Rаngers return Brett Berаrd to AHL Hаrtford, reсаll Bo Groulx

In a bit of a surprising move, rookie Brett Berard was not on the New York Rangers flight to Las Vegas on Friday, after the popular rookie was re-assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League. He was replaced on the roster by center Bo Groulx, who was recalled from Hartford.

Berard had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 19 games after he was recalled by the Rangers right before Thanksgiving. The versatile forward played up and down the lineup, bringing speed, energy and some offensive production to a Rangers team lacking in each of those areas during its worst slump in years.

Most recently, Berard’s been locked in on the third line, first with Filip Chytil and Will Cuylle, and last game with Jonny Brodzinski and newcomer Arthur Kaliyev. Though scoreless in only 7:39 TOI in a 3-2 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, Berard had four points (one goal, three assists) in his past six games with the Rangers.

“He plays 100 miles an hour out there.” Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider said after a recent win against the Boston Bruins. “He’s skating hard, he’s physical, he’s taking things to the net. Guys love the way he plays.”

There could be several reasons for the Rangers to send Berard back to the minors. He did struggle on the defensive side of the puck, a minus-9 in the NHL. Or perhaps the Rangers wish to give Matt Rempe a run on the fourth line and will bump Jimmy Vesey up to the third line after the veteran was scratched in favor of Rempe against the Devils.

With Chytil out with an upper-body injury, though reportedly on the trip out west, the Rangers simply may want an extra center on the roster, now that Brodzinski moved from an extra forward into the lineup. It’s expected that Groulx will be the extra forward, unless there’s another injury we don’t know about.

This could also mean that Chris Kreider is close to coming off IR. He’s missed three games with an upper-body injury. His return on the trip means a forward must be bumped from the lineup, and the Rangers recently just added Arthur Kaliyev (claimed off waivers Monday, played against Devils), another wing, making Berard a bit more expendable at the moment.

Brett Berard impressed during first NHL stint with Rangers

Though Berard is back in Hartford, he made a solid first impression with the Rangers. The 22-year-old picked up an assist on a Cuylle goal in his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 25. Two nights later, he scored his first NHL goal against the Carolina Hurricanes. He also had a two-point game (two assists) in a 6-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks last Sunday.

Coach Peter Laviolette praised Berard each chance he could, and the Garden Faithful embraced the energetic 5-foor-9 forward for his non-stop effort. In short, Berard will be back on Broadway at some point.