Kevin Klein’s game is evolving and the Rangers have been the beneficiary.
The stout right-handed defenseman made his season debut in the 2-1 loss to the Red Wings on Wednesday night at the Garden. After missing the first three games due to back spasms, Klein eased his way back into game speed, but his offensive improvements have come in such a way that coach Alain Vigneault shared one of his locker-room nicknames.
“Some of his teammates call him ‘Bobby Kleiner,’ ” Vigneault kidded on Wednesday morning, referring to the all-time great Bobby Orr and his offensive instincts from the back end.
When then-general manager Glen Sather acquired Klein from the Predators in the middle of the 2013-14 season, his reputation was proficiency at one end of the ice — his own. Yet in the two-plus years he has been with the Blueshirts, Klein has proven to be more than that.
“That’s something that we hadn’t seen really in Nashville. He was more of a safe, stay-at-home-type defenseman,” Vigneault said.
“While here, he put [offense] in his repertoire as far as what he can do. When he’s on top of his game, he’s a real effective defenseman for us at both ends of the rink.”
Klein, 31, has one more year after this one on his contract, carrying an annual salary-cap hit of $2.9 million.
He had nine goals and 26 points in each of the past two seasons, but played safely in his season debut, getting one shot on net in 19:19 of ice time, including 2:45 shorthanded.
“You go through the preseason, play preseason games and you’re excited to get in there. Now I haven’t played a game in two weeks,” Klein said. “I think of the home-opener with the boys, I missed that. This is mine, so I’m happy.”
Russian forward Pavel Buchnevich missed a second straight game with back spasms. Vigneault was unsure when Buchnevich might be able to skate again, but he used Klein’s one-week absence as an example.
“It took a little while for Kleiner, I would expect the same thing,” Vigneault said.
Though Klein returned, Vigneault decided to keep his top defensive pair from Monday night’s 7-4 win over the Sharks, with Nick Holden playing his offside, on the right next to captain Ryan McDonagh.
Klein joined Marc Staal and Brady Skjei was with Adam Clendening.
That left Dylan McIlrath as a healthy scratch for the third time in the first four games. His only game action came Monday.
“This is a numbers game right now,” Vigneault said of his back end. “With Adam bringing us that right[-handed] shot on that second ppwer-play unit is something that came into our decision making. But I like how Dylan played [on Monday].”
Defenseman Dan Girardi did not skate, but Vigneault was optimistic about his ongoing recovery from a groin injury suffered in Saturday’s 3-2 loss the Blues in St. Louis. With the team getting Thursday off, Girardi was probably going to get back on the ice by himself.
“He’s coming along very well,” Vigneault said.