BREAKING: Rangers defenseman is week-to-week with lower-body injury

The New York Rangers have brought up defenseman Brandon Scanlin from the minor leagues due to Ryan Lindgren’s anticipated absence of “a few weeks” because of a lower-body injury, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic.

Scanlin recently inked a two-year, two-way contract extension worth $1.6 million with the Rangers in February, following an impressive performance with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack earlier in the season.

At 24, Scanlin transitioned to the Wolf Pack after concluding his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the 2021-22 season. In his initial 15 AHL games, he contributed one assist, incurred one penalty, and held a -1 rating.

Last season marked Scanlin’s rookie year as a professional player, during which he recorded 15 points and 30 penalty minutes across 61 games. This season, he has shown improvement, accumulating 16 points and 39 penalty minutes in 57 games.

Scanlin is now poised to make his NHL debut, receiving his first call-up to the top league in his career.

Lindgren’s absence, along with team captain Jacob Trouba also being out due to a lower-body injury, puts them on the sidelines for an undetermined amount of time. This situation opens up opportunities for Scanlin to step into the lineup, although he will face competition from veteran defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, who currently serves as New York’s seventh defenseman.

Ruhwedel, acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline, has yet to play for the Rangers. In 47 games with Pittsburgh this season, he scored one goal and four points, a slight drop from his performance last season, where he managed one goal and five points in the same span. His trade to New York marked the conclusion of an eight-year tenure with the Penguins.