Less than 10 months after acquiring Juuso Parssinen — and less than eight months since signing him to a two-year contract extension — the Rangers placed the 24-year-old Finnish forward on waivers on Tuesday. He will be assigned to AHL Hartford if he clears waivers.
Parssinen entered training camp with the opportunity to solidify a role as a third-line center, but he was beat out by rookie Noah Laba, and has suffered with inconsistency since coming to New York in a trade from Colorado in March.
He was a healthy scratch in six of the past eight games.
“I think it’s been sporadic,” Sullivan said about Parssinen’s play. “We tried him a lot in the middle early on. We were exploring options for that third line center role and we felt the way [Laba’s] game evolved over the course of training camp we felt like [Laba] was the best option for us. We moved [Parssinen] to the wing. I think the wing position in that bottom six has been competitive.
“For those types of players, it’s about reliability, dependability, a lot of little things. … He’s had some games where he’s played very well for us. Some of the other guys have also and that’s where the decisions are. I don’t think it’s anything more than it’s just competitive with some of the guys we have and we’re just trying to make the best decisions for the team.”
In 14 games, Parssinen recorded two goals and one assist, while averaging 8:56 of ice time.
J.T. Miller (upper-body injury) and Will Borgen (upper-body injury) both participated in Tuesday’s practice, sporting noncontact jerseys. Miller — who has missed the past two games — and Borgen — who has missed three straight games — will both travel with the team for Wednesday’s game in Carolina, and are both considered day-to-day.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick (lower-body injury) was placed on IR, leaving Dylan Garand in the backup role.
Even with the Rangers set to play three games in the next four days, Sullivan said Igor Shesterkin could make every start.
“I’m not sure yet,” Sullivan said of his plans. “We’re gonna take each day as it comes. What I will tell you is because we’ve managed [Shesterkin’s] workload to this point fairly well, if anyone is in a position to take on more of a workload I think [he’s ready] to do that.”
Garand, a 2020 fourth-round pick, has never appeared in an NHL game. This season, the 23-year-old has gone 3-6-2 with a 2.96 GAA and .897 save percentage in Hartford.
“I’m ready for whatever the team needs,” Garand said. “It’s an awesome opportunity. That’s why you push, that’s why you work, and hopefully I get an opportunity to play.”
Credit: Source link
