Derek Stepan: Ruled Out 4-6 Weeks

Rangers GM Glen Sather announced Wednesday that Stepan suffered a non-displaced fractured fibula and will be out for four-to-six weeks.

Analysis:

Once Stepan recovers from the injury, he'll still have to get his body back into hockey shape, so it might be wise to add an additional week to either end of that timetable before approximating his return to game action. Regardless, the loss of Stepan is crushing for the both the Rangers and fantasy owners, the latter of whom likely drafted the center in large part because of his pristine health record. While Stepan is out, the Rangers figure to elevate Derick Brassard to the No. 1 center spot, with a number of players left over to compete for a second-line role. The candidates could include veteran options such as Matthew Lombardi and Dominic Moore, as well as promising youngsters like Oscar Lindberg, Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller.