The New York Rangers will be without at least one young forward for training camp after announcing that Jesper Fast would be out for five months following hip surgery today. With just over four months before the start of the 2017-18 season, Fast will likely miss a chunk of games as he recovers.
Fast entered this season with high expectations following a 30-point sophomore effort in 2015-16, but failed to quite live up to them. The 25-year old scored just six goals and registered 21 points in 68 games. His play did pick up in the playoffs, recording six points in 12 games but overall took a slight step backwards this season. A restricted free agent, the Rangers will now have to weigh whether or not to commit to him long-term as an option for their bottom-six.
It’s a tough break for the Rangers, and possibly for Vegas who could well have been looking at Fast in the upcoming expansion draft. New York will be one of the more interesting protection lists in the league, as their forward group could be structured in several different ways. Missing the first two months of the season on a new contract would be a tough way for him to start his Vegas career, especially because they won’t know much about his health until after they select him.
I wish him a fast recovery.