When the Rangers take on the Blackhawks later tonight, they’ll do so without Adam Edstrom. The second-year forward didn’t travel with the team to Chicago. Instead, Edstrom will be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).

Edstrom suffered a lower-body injury during a practice on Dec. 1. He hasn’t played since Nov. 29 and will miss his fifth straight game this month. In 24 games this season, the 25-year-old forward has two goals and two assists for four points. He had just started to play better when he got injured.

Counting tonight, he’ll have to sit out another five games before becoming elibible to return from LTIR. The soonest that can happen is on Dec. 21 versus the Predators. If he’s able to come back by then, he’ll join the Rangers on a season long six-game road trip that includes Washington, the Islanders, Carolina, Washington, and Florida.

Rempe Getting Closer

Matt Rempe has been skating on his own. He’s been out since suffering an upper-body injury in a fight with Ryan Reaves on Oct. 23. Rempe has been on LTIR since Nov. 10. In nine contests, he had a goal and 30 hits with a 56.9 CF while playing on the fourth line.

Without him, the Rangers aren’t as tough, which is probably why they brought back Jaroslav Chmelar from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Similar to Rempe, Chmelar has the size and strength to create space for Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski. He isn’t shy about finishing checks or defending a teammate.

If and when he Rempe returns, he’ll probably be reinserted into the lineup by coach Mike Sullivan.

Mika Magic Returns

Mika Zibanejad has been playing his best hockey in quite some time. After a slow start, the 32-year-old center is finally getting results. With a goal and assist in the 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights on Dec. 7, Zibanejad extended his season-high point streak to seven. During that span, he has four goals and five assists for nine points.

In fact, Zibanejad has 18 points (7-11-18) over his last 17 games. The run started when he tallied two assists against the Red Wings on Nov. 7. He’s been arguably the Rangers’ most consistent forward all season. He just didn’t have any puck luck early on.

Zibanejad ranks third on the team in scoring with 24 points, with his 11 goals one better than Artemi Panarin to pace the Blueshirts. His six power-play goals also top all Rangers. With 114 power-play goals, he trails both Chris Kreider and Camille Henry by two for the franchise record.

If he scores in tonight’s game, he’ll tie Vic Hadfield for sixth on the all-time franchise goalscoring list. With Zibanejad back in form, he could also pass Andy Bathgate for fifth. As a Ranger, he has 261 goals. Bathgate had 272. Adam Graves ranks fourth with 280. Zibanejad hasn’t reached 30 goals since 2022-23. If he can, it would go a long way to helping the Rangers get back to the postseason.

No Lineup Changes

The Rangers plan to stick with the same lineup for tonight’s TNT game that starts at 7:30 EST. That means Chmelar remains in the lineup while Taylor Raddysh is a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game.

Igor Shesterkin gets the start. He’ll be opposed by Spencer Knight. Both have similar numbers. Shesterkin has a 2.46 goals-against-average and .913 save percentage. Knight has a 2.62 GAA and .914 save percentage. Shesterkin will be making his league-leading 25th start. Since Nov. 24, he’s 5-1-1 with a 2.29 GAA and .923 save percentage.