The Rangers recalled winger Anton Blidh from AHL Hartford today, per a team release. His recall guarantees the Rangers will have 12 healthy forwards for tomorrow’s tilt against the Capitals.
This is the second time the Rangers have had to dip into their minor-league forward depth this week. They recalled Jake Leschyshyn, who made his season debut in yesterday’s loss to the Blues, in order to allow 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann to return to the minors after making his NHL debut earlier this month.
Now, with the status of top-line center Mika Zibanejad uncertain for tomorrow due to illness, Blidh could make his 2023-24 debut in a fourth-line role. Zibanejad was a late scratch against the Blues, forcing the Rangers to dress Zachary Jones as a seventh defenseman – obviously not a lineup configuration that bench boss Peter Laviolette prefers.
Blidh, 28, is a grinder who’s appeared in NHL games in every season dating back to 2016-17, although exclusively in limited roles. The Rangers acquired him at last season’s trade deadline in a minor-league swap with the Avalanche, later signing him to a two-year, two-way extension before free agency opened. Through 29 games with Hartford, Blidh has four goals and five points for nine assists and a +8 rating. In 14 NHL games with Colorado last season, he went pointless in 14 contests and averaged just 6:35 per game.