Blake Wheeler May Return To Rangers For Conference Final After 3 Month-Long Injury

With an overtime victory in South Florida on Sunday afternoon, Blake Wheeler’s New York Rangers squad has taken back home-ice advantage in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals.  If you’d been searching for the former Winnipeg Jets captain in this series, you would have found the forward in the press box and not on the ice.  Blake Wheeler has been dealing with a serious leg injury that occurred in the middle of February.

As the New York Rangers advanced into the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, they have given Wheeler the necessary time to attempt to heal up from that injury to return to the lineup. Will head coach Peter Laviolette make the choice to insert the veteran forward back into the lineup for Game 4?

Blake Wheeler Sustains Injury in Rangers Win

Blake Wheeler was injured on February 15, 2024, in a 7-4 Rangers win over the Montreal Canadiens. The 38-year-old forward had to be assisted off the ice by trainers and his teammates. Many reports questioned if the forward’s career would be over due to the injury. The Rangers forward signed a one year, $1.1 million contract to return to New York for a chance at lifting Lord Stanley’s trophy in June.

As anyone who has consumed the sport knows, ice hockey players are the definition of warriors. I once watched a player, Ian Laparierre, take a puck to the face, requiring 100+ stitches …. And return to the game for the third period! As someone who sustained a facial injury due to a hockey puck, I can verify it hurts just about as bad as you think it would!

Veteran Forward One of the Last Relics of Extinct Franchise

I enjoy fun trivia facts, so here’s a good one for you. Blake Wheeler is one of three current NHL players who has once played for the Atlanta Thrashers. Wheeler played 23 games for Atlanta in 2010-2011 after being acquired from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. Atlanta would relocate to Winnipeg before the start of the 2011-2012 season.

Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers and Zach Bogosian of the Tampa Bay Lightning are the only other players in the league that share this distinct honor with Blake Wheeler. Bryan Little of the Utah Franchise, previously Arizona Cotoytes, qualifies for this list. However, I do not count him as he is on Injured Reserve with a career-ending injury dating back to 2020-21.

Rempe vs. Wheeler Lineup Decisions for Rangers Coach

At this point, Blake Wheeler had done all he could do to rehab his injury. He understands the decision is now out of his hands.

“I think once you get rid of the red jersey, and the fact they take me off of the injured reserve, I think that’s been my goal the whole time since I got hurt: to be an option and be available again. And that’s where we’re at,” Wheeler told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.”It’s going to be in the coach’s hands from there, but I’m ready in any capacity I can to help out.”

Given head coach Peter Laviolette’s hesitations in selecting Matt Rempe for the lineup card, it would not be a stretch to think that the bench boss has gone back and forth in his choices. With a veteran like Blake Wheeler available to play, a contest like Game 4 could represent a good opportunity to get the veteran forward out of the Rangers press box.