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Marc Staal won’t travel with Rangers to Europe, not ruled out for season opener

Pittsburgh Penguins v New York Rangers

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 01: Marc Staal #18 of the New York Rangers of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on February 1, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

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While the Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik duo was a smash-hit in their preseason debut Friday, another smash hit might make things a little bit tougher for the New York Rangers’ defense. That check happened late in the 2010-11 season, when Eric Staal clobbered his brother Marc, giving his younger sibling a concussion that he’s still dealing with.

As we speculated on Friday, Rangers head coach John Tortorella confirmed that Marc Staal won’t make the team’s initial trip to Europe. On the bright side, Tortorella didn’t rule the crucial defenseman out of appearing in the season opener against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 7 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Tortorella told reporters that he’ll provide an update in less than a week, as Staal continues to meet with concussion specialists. There’s always the chance that he could join the team in Europe in a week or so, although that’s far from a guarantee.

“He will not be on the trip,” Tortorella told the Rangers official website Sunday. “We are hoping as he continues his procedures with the specialists that I will have an update in 4-5 days. We’re gonna try and get him on the trip. Once he’s ready to do all the stuff we want him to do to prepare for the regular season, we’ll have him come out.”