What’s next for Rangers with Adam Fox reportedly out weeks with injury
Coming off one of their most dispiriting losses of the season, the New York Rangers reportedly received more bad news Sunday. Per multiple reports, the Rangers plan to place Adam Fox on LTIR with a left-shoulder injury.
Fox sustained the injury in the third period of New York’s non-competitive 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The 27-year-old defenseman was on the receiving end of a clean shoulder-to-shoulder check by Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, with his left arm and shoulder crushed into the boards.
Fox headed straight to the dressing room and didn’t return. After the game, coach Mike Sullivan said only that Fox was being evaluated for an upper-body injury. The Rangers didn’t practice Sunday, so there was no official update on his condition.
Per Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, the Rangers consider Fox week to week, and he’ll be re-evaluated around Christmas.
Fox is tied with Artemi Panarin for the Rangers lead with 26 points. His team-high 23 assists are also tied with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche for most among NHL defensemen. He assisted on J.T. Miller’s goal Saturday to extend his scoring scoring streak to six games (10 assists).
His loss is a massive one for the Rangers. Outside of goalie Igor Shesterkin, Fox, the 2021 Norris Trophy winner as top NHL defenseman, is likely the most indispensable player on their roster, and nearly impossible to replace in the lineup.
But there are no excuses for the Rangers (13-12-2), who are right in the thick of the jam-packed Eastern Conference playoff race. They begin this stretch without Fox sitting 12th in the conference on points percentage, though just one point out of a playoff spot.
So, what happens next for the Blueshirts?
Breaking down Rangers options with Adam Fox sidelined week to week with upper-body injury
Opportunity is there for Scott Morrow
The Rangers do not have another defenseman who moves the puck and drives the offense like Fox. The closest facsimile is rookie Scott Morrow, who is a skilled playmaker with a heavy shot from the blue line. However, the inexperienced Morrow is not going to log the 23+ minutes per game that Fox averages. Expect Morrow, a healthy scratch Saturday, to draw into the Rangers lineup and play sheltered third-pair minutes at even strength with Fox out.
It’ll be an opportunity to play regularly and get comfortable with the Rangers. But Morrow’s biggest opportunity to make a difference will be on the power play. Expect the 23-year-old who has 20 games of NHL experience with the Carolina Hurricanes and Rangers to replace Fox as the quarterback on New York’s top power-play unit. The Rangers deployed five forwards on the power play after Fox was hurt Saturday (and with Morrow watching in the press box), but that’s too risky a strategy to do consistently.
Morrow remains a work in progress, especially on the defensive side of the puck. But this is his chance to step in and prove that he’s not just a part of New York’s future, but can be trusted in the present.
More responsibility for Braden Schneider
No defense pairing in the NHL has more time on ice 5v5 (449:34) than Fox and his partner Vladislav Gavrikov. Per Natural Stat Trick, Fox and Gavrikov have an excellent expected goal share of 59.85 percent. They’ve been on ice for nearly double the amount of high-danger chances for opposed to against (97-50), and the Rangers outscored opponents 16-11 at 5v5 with that pair out there.
So, no matter who’s tasked with moving up to play with Gavrikov, there’s going to be some level of drop off in quality of play.
That someone should be Braden Schneider. His underlying numbers never are great, and always pale in comparison to Fox. But the Rangers hope that those metrics improve for Schneider when he gets the chance to play regularly alongside Gavrikov, one of the top defenders in the League, as opposed to his usual bottom-pair partners.
Schneider is the right choice here. He’s a good skater, has some offensive upside (though just five points in 27 games), and is experienced enough to go up against opposing team’s best players. Plus, it keeps the veteran second pair of Carson Soucy and Will Borgen intact. Perhaps, that pair will take more shifts 5v5 now that Fox is out; but breaking them up in order to move Borgen up alongside Gavrikov doesn’t make sense.
You don’t simply replace Fox with one player, whether 5v5 or on the power play. It’ll take the entire defense corps stepping up, and consistently diligent efforts by the forward group, along with continued stellar goaltending, to cover for Fox, who’s been their best all-around player this season.
Trade options
Reportedly, the Rangers do not fear that Fox will be out longer term, say for a few months or the rest of the season. So, general manager Chris Drury is less likely to seek a trade to fill the gaping hole on the Rangers defense corps. If Fox was out longer term, that’d be a different story. Drury likely would have his Calgary Flames counterpart Craig Conroy on speed dial to check in about Rasmus Andersson.
By landing on LTIR, Fox must miss 10 games or 24 days. Not ideal, but the Rangers survived a similar situation in 2023-24 when their star defenseman missed 10 games on LTIR with a knee injury. Zac Jones, Erik Gustafsson, and Jacob Trouba were among those who stepped up in Fox’s absence then, and the Rangers went on to win the Presidents’ Trophy. So, that’s to say Drury not need act in a rash manner.
On the flip side, though, might the Rangers GM consider this a chance to further break up the roster and rebuild the foundation of this organization should the Rangers falter badly without Fox? Even with Fox playing — and playing exceedingly well — the first 27 games, it’s not exactly like the Rangers looked the part of a Stanley Cup contender nor a lock to simply make it into the postseason.
How the Rangers handle this stretch without Fox may go a long way to help Drury decide whether the Rangers are buyers or sellers, and , perhaps, sooner rather than later.
