by Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline.“I’m just here every day, we’re all having fun playing the game we love,” Howden said. “Obviously, it’s a business. You look at who is sitting out for other teams last night, but I just don’t look into any of that and don’t read into anything until something happens.”
It’s likely Lias Andersson will spend the rest of the season with the Rangers, and he got off to a good start Thursday night. Quinn said Andersson played well in a 4-1 loss to the Wild just hours after being recalled from AHL Hartford.
“There weren’t many bright spots [Thursday] night, but he was certainly one of them,” Quinn said. “I thought his consistency was there, his quickness, thought he was more relaxed. Development is a process. Sometimes you take a step backwards before you go forward.”
Goalie Alex Georgiev is set to start against the Devils. It will be his fifth start in the past eight games.
“He’s a guy that I think is playing his best hockey right now,” Quinn said. “I think he’s in a good place mentality.”
It would then make sense that Henrik Lundqvist would start the second leg of the back-to-back Sunday afternoon in Washington.