With the news that star defenseman Adam Fox has been placed on long-term injured reserve for a left shoulder injury, the New York Rangers must reevaluate the direction of a season already on the brink.
Fox was injured in the Rangers’ 4-1 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. He was hit by Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel in the third period and left the game. Per Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, who first reported that Fox was being placed on LTIR, the Rangers will reevaluate him around Christmas.
The loss of Fox may be insurmountable for a Rangers club that’s struggling to keep pace in a tight Eastern Conference. As of Monday morning, New York sits in sixth place in the Wild Card, a point back of the final playoff spot but four away from the basement — but with the Rangers tied for the league lead with 27 games played, the clock is ticking. They own the third-worst points percentage in the East.
While they have struggled to score goals and string together wins, Fox has been one of the few sources keeping the club afloat. He is tied for the team lead in scoring with 26 points. According to Natural Stat Trick, New York has controlled 57.4% of the shot attempts at five-on-five when Fox is on the ice, a metric second only to Matt Rempe, who hasn’t played since Oct. 23. When Fox is on at five-on-five, the Rangers have 61% of the expected goal share — the highest of any Ranger.
In the immediate future, New York will need to fill a gaping hole on its first power play unit and the top defensive pair.
The Rangers operated with a five-forward power play on Saturday after Fox’s departure, with Will Cuylle, Vincent Trocheck, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin manning the top unit. This was an idea they flirted with last season when Fox was hurt in February.
According to reporters present at practice on Monday, the club was still working with a five-forward first unit with Panarin at the point, while Scott Morrow anchored the second unit.
Braden Schneider was reportedly moved up to the top defensive pair alongside Vladislav Gavrikov.
The upcoming stretch of games will almost certainly determine the Rangers’ fate this season. Seven of their next 10 games will be at Madison Square Garden, and most of those are against playoff-bound or hopeful teams, including a grueling back-to-back against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights this weekend.
If New York is unable to weather the storm without its best skater to date, president and general manager Chris Drury could be forced to retool the roster, with a focus on adding young talent and building toward next season. That conversation likely starts with Panarin, who is a pending unrestricted free agent but has a full no-movement clause.
Of course, the season is still salvageable. But it’s up to the Rangers to start putting the wins together, without their best defensemen and potent offensive weapon.
