Sammy Blais of the Rangers will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee following a collision with Devils defenseman P.K. Subban.
The team says the expected recovery period is between 6-8 months.
During New York’s shootout win on Sunday, as Blais and Subban were chasing the puck in the corner their skates made contact, causing Blais’ right leg to turn and collide with the boards. He fell to the ice immediately in pain and needed to be helped off minutes later.
Subban was not penalized on the play.
Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said afterward that the incident looked “a lot like the Reaves one that I saw,” referencing another play involving Subban which happened during preseason that injured Ryan Reaves.
The NHL has already fined Subban twice this season for a “dangerous trip” on Flames forward Milan Lucic and “tripping” Ducks rookie Trevor Zegras.
Even Subban’s own head coach began to pick up on this tripping trend after the Lucic trip.
“That is an undisciplined play that is not acceptable,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. "[Subban] knows that. Not something we’re going to put up with.”
Blais was acquired in a July trade that sent Pavel Buchnevich to the Blues. He will undergo surgery in a few weeks after the swelling in his knee goes down.
“It’s not good news for us,” Gallant said Tuesday. “But it happens. You gotta move on. I just feel for the kid.”
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.