Rick Nash Placed on Injured Reserve by New York Rangers

The New York Rangers will be without one of their top offensive weapons for the immediate future, as they announced they have placed Rick Nash on injured reserve with a head injury, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.

Rosen reported that Nash is believed to have a concussion after taking an elbow from Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart on Oct. 8.   

Nash hasn't played since then, missing Thursday's game against Anaheim and Saturday's tilt against St. Louis. According to Nick Cotsonika of Yahoo! Sports, Nash is expected to miss seven to 10 days:

In the next 10 days, the Rangers have contests against the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, before wrapping up their nine-game, season-opening road trip on Oct. 26 against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Rangers' Twitter account also passed along reaction from head coach Alain Vigneault following Monday's practice:

The talented, 29-year-old Nash led the team with 21 goals in 2012 and had three assists in two games before his injury this season. But he also has a history of concussions, including one that he suffered on Feb. 12, as confirmed by Larry Books of the New York Post.

While Nash's loss has been and will be felt, the team is also dealing with the absence of forward Carl Hagelin. The Rangers' official website offered a Monday update on Hagelin, who hasn't played this year and is awaiting a return from the long-term injured reserve list.

"It's definitely going to the right way," said Hagelin, according to the site. "I'm just waiting for the doc to clear me."  

It's not the kind of news the Rangers wanted in their first year under Vigneault, off to a 1-4-0 start. The team also announced Monday it has placed backup goalie Martin Biron and winger Arron Asham on waivers, setting the stage for more moves in the future.