The Rangers locker room cleanout day brought several injury revelations, from Adam Fox reaggravating a knee injury against the Capitals to Jacob Trouba playing the playoffs on a broken ankle, where a “big chunk” of that ankle was missing.
Jimmy Vesey also revealed that his absence from the rest of the Eastern Conference Final was due to a separated shoulder.
Sal says that news should give the Blueshirts some type of grace from fans who have been ripping them for coming up short again in the playoffs, especially with how some other teams in New York have seemingly been given a pass due to injuries.
“The Rangers did have significant injury. Why would we hold them to different standards as other teams?” Sal said. “Last year, it was, ‘Well, Aaron Judge was hurt, so the Yankees can miss the postseason because Judge was hurt the whole year.’
“The Knicks, nobody even really got upset. No Knick fan was legitimately upset with getting smoked and embarrassed on their home floor…because of the injuries. Yet with the Rangers, it’s ‘break up the core, these guys can’t win.’ And it comes out after the fact that Fox, who you could argue is their second or third best player, was compromised with a knee injury since the first round…Trouba on a busted ankle…Lindgren banged up as well. Vesey missed some time in the Florida series.”
BT countered that the Rangers group has come up short multiple times in recent postseasons before this year, but Sal says having three of their best defensemen playing through injury should be considered when assessing the season as a whole.
“How come it isn’t an excuse for the Rangers,” Sal said. “But for everybody else, it is?”