Staal in Tonight, Rangers Assign Boo Nieves to Hartford
Staal is in for Hajek and Nieves is AHL-bound
The New York Rangers have announced that center Cristoval “Boo” Nieves has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. Furthermore, news has surfaced that David Quinn has confirmed that Marc Staal will make his return to the lineup tonight. Rookie defenseman Libor Hajek left last night’s game with a lower-body injury, so it stands to reason that Staal will be stepping into the lineup for the young Czech blueliner.
Quinn just said on the radio that Staal is in tonight, and Georgiev is back in nets. #NYR
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) December 6, 2019
In the four games that Boo Nieves played since being called up to the Rangers he averaged 7:32 TOI/GP and took two minor penalties, including an offensive zone penalty last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The New York Rangers announced today that the team has assigned Boo Nieves to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL). #NYR
— NYR Stats & Info (@NYRStatsInfo) December 6, 2019
Nieves, 25, will be an RFA at the end of the season. He’ll be 26 on Jan. 23, 2020. Nieves was the 59th overall pick of the 2012 Draft. In 76 career NHL games he has scored five goals and tallied 14 assists. This season with the Wolf Pack Nieves has scored one goal and earned five assists in 20 games.
This move could be a sign that veteran forward Greg McKegg is ready to get back on the ice.
The Rangers have an Original Six showdown at the Garden tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.
EDIT: The original publication of this article stated that Nieves would have to pass through waivers before he was assigned to Hartford. That is not the case.
