Derek Stepan's Broken Fibula Exposes Rangers' Biggest Area of Concern

Derek Stepan is in the final year of his contract, and his season is already off to a bad start. The Rangers pivot was already dealing with a contusion on his foot, but he left Wednesday’s on-ice conditioning evaluation in visible and audible pain, according to multiple members of the New York press corps:

The Rangers later announced Stepan broke his fibula and that his return is unknown at this time.

Stepan is coming off a promising 57-point campaign, and there was reason to be optimistic about him getting off to a better start than last season. A holdout kept Stepan out of the majority of training camp, and his game struggled early on in 2013-14.

There is no official word on when Stepan will return, but this potential long-term injury puts the team in a hole to start the season.

In essence, the Rangers’ current forward group is like a donut—thick and rich on the edges with a hole down the middle. Wingers like Mats Zuccarello, Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash, Chris Kreider and company give fans a reason to be hopeful for a surge in offensive output, but the center position leaves supporters with a pit in their stomachs.

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A center group with Derick Brassard on the top line, J.T. Miller on the second and Kevin Hayes on the third is scary, and not in a good way. Brassard made progress last season and showed he could be a competent second-line center, but pressing him into first-line service could be too much for him to handle.

Brassard's 45 points were his most since the 2010-11 campaign in which he tallied 47, and his 18 goals were a career best for the 27-year-old center. This was accomplished while averaging 15:48 of ice time per game, and while first-line minutes would mean more opportunities, it would also include facing tougher defensive assignments.

The same would apply to the two "kids," and while there are inherent opportunities to be had, there are potential negatives. Miller wasn't good consistent enough to stay in the NHL last season, and he recently admitted that he didn't take the right approach.

Via Steve Zipay of Newsday:

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'I think I'm more ready to take on the pro aspect of the game,' said Miller, a first-round draft pick (15th overall) in 2011, who is clearly in better shape than this time last season. Asked if he thought coming in sooner was a must, he said 'absolutely.' Which brings us to his equally important admission: 'I'm probably a little bit more mature than last year.'

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While augmenting his approach and increasing his commitment to excellence is great, it doesn't mean he is ready for a second-line role.

The same goes for Hayes, who at this point is trying to prove that he deserves to start the season with the Rangers and not the Hartford Wolf Pack. He could be a nice bottom-six center for the Blueshirts this season, but without Stepan in the lineup, he will have to shoulder more responsibility.

Hayes has a lot of potential upside, but until he plays in more games against NHL competition, it will be impossible to have an accurate read on his readiness.  

If Stepan does miss significant time, this would be the first consequence of buying out Brad Richards. While it goes without saying that he needed to be exiled from the payroll because of his albatross of a contract, at least the Rangers would have an experienced No. 1 center who could create a buffer.

A 34-year-old Richards isn't exactly an ideal No. 1 option at center, but at least he would be able to handle the pressure and ice time that comes along with the responsibility.

In the Blueshirts' current situation, there isn't a center equipped to handle the 18:00-plus minutes that Stepan averages, so that will force Alain Vigneault to get creative with ice-time distribution.

Stepan's injury really puts the Blueshirts in a tough spot to start the season, and it will be interesting to see how the team steps up in his absence. There are a number of players the Rangers can use, but it remains to be seen if any of them can get the job done.