This post has been updated to reflect recent news and roster changes:
Adam Fox was placed on long-term injured reserve on Friday. It was the biggest change in a day full of changes for the Rangers, which also included a minor injury to Igor Shesterkin and an indefinite absence to Filip Chytil.
Fox suffered a suspected knee injury in a collision with Carolina’s Sebastian Aho in the first period. A league source stated that the initial forecast for Fox was 2-4 weeks; Combined with the other injuries and the fact that Barclay Goodrow stayed home while giving birth to his first child, the Rangers needed flexibility that they could only get by putting Fox on LTIR.
This designation means Fox will miss at least 10 games and 24 days – he is eligible to return on November 29 against the Red Wings. The Rangers now have an adjusted salary cap of $93 million, with $9.5 million (Fox cap) in LTIR space that they can use to add players.
GO DEEPER
Rangers’ Adam Fox is out with a lower-body injury
Jonny Brodzinski was called up on Friday. When the Rangers learned of Goodrow’s absence and Shesterkin’s status – a source said he was feeling “wounded” after a collision with Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the second period on Thursday, although Shesterkin completed the 2-1 win – the team needed reinforcements.
Defenseman Connor Mackey and goalie Louis Domingue were recalled by Fox following the LTIR placement, and Domingue will assist Jonathan Quick on Saturday in Minnesota.
Chytil is believed to have suffered a concussion in the first period on Thursday when Jesper Fast hit him on open ice. He played several shifts after that but was eliminated in the second. Chytil has had four known concussions since joining the Rangers in 2017, including one last October that sidelined him for six games. He is out indefinitely.
The Rangers are on a six-game winning streak and are 8-2-0. There’s never a good time to lose a player like Fox, who leads the team’s defensemen in every major category.
How the Rangers line up without Fox and Chytil in the short term will be a challenge for Peter Laviolette. The coach led his new team to its best 10-game season-opening series in 40 years with the help of strong team defense and special teams. Fox plays a role in all of this and Chytil has been the most dynamic player so far this season.
Without Fox, you’ll certainly see the K’Andre Miller-Jacob Trouba pairing at even strength and on the penalty kill more often. Miller and Trouba already led the team in EV time on ice per game with 18:19 and 17:59 per game, respectively, and Trouba leads the Rangers with 3:16 PK time per game. Fox has dropped from 2:07 PK time per game last season to 1:24 this season, which could make the transition there easier.
Zac Jones will get the call to replace Fox in the lineup, but based on the way Jones was used in preseason, it appears Jones won’t be filling in alongside Ryan Lindgren. Jones played most of camp on the right side, his offhand, and had a very good game with Erik Gustafsson towards the end of the preseason. Expect the two to take a look and Lindgren to be paired with Braden Schneider, at least initially – Jones was playing with Schneider in Columbus when Lindgren was out last month, and that didn’t go well.
Gustafsson will take over Fox’s PP1 duties, as he did on Thursday. A left-footed shot from the point definitely changes things – the setup for Mika Zibanejad’s one-timer from the left circle becomes a little more complicated, but Gustafsson has played on NHL power plays before. Miller goes back to PP2.
Up front, one might think that Vincent Trocheck will take Chytil’s spot between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière and Brodzinski will step in between Will Cuylle and Blake Wheeler. The Cuylle-Trocheck-Wheeler line hasn’t produced much so far, so perhaps a quick center like Brodzinski can increase his pace a bit. Chytil’s spot on the second power play unit could go to Brodzinski, who always displays a shoot-first mentality, which could benefit this group.
Shesterkin’s status is also very important. His health has been solid since missing four weeks with a groin injury in December 2021, and he still won the Vezina Trophy in the 2021-22 season. The Rangers don’t play again until Tuesday, so he has some time to rest.
(Photo by Adam Fox: Derek Cain/Getty Images)