Artemi Panarin returns to Rangers' practice, looks good to go for opening night

TARRYTOWN - The Rangers are on track to have their leading scorer for opening night.

Artemi Panarin returned to practice Monday at the MSG Training Center, alleviating concerns after he missed the previous five days with a lower-body injury.

"He made it through the practice today without any issues," head coach Peter Laviolette said. "That's a positive."

The 32-year-old forward was unable to complete either of his two preseason appearances due to his unidentified ailment, but it would have taken something serious to keep him out for Wednesday's regular-season opener in Pittsburgh.

He practiced in full on his usual line with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière, then confirmed his plan to play.

"I feel good right now," Panarin said. "I hope I'm good to go."

The Russian winger said he felt the injury flair up during warmups for Tuesday's preseason contest with the Devils and tried to play through it, but after four uncomfortable shifts, the team decided a cautious approach was best and pulled him.

"It's preseason," he said. "I had a little bit of issues with the lower body, but we did some treatments. I feel good today."

Panarin was voted as last season's team MVP after setting new career highs in points (120), goals (49) and shots (303). He's a central figure in driving offense, particularly in five-on-five situations where others have struggled to produce consistently.

The Rangers are hoping for a better effort from No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad on that front. He averaged only 0.45 goals per 60 minutes played at 5v5 last season, easily the worst mark in his eight years with New York, and missed Monday's practice for maintenance reasons.

There doesn't seem to be much concern about his status for Wednesday, although Laviolette stopped short of saying anything definitive.

"I'd like to see him back out there (for Tuesday's practice)," he said. "But it's maintenance, so we'll see."

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Jimmy Vesey to LTIR

In order to complete their roster, the Rangers needed to determine what to do with injured veterans Ryan Lindgren (upper body) and Jimmy Vesey (lower body).

They have, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, who spoke to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, on the condition of anonymity.

Vesey will be placed on long-term injured reserve, which will require the 31-year-old forward to miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days. That move will create the necessary roster (and salary cap) flexibility to carry the 13 healthy forwards and seven healthy defensemen they'd prefer to keep, otherwise they would have had to trim at one of those positions.

Meanwhile, Lindgren is headed to the standard injured reserve, which only requires the 26-year-old defenseman to miss seven days while still counting his $4.5 million salary against the cap.

Lindgren hasn't played since being injured in a Sept. 24 fight with Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, but he began skating on his own over the weekend. Vesey, who suffered his injury during a Sept. 29 practice , has yet to return to the ice and is considered further behind in his recovery.

Finalizing the roster

The Rangers will make a handful of paper transactions in the next 48 hours, including reassigning forwards Brett Berard, Will Cuylle, Adam Edström and Matt Rempe, along with defenseman Victor Mancini, to AHL Hartford. They'll be temporarily replaced by players with lower salaries for the purpose of salary cap accrual, but most are expected to be recalled in time for Wednesday's opener.

The prospect among that group who seems most likely to remain in the minors to start the season is Berard, but the 22-year-old forward should be back whenever the need for top-nine winger arises. Most anticipated that distinction would fall to 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann, but Berard outlasting him at this training camp suggests otherwise.

"He made an impression with everybody," Laviolette said. "It’s the way he works and the way he competes. You see him out here mixed in with a full NHL team, and he looks really good. It's his speed, it's his tenacity, and his ability to make plays."

Once the dust settles, it looks like the Rangers will break camp with three rookies.

Rempe always felt like a foregone conclusion , but Edström and Mancini have forced their way into the mix with strong preseasons. Both skated with the lineup regulars Monday, with Edström playing left wing on the fourth line alongside Rempe and Sam Carrick while Mancini worked on the bottom D pair with Zac Jones.

Mancini hasn't officially been told he made the team yet, but all signs are pointing toward the 22-year-old making his NHL debut in Pittsburgh.

"I'll be at a little bit of loss for words," he said. "Whenever that first game might be, it's going to be really special, because I owe a lot to my parents and my family. To share that moment with them, I think, will be the most fun part for me."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano .

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Artemi Panarin returns to Rangers' practice, looks good to go for opening night