With the unexpected announcement that the Rangers would be without fourth line pivot Blair Betts for 2-to-3 weeks following foot surgery, Ryan Hollweg returned to the lineup on Friday for the first time in eight games after the acquisition of Freddy Sjostrom pushed the hard-hitting winger to the bench. It’s unclear if the Rangers will stick with Hollweg out-of-position at center, or recall a player such as Greg Moore from Hartford. My guess is that Tom Renney gives Hollweg a fair shot to stay in the lineup.

Meanwhile, Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers saw Scott Gomez fall to injury as well, bruising his ribs after losing an edge and crashing into the boards. The diagnosis of bruised, rather than broken ribs is encouraging news for the Blueshirts, however it appears that the team still plans to proceed cautiously with their franchise center, opening the door for the return of Peter Prucha, who has missed the last 16 games, initially as an injury- then as a healthy-scratch.

During the team’s practice today, Renney moved another winger to the center position, deploying Sean Avery in Gomez’s customary spot between Brendan Shanahan and Nigel Dawes. Marty Straka in turn took Avery’s position alongside Brandon Dubinsky and Jaromir Jagr, while Prucha skated on a reconfigured third line with Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan.

The Rangers fortunately have the depth at forward to fill in for their injured centers for the time-being, however, playing two under-sized wingers out-of-position at center is not a long-term recipe for success, and the team will undoubtably make a roster move if Gomez misses extended action.