The changes to the Rangers roster reportedly began immediately following their crushing elimination from the Eastern Conference finals in Friday night’s Game 6, 3-2 overtime loss, but we're waiting on confirmation.
 
Norwegian winger Mats Zuccarello reportedly bolted from an organization that didn’t give him a fair shot this season for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL, Russia’s pro league.Zuccarello agreed to a two-year deal as reported by IIHF communications director Szymon Szemberg and confirmed by the club’s web site. But that hasn't been confirmed by his agent.

"Its alot of (rumours) right now," Zuccarello tweeted on Saturday. "I dont know yet were im going to play next year."
 
He was sent to the AHL early this season despite having a terrific camp, was called up in March and injected life into the Rangers’ offense and power play, with two goals and an assist in six games. But then he broke his left wrist blocking a shot against Buffalo and never played again, though he did recover in time to be available for Games 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Zuccarello, however, was a healthy scratch in both games.
 

So apologies to all for my absence from the blog postgame Wednesday and during Thursday’s practice. We ended up producing increased content in the regular section, leaving me writing both a game preview and column for today’s Daily News (Friday) and shooting out the practice updates on my Twitter account, @NYDNRangers.
 
I’ll link to all of our post-Game 5 stories on this post, as well as Friday’s stories leading in to Game 6 in Newark, where the Rangers must win to keep their season alive and force a Game 7 Sunday at the Garden.
 
During Thursday’s off-day practice, the most noteworthy piece of lineup news was that Norwegian winger Mats Zuccarello told a few of us he is ready and available if needed. I don’t expect him to play in Game 6, but Zuccarello (wrist) said he was ready for Game 5 as well and available Friday if needed.
 
Michael Del Zotto did not practice and presumably spent the day with his family mourning the recent death of his grandmother, though that was not confirmed by the team.
 
The most entertaining aspect of Thursday’s John Tortorella press conference was his exchange with a reporter on the 1994 Eastern Conference finals, which follows:
 
Reporter: “I know what your feeling is about ’94. All around the series outside there is a lot about ’94. Do you want your team to block that out?

Tortorella: “What is he talking about?”
 
Reporter:  “The ’94 Eastern finals.”
 
Tortorella: “I don’t even remem–“
 
Reporter: “You don’t know what I’m talking about?”
 
Tortorella: “No I don’t.”
 

Brandon Dubinsky appears poised to reenter the Rangers lineup in Game 5 against the Devils Wednesday night, which would mark the winger’s first appearance since injuring his right ankle in Game 7 of the team’s first round series against Ottawa on April 26.
 
Fourth-line center John Mitchell remained on the ice long after the optional morning skate at the Garden with the regular scratches – including Mats Zuccarello – so Mitchell will likely come out of the lineup to make room for Dubinsky. Zuccarello, who has rehabbed a broken left wrist, is not expected to play.
 
The Rangers’ second lineup change will be defenseman Steve Eminger sitting to make room for winger Brandon Prust, who sat out Game 4 to serve his one-game suspension for elbowing Anton Volchenkov in the head.
 
“We need something to happen for ourselves,” Tortorella said when asked if he has to shake something up with his forwards, without going into specifics. “We’ll try different things, I’ll give you that. But it’s still a matter of just getting it done. At least that’s the way I feel about it.”
 
Tortorella provided insightful answers during his morning press conference, the latest in a string of media sessions that have seen the Rangers coach much more cooperative and informative. See the transcript, along with links to Wednesday's Daily News preview coverage of the Blueshirts' pivotal Game 5 against the Devils with the Eastern Conference finals tied at two games apiece:

LEONARD: WITH DEVILS BUZZING, GAME 5 IS MUST-WIN FOR BLUESHIRTS

All indications from the Rangers’ morning skate at the Garden are that Stu Bickel will be replacing the suspended Brandon Prust as a fourth-line winger for Game 4 in Newark on Monday night.
 
Brandon Dubinsky (right ankle injury) was on the ice for the Blueshirts’ optional pregame skate and stayed on late after with Prust and backup goaltender Martin Biron. Dubinsky looked surprisingly sturdy on his skates and then told reporters his ankle is “getting better,” but confirmed in a humorous exchange that he will not be in the lineup for Game 4.
 
Asked if he could provide a percentage of how healthy he is, Dubinsky said: “This team doesn’t do percentages. I’m not sure if you’ve talked to Torts or not, but it’s usually a yes or a no, and tonight it’s a no. So we’ll keep going, keep working on my conditioning, and it’ll keep feeling better and hopefully we’ll get to a place where I can be in the lineup.”

WATCH THE HITS, READ TORTS' IMPASSIONED SUNDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
 
The media had spoken with Torts, John Tortorella, minutes earlier, and the coach had turned away three questions about his lineup. Earlier, Devils coach Pete DeBoer had announced that Devils 35-year-old second-line winger Petr Sykora will sit in favor of 21-year-old forward Jacob Josefson, who broke his wrist on April 3 against the Islanders and has not played since.