POTTER RECALL 

According to Larry Brooks in his Twitter account and theahl.com Corey Potter is on his way to New York as “precaution against injury…and not as a first step in a deal for (Sheldon) Souray.”

Potter is not expected to play. He also has just come back from a concussion that kept him sidelined for nine games. He had three assists in the Pack’s 5-1 wipeout of Norfolk Saturday night.

Here’s the official release:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Corey Potter has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Potter, 26, tied his AHL career-high with three assists, and registered a plus-three rating in a 5-1 win at Norfolk on Saturday.  He has skated in 43 games with Hartford this season, registering two goals and 10 assists for 12 points, along with a plus-six rating and 44 penalty minutes.  His plus-six rating is tied for second on the team overall, and he ranks third among team defensemen in assists, and is tied for third in points and fourth in goals.  Potter also ranks fourth among Hartford defensemen with 68 shots on net this season.  He has recorded three multi-point efforts, including back-to-back two-point performances in a 5-2 win vs. Lowell on October 24 (one goal and one assist) and a 4-3 win vs. Worcester on October 25 (two assists).  Potter’s goal vs. Lowell on October 24 was his first career shorthanded tally.

The 6-3, 206-pounder recorded one goal and one assist in five games with the Rangers last season.  He recorded his first career point with an assist in his second NHL game on December 27, 2008 vs. New Jersey, and notched his first NHL goal on April 2, 2009 at Carolina.  He made his NHL debut on December 7, 2008 vs. Calgary.

Potter has skated in 220 career AHL games with Hartford, registering 19 goals and 67 assists for 86 points, along with a plus-52 rating and 249 penalty minutes.  He established a career-high with 10 goals and 141 shots on goal, and tied his career-high with 32 points last season.  In 2007-08, Potter recorded a career-best 27 assists and a plus-33 rating, which led Hartford and ranked second in the AHL overall.  In addition, he has skated in 18 career post-season contests with the Wolf Pack, registering two goals and eight assists for 10 points, along with 42 penalty minutes.

The Lansing, Michigan native was originally the Rangers fourth round selection, 122nd overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.