It appears as if the 7-11 at the Garden is a thing of the past.
And so too, Filip Chytil.
Because the Rangers’ waiver claim of Adam Cracknell from Dallas indicates that he will go into the lineup on the fourth line against the Blues at the Garden on Tuesday after coach Alain Vigneault went with seven defensemen and 11 up-front while scratching Chytil for Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Montreal.
Chytil, the skilled 18-year-old who secured an unlikely spot on the opening roster and in the opening night lineup off a very strong camp, is likely on his way back to his native Czech Republic.
The 21st-overall selection in the draft, who played only 7 minutes 40 seconds in the opener against Colorado and just 4:59 while sitting the final 33:03 in Toronto on Saturday, is expected to inherit a major role on HC Zlin and should be an important player for his country’s World Junior Team.
Cracknell, a 32-year-old on a one-year deal worth $765,000 (a prorated $653,226 of which will be assigned to the Rangers, per capfriendly.com), undoubtedly received a strong endorsement from assistant coach Lindy Ruff, who was the forward’s head coach in Dallas last year.
An energy player who rotated into the penalty kill for the Stars, Cracknell should join David Desharnais and Paul Carey on the fourth line. One of the trio would then become the club’s 13th forward upon Jesper Fast’s return from the IR (labrum surgery rehab) that could come as soon as next week.
Cracknell’s insertion into the lineup would come at the expense of one of the defensemen. Tony DeAngelo, who acted as the seventh defenseman and got just 2:08 at even strength and 3:45 overall while Nick Holden and Steven Kampfer formed a very unsteady third pair, could be the odd man out. That, though, would mean replacing DeAngelo at one of the points of the second power-play unit.
Vigneault will also have to decide whether to reinsert Brendan Smith — scratched against the Habs following two subpar efforts out the gate including a meltdown in Toronto — into the lineup against the Blues. That would mean a second defenseman coming out following the Rangers’ first win of the year.