Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein will miss 2-to-3 weeks after he “strained some oblique” muscles in Monday night’s 4-3 home win over the Carolina Hurricanes, coach Alain Vigneault said Tuesday morning in Greenburgh.
Klein has been the team’s most consistent defenseman this season. In his absence, rookie Dylan McIlrath will reenter the lineup. McIlrath played well in consecutive losses against Boston and Philadelphia before being a healthy scratch in Monday’s win over Carolina.
Vigneault also will need top-pair defenseman Dan Girardi to find his game. Girardi has struggled much of this season but logged a team-high 27:43 on 40 shifts Monday in Klein’s absence, and the Rangers will need more of the same for the next few weeks.