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Rangers aren’t worried after Nash skips practice

ricknashgetty

Rick Nash sat out Sunday’s New York Rangers practice with a sore foot, but the team told the Bergen Record that it isn’t serious. A puck hit in the foot during Friday’s preseason loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Nash, 29, is expected to line up with newly re-signed center Derek Stepan and Brad Richards to begin the 2013-14 season, Newsday’s Steve Zipay reports.

Stepan received a chance to shake off a little bit of rust by skating with the team on Sunday, although it’s likely his timing might be off a little here and there after prolonged contract negotiations.

There’s more worth noting than Nash missing practice and Stepan finally getting back into the fold. It looks like Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault is going to experiment with moving Richards to the left wing spot. That’s a situation to watch considering the possibility that this might be a lot like a contract year season for the 33-year-old (since the team could buy him out to make room for free agents such as Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Callahan).

While Richards struggled, Nash largely justified the hype he received as a star previously buried in Columbus. He struggled in the postseason with just one goal in 12 playoff games, but it’s worth noting that he had terrible puck luck (just one of 42 shots on goal went in).

The Rangers face a harrowing start to the season, so the hope is that Nash is indeed healthy and can mix well with Stepan and Richards.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins