Rangers' Urho Vaakanainen: Out of lineup more often than not

Vaakanainen was scratched for the 10th time in 13 games in December when he sat out Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Islanders.

Vaakanainen has been unable to claim a larger role in the absence of Adam Fox (upper body). Through 19 outings, Vaakanainen has three helpers, 12 shots on net, 13 blocked shots, six hits, 10 PIM and a minus-1 rating. He may stay on the NHL roster over Scott Morrow once Fox returns, but that's only because Morrow is waivers-exempt. Vaakanainen is likely to remain in a part-time role unless more injuries take a toll on the Rangers' blue line.