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Martin St. Louis taking over for LTIR Derek Stepan

By Catherine Silverman

May 27, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers forward Martin St-Louis (26) skates during the warmup period in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers forward Martin St-Louis (26) skates during the warmup period in game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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When the New York Rangers suggested that center Derek Stepan might be placed on LTIR for the start of the season, there was a large amount of speculation surrounding who would fill in his role as the team’s top center.

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    • Some assumed it would be Derick Brassard, while others suggested that the team would use the freed salary space to bring in a center from outside the organization. Still others were curious to see whether Martin St. Louis, who had been auditioning as a center during practice, would be able to step up and make a position change that not many can.

    Looks like St. Louis has proven his worth; according to CBS Sports, Alain Vignault will be placing the veteran winger in Stepan’s original spot as one of the top-six centers.

    The team has given no indication as to which centers will play which line, which leaves speculation as to who will step up in one of the team’s bottom centers. It was originally assumed that the team had picked up hot-topic UFA Kevin Hayes to participate as one of the team’s centers, but he’s currently out on a day-to-day basis with a shoulder injury. He could be replaced by J.T. Miller, who could finally have secured a permanent roster spot with the club, but it’s unclear as to whether the team prefers him in his natural position or contributing on the wing.

    With the team’s confirmation that Stepan will be placed on long-term injured reserve, they have officially relinquished the right to play the center for at least ten games. This should span the duration of his injury, and prevents the team from rushing his recovery- but it also puts pressure on Martin St. Louis to continue stepping up as he did during the playoffs this spring.

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