Rangers' Chris Kreider ruled out indefinitely with blood clot in arm
The winger was pulled from Wednesday's game against the Capitals after experiencing swelling in his right arm
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New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider will be out indefinitely with a blood clot in his right arm, the team announced on Thursday afternoon.
Kreider experienced swelling in his arm prior to Wednesday night's Rangers game against the Capitals, but he received medical clearance from the team's doctors and suited up. However, his arm only got worse throughout the first period, and eventually he was pulled and transported to a local hospital for examination.
Later that night, doctors discovered the clot and delivered the diagnosis. He returned to the hospital on Thursday for further testing and there's currently no timetable for his return.
Kreider's absence will be a significant one for the Rangers, as the winger is an integral part of the team's offensive attack, especially on the power play. He has 11 goals and 11 assists while skating in 37 games for New York this season.
The Rangers will have to overcome his loss as they look to stay in the Metropolitan playoff hunt, but obviously the main concern right now is Kreider's health and wellbeing. Blood clots are concerning considering they're essentially an invisible ailment that can turn serious pretty quickly, so hopefully doctors will help Kreider do his best to get it under control and avoid future issues.
The 26-year-old American forward joins a concerning and lengthy list of NHL players to be diagnosed with a blood clot in recent years. Included on that list are Steven Stamkos, Pascal Dupuis, Kimmo Timonen, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Kris Letang, who suffered a stroke in 2014 due to a blood clot in his brain.
To replace Kreider on the roster, the Rangers recalled 22-year-old winger Vinni Lettieri.
