Jimmy Vesey expected to miss time with injury as opportunity opens on Rangers’ fourth line

After the defense corps lost Ryan Lindgren for a few weeks, the Rangers forward group has taken the latest hit.

Jimmy Vesey is expected to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury he sustained during practice on Sunday, head coach Peter Laviolette announced on Monday before the Blueshirts lost their fourth exhibition game of the preseason, 3-1, to the Devils at the Prudential Center.

Losing Vesey creates a hole on the fourth line, which has also featured Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski throughout this training camp.

Of the aforementioned players, only Edstrom suited up Monday night in Newark.

“That’s what training camp’s about,” Laviolette said after Monday’s practice with the non-game group. “It’s an opportunity for guys to step up. I do think some guys have had good camps, and that’s the evaluation process. We’re still going on. We’ve still got three [preseason] games left, and so those evaluations are still taking place.”

Vesey missed the last four games of the Rangers playoff run last season, after suffering a separated shoulder on a hit from Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg.