Del Zotto, Grachev Recalled; Weise Sent Down
After last night's 3-2 win over the Atlanta Thrashers, the Rangers made a few roster moves to deal with injuries sustained during the game. Dan Girardi suffered a pulled ribcage during his fight with Andrew Ladd, and is day-to-day. Brandon Prust took a shot off his ankle (x-rays were negative), and is also day-to-day. In light of these injuries, the Rangers recalled Michael Del Zotto and Evgeny Grachev. To make room on the roster, Dale Weise was returned to the AHL.
Since his demotion to CT, MDZ has been playing very well, and appears to have his confidence back. He was initially sent down because of poor decision making, and a need to get back to the basics. It generally doesn't take long for a professional player to do that, especially when the bad passes haven't become a habit. Grachev has seen his game skyrocket, including a hat trick last night.
The call ups may not be the best idea right now, especially as both are finally regaining confidence, but there are no other people on the Whale roster that are skilled enough to play in the NHL, and don't need to pass through waivers. The injury plagued Rangers really had no other choice.