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.