NEWBURY TO NEW YORK 

In listening to Sunday’s broadcast of the New york Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, Ruslan Fedotenko left the game in the second period after a hit by Braydon Coburn that apparently had more than just a little affect on him. He has had injury issues this season and given that history, it is safe to guess that it is that injury that has precipitated the recall of Kris Newbury from the Connecticut Whale.

This is a HUGE loss for the Whale who just got things back on track with a big win over the Portland Pirates on Sunday. Given the current state of the injured list, if one of them can’t come back to play on Friday against the Sound Tigers, expect the Whale to find a player soon.

Early guess…Oren Eizenman.

Here’s the official release:

New York, April 4, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Kris Newbury has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Newbury, 29, recorded an assist on the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory for the Whale vs. Portland yesterday.  He has registered 16 goals and 42 assists for 58 points, along with 128 penalty minutes in 67 AHL games with Connecticut this season.  Newbury has established career-highs assists and shots on goal (192), and leads the team in points and assists, is tied for first on the Whale in game-winning goals, fourth in goals, and ranks fifth in penalty minutes.  He led Connecticut with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) and a plus-seven rating in 13 games during the month of March, including a seven-game scoring streak from March 5 at Springfield to March 18 at Manchester (six goals, five assists over the span).  Newbury has registered a team-high, 14 multi-point performances this season, including two separate streaks of three games with multiple points – November 13 vs. Springfield to November 19 at Springfield (six assists), and December 3 at Providence to December 11 vs. Manchester (one goal, six assists).  The 5-11, 213-pounder established a career-high with an eight-game assist streak from November 28 vs. Adirondack to December 17 vs. Worcester, recording three goals and 12 assists over the span.

Newbury returns to the Rangers where has registered one assist and 35 penalty minutes in 11 games this season.  He made his Blueshirts debut at Montreal on January 15, and recorded his first point as a Ranger with the primary assist on the game-tying goal in a 3-2 shootout win at Atlanta on January 22.

The Brampton, Ontario native was originally San Jose’s fifth round pick, 139th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.  He was acquired by the Rangers from Detroit in exchange for forward Jordan Owens on March 3, 2010.