Biron, Wolski, Woywitka in Lineup for Rangers Tonight

News today from the Rangers is that Wojtek Wolski will make his return to the lineup for the first time since Opening Day in Sweden and Marty Biron will make his season debut in Winnipeg tonight against the Jets. Jeff Woywitka will also suit up for tonight after being a healthy scratch Saturday in Edmonton in favor of Brendan Bell.

Wolski's return to the lineup means that Erik Christensen (thankfully) will take a seat in the press box. As much of a disappointment as Wolski has been since being traded to the Rangers last season, there's really no way he can provide any less than Erik Christensen has so far this season. I expect Wolski will open the game on the fourth line, but he'll probably move around and get some power play time as the game goes on. Wolski, you'll recall, was called out by John Tortorella last week when Torts took a subtle shot at Wolski by insinuating he was taking his sweet time recovering from a groin injury that has lingered ever since the preseason.

Evidently, the Rangers weren't all that impressed by Brendan Bell on Saturday because Jeff Woywitka is back in after a one game absence. Ideally, neither of these guys should be suiting up regularly for the Rangers (or any other NHL team for that matter), but the Rangers really don't have any choice with Marc Staal still suffering from concussion symptoms and Michael Sauer's right shoulder still an issue.

Tonight's game will break a string of 37 consecutive games that Henrik Lundqvist has started for the Rangers (including the postseason) dating back to last season. The decision to start Biron, apparently, has nothing to do with Henrik Lundqvist leaving Saturday's game against Edmonton with cramps in his foot from the new skates he's been wearing this year. Lundqvist has insisted he's fine and he practiced fully, so I have no reason to believe this is a lingering thing. Fact is, Biron was likely to start at some point on this road trip since John Tortorella likely wants to get him into a game early in the season so he can get some work in.

More later from Winnipeg as game time draws near...

Mats Zuccarello Sent To Connecticut Whale, Brendan Bell and Kris Newbury Recalled

The Rangers announced after their loss to the Islanders on Saturday that they have sent down Mats Zuccarello to the AHL and recalled center Kris Newbury to take his place on the roster. On Sunday, the team also announced that they have recalled defenseman Brendan Bell to join them on their road trip through Canada that begins with a game tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks.

Kris Newbury was leading the Connecticut Whale with 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in four games this season, while Bell had recorded an assist in two games with the Whale since he was assigned there after the Rangers got back from Sweden.

Read more below for comments from Mats Zuccarello on being sent down to the Connecticut Whale.

Rangers Claim Defenseman Jeff Woywitka Off Waivers From Canadiens

The Rangers announced today on Twitter that they have claimed veteran defenseman Jeff Woywitka off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens. It's being reported that Woywitka will fly to Sweden today to join the team in time for tomorrow's game, although I doubt he'll play. The move also means the Rangers will officially option both Brendan Bell and Stu Bickel to the Connecticut Whale, who both cleared waivers yesterday.

Jeff Woywitka is a big body - 6'3", 227 lbs. - who plays with some toughness and is a lefty shot. Last season he skated in 63 games with the Dallas Stars, recording 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points with a plus-5 rating and 24 penalty minutes. Overall, he's skated in a total of 251 NHL games.

The addition of Woywitka obviously means that the Rangers will no longer be pursuing Paul Mara. Woywitka can step in and play some games for the Rangers, but he'll ideally become the extra seventh defenseman once Marc Staal comes back. I think the Rangers will play Tim Erixon for the two games in Sweden and then depending on what they see from him will decide whether to keep him with the team or send him back to the Connecticut Whale once they get back to the US.

Rangers Place Staal on IR, Recall Tim Erixon, Send Avery, Bickel and Bell to AHL

Lots of news from the Rangers today, and not all of it is good. First and most importantly, Marc Staal has been placed on Injured Reserve which means the absolute earliest he can play is October 15 against the Islanders, though right now that seems highly unlikely. Glen Sather told Larry Brooks in the New York Post today that "doctors have said it could be a week, but it could also be a month" before Marc Staal comes back. Earlier in the day Bob McKenzie of TSN Tweeted that the Rangers were shutting down Marc Staal's rehab completely because he wasn't getting any better, but Larry Brooks Tweeted in response that the Rangers "emphatically deny" that Staal has suffered a setback.

Meanwhile, Stu Bickel, Brendan Bell and Sean Avery have all cleared waivers and been optioned to the Connecticut Whale. Avery was on the first flight out of Sweden this morning, while Bell and Bickel are still with the team in Sweden. Again, I'm not quite sure what the point was in putting them through waivers yesterday if there's a chance either defenseman could suit up for the team in the event of an emergency. Larry Brooks Tweeted that Avery is not immediately expected to report to Connecticut, and his agent will continue exploring other options.

Rangers Lose Dale Weise On Waivers To Canucks, Waive Brendan Bell and Stu Bickel

The Vancouver Canucks claimed now ex-Rangers forward Dale Weise on waivers today, and the Rangers also announced that they have placed Brendan Bell and Stu Bickel on waivers in addition to Sean Avery today at noon.

I really have no idea why the Rangers would waive Bell and Bickel when Marc Staal is already out for at least the first two games in Europe and possibly longer, and Michael Sauer's shoulder is banged up. Even though there's little to no chance either guy will be claimed off waivers, why would they possibly take the chance of losing them when the team is all the way in Sweden right now? It just doesn't make sense to me. I thought that maybe they would have made these roster moves if they were set to acquire another defenseman before the season opens on Friday, but John Tortorella said today that it's unlikely the team will add anyone by then.

The team has 30 days to assign Bickel and Bell to Connecticut, assuming they clear waivers, and they would both still be eligible to play for the NHL club until the 30 days are up. As of right now the Rangers technically have only five defensemen on their active roster - Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh,

Meanwhile, Dale Weise is no longer a Ranger after putting together what I thought was a pretty impressive training camp and two very good seasons in the AHL. This is another head scratcher to me. Weise is a big body who proved he could score at the AHL level and showed a lot of toughness during his few stints with the Rangers. At the very least he was a nice depth player for the organization. But it doesn't really make sense to me why the Rangers would waive both Dale Weise and Sean Avery and get rid of a lot of that toughness and grit that the Rangers quite frankly don't have enough of right now. The Rangers are short enough on forward prospects as it is, so losing Weise hurts. One could even say that he deserved the 13th forward spot over Erik Christensen and it'd be hard to argue against that.

A weird day for the Rangers and their fans. They cut a fan favorite, have their head coach bury him when being interviewed by the media, waive two depth defensemen and lose a tough forward who I thought showed a lot of potential.

Rangers Sign Forward Andre Deveaux

The Rangers announced in a press release today that they have agreed to terms with 27-year-old UFA forward Andre Deveaux on what is likely a one-year, two-way deal. Deveaux spent last season playing for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL (he didn't have an NHL contract last season, so he wasn't the official property of any team) where he recorded 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points in 73 games, along with 194 penalty minutes. He also has a total of 22 games of NHL experience with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the course of his career, where he recorded 1 assist and collected 75 penalty minutes.

Much like the Brendan Bell signing, his is just another depth signing by Glen Sather to add some guys to store as insurance in the minors in case of anything. Chances are you'll never see Deveaux in a Rangers uniform this season. Like Bell, Deveaux is another big body - 6'3", 220 lbs. - so it seems like Glen Sather is loading up on big bruisers to add some grit to the Connecticut Whale lineup this season.

Rangers Sign Defenseman Brendan Bell

Some minor news to report: the Rangers have agreed to terms with defenseman Brendan Bell. The terms haven't been announced, but it's likely a one-year, two-way deal. Bell, 28, is listed at 6'2", 211 lbs. and was drafted in the third round of the 2001 NHL Entry Level Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bell has played in a total of 101 NHL games with the Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, collecting 7 goals and 21 assists for 28 points. Bell spent last year playing one game with Omsk Avangard in the KHL and 29 games with EHC Biel of the Swiss A-League.

Basically, this is strictly a depth signing. Bell gives the Rangers a veteran defenseman to stash in Hartford who has some NHL experience and could potentially step in on a moment's notice if there was an injury and the Rangers didn't want to rush up one of the younger kids. Barring an injury, he has no chance of being on the Rangers' Opening Day roster.

You can read more about Brendan Bell in the Rangers' official press release here.