Avery has sprained knee

September 21, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

It looks like Sean Avery might miss a little time. According to Chris Botta, the gritty left wing suffered a sprained right knee after colliding with Ryan Callahan, who wasn’t injured during a practice drill this morning.

The 29 year-old from Pickering, Ontario is in his second stint with the club after returning last March following the Dallas debacle in which he made disparaging remarks about Dion Phaneuf’s then girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert. Following sensitivity training, the troubled player returned to the only team that would take him where he grew in stature.

Avery performed well tallying five goals and seven assists for 12 points with 34 penalty minutes in 18 games. He did miss Game Five due to undisciplined penalties that nearly cost the Rangers the previous game in Round One versus Washington last Spring. After playing passively in his return, he was arguably the best player in a 2-1 Game Seven defeat.

He’s come into camp in excellent shape and is an important role player. So, if he’s out for a little, it could be felt. Depending on his recovery time, this could make John Tortorella’s personnel decisions a little tougher.

Might a Evgeny Grachev or Pierre Parenteau remain with the club until Avery’s ready?

Stay tuned.