Pavel Buchnevich Is Close, You Guys

Per the New York Daily News, Pavel Buchnevich is skating in a normal jersey during practice today -- meaning he’s been cleared for contact.

Buchnevich skating in a normal jersey today, so he's been cleared for contact.

— Justin Tasch (@J_Tasch) January 6, 2017

There were whispers Buchnevich, Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash were all on their way back sooner rather than later, and seeing Buchnevich finally skating in a normal jersey is a big boost.

Buchnevich was originally day-to-day, then it was roughly three weeks and now it’s January. I guess it’s just good news he’s back. The Rangers desperately miss his offense but also his two-way play.

If you want a more concrete idea of what the lines should look like skip to about the 38-minute mark of Thursday’s podcast.

As for right now, though, the Rangers are getting healthier.