Joonas Korpisalo takes significant step toward Rangers debut

Joonas Korpisalo, goaltender for the New York Rangers, returned to team practice on Friday, marking a significant advancement in his recovery from a foot infection that sidelined him at the start of the season. This session represents a crucial step toward his eventual debut.

Korpisalo participated in approximately 30 minutes of practice, facing numerous shots before concluding his on-ice activity earlier than the rest of the team. His return to skating only occurred last weekend, putting this abbreviated practice into perspective. Head coach Mike Sullivan described the goalie's participation as "a big step for Korpy," noting that his workload was intentionally managed in coordination with the medical department. "It was by design he didn’t stay the whole time out there today. It’s a big step for him, joining the team," Sullivan added.

The Rangers placed Korpisalo on injured reserve shortly after his diagnosis. At that time, he was given a four-week recovery timeline. If he remains on schedule, Korpisalo could be ready to play his first game of the season during the team's upcoming road trip, which includes stops in Seattle, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. This would mark his debut with his fifth NHL organization.

In other team news, forward Eeli Tolvanen was absent from practice due to personal reasons. Defenseman Sean Durzi, who had missed a few practices for what was described as "maintenance," was back on the ice with the team. Goaltender James Reimer also returned to practice after missing Tuesday's session with an upper-body injury.

Defensively, the pairing of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov has performed strongly. Entering Friday's games, their expected goals total of 11.01 at five-on-five ice time ranked fifth in the NHL among defense duos who have played at least 150 minutes. They trail only the Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield (14.71), the Golden Knights' Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore (13.72), the Mammoth's MacKenzie Weegar and Mikhail Sergachev (11.62), and the Devils' Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler (11.41).

Separately, the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' American Hockey League affiliate, named Marc Del Gaizo as the 16th captain in franchise history. Del Gaizo signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Rangers in July and has been a staple on Hartford's top defensive pair. Forwards Anton Blidh, Justin Dowling, and Glenn Gawdin were also named alternate captains for the Wolf Pack, with the plan for the trio to rotate wearing the 'A' designation throughout the season.