Jimmy Vesey leaves Rangers training camp practice injured

Jimmy Vesey left Rangers practice early Sunday after falling on the ice and limping to the locker room.

Head coach Peter Laviolette said Vesey suffered a lower-body injury and was being evaluated.

“It seemed somewhat harmless,” Laviolette said.

Vesey, 31, is aiming to regain his place on the fourth line, where he spent the majority of the last two seasons.

He skated to the left of Sam Carrick and Matt Rempe on Sunday before heading to the locker room.

After serving as a scratch for last season’s opener, Vesey ultimately appeared in 80 of 82 games.

He recorded 13 goals and 13 assists while averaging 12:23 of ice time per game.

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The Devils were scheduled to travel to Prague on Sunday for a pair of regular season games against the Sabres, which should leave a relatively barren lineup to face the Rangers in a home-and-home exhibition series.

While most of the Devils’ notable players are scheduled to play on Friday and Saturday at the O2 Arena, the rest will face the Rangers on Monday and Tuesday.

“It’s obviously going to be different,” Laviolette said. “We are still in an evaluation process. No matter which players we choose to play, it’s still training camp and it’s still an opportunity to evaluate. We’re using him exactly for what he is, for what he was in the first three games and for what he will remain in the last three games. But it will certainly be different, because their team has gone abroad.

Despite the back-to-back schedule, Laviolette said there could be a few players who play in both games.

When asked how he evaluates players who don’t face NHL-level competition, Laviolette responded neutrally about the process.

“If you think he’s that good, then he should dominate,” he said. “There is still an ongoing evaluation process. This should be a top player for you. If you are considering recruiting someone to be part of your team, it is very likely that you will occupy the same roles, the same situations. Maybe even an expanded role. How are they faring in this expanded role? We will therefore only use it for an evaluation period.

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Victor Mancini continued to skate on Adam Fox’s right side in Ryan Lindgren’s absence on Sunday.

The rest of the defensive pairings included K’Andre Miller-Jacob Trouba, Zac Jones-Braden Schneider and Connor Mackey-Chad Ruhwedel.

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Adam Edstrom joined the Rangers’ main group on Sunday and played on the fourth line alongside Vesey, Carrick and Rempe.