NEW YORK -- Blake Wheeler will be out for the remainder of the regular season for the New York Rangers because of a lower-body injury.
The forward was injured in the first period of a 7-4 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. He was helped off the ice before heading down the tunnel on a stretcher and did not return.
Wheeler was hit by Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble along the boards behind the Montreal net with 9:13 remaining. His right leg buckled underneath him, and he appeared to be in immediate pain.
Wheeler, who will be placed on long-term injured reserve, has not been ruled out for a return at some point during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which are scheduled to begin in the third week in April.
"He's been amazing since he's been here," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Friday. "His presence, he comes into work everyday positive, hard working. You could see it right before even training camp started that he was in there early and he was committed to being a part of this team and making it successful. He did that both in the room and on the ice. When you lose a veteran player like that who has such an impact on the room that's tough to replace. Certainly our thoughts are with him and a healthy recovery at some point, but that's a tough one last night. We'll miss him."
The puck went to the other end, and play continued as Wheeler managed to get up to one knee in an attempt to get up on his own. But his right leg gave out immediately, and he fell back down flat on his front side.
Play stopped with 9:00 remaining, and Rangers forwards Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider helped Wheeler get to the Zamboni entrance, which was closest to him. He could not put any weight on his right leg.
Once off the ice, the Rangers medical personnel had Wheeler sit in a chair to wait for a stretcher.
"We lost a friend, we lost a teammate," said Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, who played the first six seasons of his NHL career with Wheeler on the Winnipeg Jets. "He's obviously going through something that no one wants to go through so there's more to it than just the impact on the team. We all care a lot about hockey and our job but we're also humans and friends and have families outside the rink.
"I'm not saying this is true, but maybe he played his last hockey game. As a player, as a friend, someone I came into this league with and has taught me so much, it's emotional. It's something you think about that you don't take things for granted here. For me it's a little extra tough I think. He's a guy I've looked up to and has helped me a lot in my career."
Wheeler has 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 53 games this season, the 37-year-old's first with New York after signing a one-year, $850,000 contract July 1.
Wheeler has 943 points (321 goals, 622 assists) in 1,172 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, Jets and Rangers.
Jimmy Vesey will take Wheeler's spot on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad when the Rangers play the New York Islanders in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
"It definitely feels good to be rewarded, if you will for good play, but at the same time, it's tough to see a teammate go down like that," Vesey said. "It's pretty awful to see him not be able to get off the ice on his own, especially a veteran guy that has been in the League so long, kind of someone from the previous era.
"Like, he's not going to stay down unless he's hurt. It's brutal to see a friend go down like that. But for me, I just show up to the rink and try to do my job based on where I am and hopefully if I'm on that line, we can get some chemistry going. Last year, we played pretty well together."
