Richards has ruled out a concussion and says that he is just dealing with general body soreness. He will be out tonight when the Rangers face the Islanders. Consider Richards as day-to-day for now.

Richards was hurt when he was hit from behind by Patrick Kaleta on Sunday. Kaleta was suspended five games for the hit. it would be fair to infer that Richards will be a game-time decision, at best.

The Richards - Nash combo is still bound to produce at some point this season so if you are looking for buy-low candidates down the stretch, Richards should be high on your shortlist.

Richards skated with his Ranger teammates for the first time since camp opened up. He will be on the Rangers first line with Nash and Hagelin and should have a great season. Get him in your lineup!

RIchards is expected to be ready for the start of the season, and center the Rangers first line with Rick Nash.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (6) vs. NEW YORK RANGERS (1) MUST-STARTS: New Jersey Devils: Ilya Kovalchuk. Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Patrik Elias, Marek Zidlicky, Martin Brodeur New York Rangers: Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, Ryan Callahan, Michael Del Zotto, Henrik Lundqvist SLEEPERS: New Jersey Devils: David Clarkson, Adam Henrique, Dainius Zubrus New York Rangers: Marc Staal, Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin read more

Don't expect Richards to miss any playing time. In his first 52 games with the Rangers, the center scored 17 goals and 35 points.

"NHL IN 30 REVISITED" TAKES A LOOK AT KEY FANTASY DEVELOPMENTS FOR EACH TEAM , WHILE REVIEWING SOME OF OUR PROMINENT PREDICTIONS FROM OUR PRE-SEASON ANALYSIS ARTICLE "NHL IN 30". SEE THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY OF ALL OUR PREDICTIONS AND ALSO A LOOK AT THE UNEXPECTED EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED SO FAR THIS SEASON. WE WILL BEGIN OUR FOCUS ON TEAMS FROM THE ATLANTIC DIVISION. NEW YORK RANGERS - Balanced scoring is the name of the game in Rangers country, as Brad Richards will probably fall short of his customary 80+ point projection, but look for him to finish the season strong. read more

Richards will play through a sore neck today in one of the more important games of the season. In his first season in the Big Apple, he scored 15 goals and 31 points through 45 games.

Richards is arguably the team's most important player and his absence from the lineup would be a big blow. Couple that with his past history of concussions and the star center may miss some playing time.