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Rangers’ Skapski faces 4-5 month rehab from hip surgery

skapskigetty

James OBrien

New York Rangers goaltending prospect Mackenzie Skapski is expected to need four-to-five months to recover from hip surgery, which means the rehab could possibly eat into the 2015-16 season.

The 21-year-old tweeted that the surgery was successful and that he hopes for a speedy recovery. More specifically, the Rangers describe the specific procedure as “hip arthroscopy to repair a labral tear in his right hip.”

Skapski saw two games of NHL action this past season, winning both contests and even grabbing a shutout. Most of his reps came with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack as he went 15-8-3 with a solid .914 save percentage.

Among Rangers fans and observers, the reaction seems a bit split regarding whether Skapski’s surgery would have any impact on Cam Talbot’s near future.

The New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis observes that Skapski’s injury means that the Rangers would have to get a backup goalie from “outside the organization” if they want to trade Talbot.

Others believe that Skapski’s not really in the phase of his career where he’s really relevant to Talbot, who has enjoyed two strong years as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup.

As a sixth-rounder (170th pick) from the 2013 NHL Draft, some may dismiss Skapski’s potential, yet the Rangers found Lundqvist in the seventh round back in 2000, so you never know.