Rangers forward day-to-day with lower-body injury

The New York Rangers have announced that Nick Bonino, who did not practice with the team on Wednesday, is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Bonino has appeared in all three Rangers games so far this season and currently sits without any scoring.

The Rangers signed Bonino to a one-year, $800K contract on the first day of free agency this summer. Bonino split time between the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, playing in a total of 62 games and recording 19 points. His reunion with the Penguins was cut short when Bonino suffered a lacerated kidney that required Pittsburgh to place him on long-term injured reserve. This was an upsetting blow for Bonino, who was making his return to Pittsburgh for the first time since serving on their back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2015-16 and 2016-17. His LTIR designation walked him to free agency, where New York scooped him up.

Bonino is an 826-game veteran of the NHL who’s turned into a journeyman over recent years. After appearing in parts of five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks to start his career, Bonino has gone on to play with six other clubs over the course of his 15-year career. His career-high in scoring came during the 2013-14 campaign, when Bonino netted 22 goals and 49 points. He hasn’t recorded another 20-goal season, although he has had five other seasons of 15 or more goals.

The Rangers, who boast $675K in cap space, could likely afford to recall a player if Bonino was set to miss game time. They could also turn towards Jimmy Vesey, who is currently operating as the team’s 13th forward. Bonino will look to be healthy before the Rangers’ next game, on Thursday, Oct. 19.