Pavel Buchnevich has missed the past 11 games with a broken thumb that the team said was slated to keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks.
Buchnevich practiced on Tuesday and David Quinn said that he might be able to play on the Rangers upcoming trip to play the Panthers and Lightning.
Quinn noted that his status will be determined by how he reacted to yesterday’s practice.
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When asked if he thought it would take Buchnevich time return to how he was playing prior to the injury, Quinn said
On Tuesday at practice, Quinn said “as long as his intentions are right. Guys are going to make mistakes but what are your intentions and as long as he has the work ethic and trying to do the right thing, you let a guy play through mistakes.
He added, “he has been out for a while so it will take him some time for sure, but as long as he works hard and his intentions are in the right area then he will get back to where he was a lot quicker than if he wasn’t trying to do the right thing and didn’t have a work ethic.”
Quinn noted that Buchnevich went over to him at practice on Tuesday to discuss certain aspects of how he should play and called it a “great sign.”
In general on Buchnevich, Quinn said “we need him. Those three games before he got hurt, he took his game to another level and I’ve loved his work ethic since he’s been hurt, he has come here everyday, worked really hard and we have missed him. It’s good to see that he has picked up where he left off from a work ethic standpoint.”
He has nine points in 14 games this season and three points in the three games prior to his injury.