TORONTO — There is a person out there who represents a cautionary tale for Jesper Fast, and it just so happens Fast talks to him all the time.
Fast is recovering from offseason hip surgery, the same type of surgery that former teammate Oscar Lindberg had last summer. The difference is that Lindberg had the procedure (labral repair) done on both hips, while Fast had it only on his left.
Lindberg was expected to be out six months, but returned almost a month before his timeline — and struggled to find his game right away. Lindberg did play better eventually, and was taken by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft this summer.
But Fast has been in constant contact with his fellow Swede, and said he wants to make sure he is ready to return before hitting the ice.
“I’m talking to [Lindberg] right now during this time when I’m skating,” Fast said after he skated with the healthy scratches before a game Saturday night against the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Center, the Rangers’ second game of the regular season after opening with a disappointing 4-2 loss Thursday to the Avalanche at the Garden .
“Like, ‘How did you feel at that time, and when did you start to feel this sort of way?’ ” Fast said. “So it’s good to have someone to talk to and see how he felt during the same time. It’s been good.”
The good news for Fast and the Rangers is the integral winger said he is finally has “no pain,” which is an improvement from his long days of rehabbing since the June 5 surgery. It’s especially encouraging after fully participating in three straight practices with the team. Once he is closer to returning, the team will put him through the on- and off-ice testing the rest of the team did during training camp.
Always known for his hard work and competitiveness, Fast has won two consecutive Players’ Player award, as voted on by his teammates. Coach Alain Vigneault almost glows when speaking about the 25-year-old, and is looking forward to his return.
“He has felt real good here in the last seven-to-10 days,” Vigneault said Saturday. “So he’s taking more part in practices. I feel he’s on the right track.”
Fast went into this offseason as a restricted free agent, and signed a three-year, $5.5 million deal, carrying an annual salary-cap hit of $1.85 million. He had his most productive offensive season in 2015-16, putting up 10 goals and 30 points, and followed last year with six goals and 21 points in 68 games. But his most value is in his penalty killing, in his steadiness with making plays in his own end and winning battles in the corners.
It’s a role that is currently being played by Paul Carey, a 29-year-old relative journeyman who surprised some when he made the team out of training camp. But there are certain roles to be filled, which is one of the reasons the team decided to keep Carey rather than first-round pick (No. 7 overall) Lias Andersson, who they sent back to play big minutes for his Swedish club team.
The other first-round pick (No. 21 overall) from this year, Filip Chytil, made the team out of camp because of his higher offensive upside. His nine-game tryout — after which the team has to decide if he stays and the first year of his entry-level deal starts, or he goes back to junior likely in his native Czech Republic — has thus begun as the center between veterans Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello.
Carey, meanwhile, is essentially acting as a placeholder for Fast, starting on a depth line with Jimmy Vesey and David Desharnais. If Carey can hold down the fort, then Fast won’t have to rush back — and he also won’t have to worry about the possible speed bumps suffered by his friend, Lindberg.
“If I feel ready, I will go,” Fast said. “It’s just [up to] the docs and medical [staff]. Some players are struggling if they have been going on too early and stuff. They want to be sure that I’m ready to go and I don’t want to get any pain coming back. So they want to be clear that I’m 100 percent when I get back.”