Rangers lose Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox in devastating injury update
If the New York Rangers are to remain afloat in the NHL playoff race this month before the Olympic break, they’ll need to do so without two of their most important and indispensable players. Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox each will miss significant time after sustaining injuries in New York’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers reportedly plan to place Shesterkin on IR with a lower-body injury as they continue to evaluate their star goalie. Fox is headed to LTIR with a lower-body injury, one week after he returned from a 14-game absence due to an upper-body injury.
It’s a brutal 1-2 gut punch for the Rangers (20-18-6), who own the worst points percentage in the Eastern Conference yet remain just three points out of the second wild-card spot.
The Fox update is a stunning development. The 27-year-old defenseman logged more than 23 minutes of ice time against the Mammoth, though he didn’t take a shift in the 66-second overtime. He did quarterback a failed power-play opportunity in the final minutes of regulation, and it’s difficult to pinpoint when or how he was hurt.
Fox returned to the lineup on New Year’s Eve and recorded two points — a power-play goal and an assist — in a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. He was pointless in the next two games, including the rousing 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers at the 2026 NHL Winter Classic in Miami. However, he helped spark the Rangers’ power play, which was 5-for-8 in the three games after his return.
Averaging nearly a point per game, Fox is third on the Rangers with 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) in 30 games. The 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner as the League’s top defenseman never missed more than 10 games in his first six seasons, before this one.
Shesterkin’s injury was impossible to miss Monday. The 30-year-old netminder writhed in agony after falling back into his net at the 13-minute mark of the first period following a non-contact injury. He didn’t put weight on his left leg when helped off the ice.
However, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported Tuesday that Shesterkin avoided the “worst case scenario” with his injury, which is excellent news because it sure looked bad at the time.
Since he’s still being evaluated, it’s not known what Shesterkin’s timeline is. The Rangers practice again Wednesday, so coach Mike Sullivan may provide more details at that time. Their next game is Thursday at home against the Buffalo Sabres. Jonathan Quick is likely to start in goal for that one.
“There are certain guys that drive your team and he’s one of them for us,” Sullivan said Monday about Shesterkin. “He’s an elite player at his position. I think he’s one of the very best in the game. Those types of players are difficult to replace.”
Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the top NHL goalie in 2021-22 and leads the League with 34 starts this season. He allowed two goals or fewer 17 times, not including the abbreviated-outing Monday, which is second most in the NHL. His 17 wins are tied for third most.
The Rangers recalled veteran goalie Spencer Martin and rookie defenseman Scott Morrow from Hartford of the American Hockey League late Tuesday afternoon. They reassigned forward Brett Berard to Hartford, a possible sign that captain J.T. Miller is set to return from an upper-body injury that sidelined him seven games.
