When the Rangers visit the Coyotes later this afternoon, it’ll mark the return of Jacob Trouba.

He missed the last 11 games due to a lower-body injury. Without him, the Rangers went 9-2-0. They’ll bring a four-game winning streak into The Desert on Saturday.

A big reason for the team’s success without their captain has been the improved depth on the back end. The consistent play of Zac Jones and deadline acquisition Chad Ruhwedel helped stabilize the defense.  Both have been steady players since entering the lineup due to injuries that kept Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, and Erik Gustafsson sidelined.

Lindgren just returned in the Rangers’ 3-2 shootout win over the Avalanche on Thursday night.

With Trouba ready to be back in the lineup, that leaves Gustafsson as the only regular who’s missing. However, Jones has been so consistent that they haven’t missed Gustafsson. When he’s ready, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette will have an interesting decision to make.

When Ruhwedel was brought in by Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury, it was an insurance policy. He made the move in correlation to knowing Trouba was going to miss time this month.

As it turned out, adding the 33-year-old  veteran defenseman who won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins was a wise move. In five games, he’s played solid defensively for the Blueshirts.

Ruhwedel has made several blocks and taken the body while averaging a shade over 14 minutes. Laviolette even had him out for a key defensive shift in the final minute of a tie game against the Flyers on Mar. 26. He rewarded the coach with a responsible shift that helped the Rangers reach overtime. Adam Fox’s goal won a wild game 6-5 at Madison Square Garden.

With Trouba finally ready, it probably means that Ruhwedel won’t see too much action down the stretch. The Rangers are still battling a few other teams for the league’s best record. He deserves credit for how well he filled in. It isn’t an easy job. But Ruhwedel has shown why he was a good pickup.

The Rangers play Game 74 later at Arizona. They’ll have eight games left on the regular season schedule. That includes Sidney Crosby and the Penguins paying a visit to the World’s Most Famous Arena on Monday following Easter.

Astonishingly, it’ll be the only time fans will get to see one of the game’s all-time greats play on center stage. The Pens are heading for a second consecutive postseason miss. Crosby has remained over a point-per-game at 36. If you can get to MSG for the game, it’ll be well worth it.

The reminder of the schedule includes the Devils, at the Red Wings, the Canadiens, at the Islanders, and then the final three home games versus the Flyers, Islanders, and Senators.