New York Rangers’ Vladislav Namestnikov will not be playing for Russia in the World Championships due to a shoulder injury.
It was announced on Friday that New York Rangers forward Vladislav Namestnikov will not be playing for team Russia in the upcoming IIHF World Championships due to a shoulder injury.
Russian website Tuss.ru reported that Namestnikov’s agent Dan Milstein said,
“At the moment Vladislav [Namestnikov] has a problem with the shoulder since the end of the season, he has not recovered completely yet, he is now being treated at the location of his club in order to recover as soon as possible.” In the coming days, there will be no positive information. unknown, but it will definitely be more than one week.”
Milstein also made it a point to acknowledge that Namestnikov’s contract status had no factor in the decision not to play in the World Championships. He is a restricted free agent and is expected to sign a new deal with the Rangers once negotiations begin following the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Namestnikov has a shoulder injury and won't play for Russia at the Worlds https://t.co/aKk8VtcRkm
— Adam Rotter (@AdamRotter) April 27, 2018
Apparently, Namestnikov injured his shoulder towards the end the New York Rangers season. There was no mention of the shoulder injury when the Rangers held their breakup day in early April following the last game of the season.
Adam Rotter of SNY.tv reported that the New York Rangers medical team suggested Namestnikov would need 2-3 weeks to fully recover from the shoulder injury. The exact extent of the injury has yet to be released.
Namestnikov was traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline in February. In his time with the Rangers, Namestnikov had 2 goals and 2 assists in 19 games, 28 shots on goal and an average of 15:43 per game.
The 2018 IIHF World Championship will be held from May 4 to May 20 in the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning.
