New York Ranger and Team USA Hopeful Injured

The New York Rangers have a bit of negative news to announce this Sunday afternoon. Defenceman Adam Fox has been placed on injured reserve. Courtesy of Emily Kaplan, the word is he is week-to-week, from the effects of an upper-body injury. Even though he will miss sometime in the Rangers lineup, it isn’t expected to be long term. Therefore, the good news here, is that this injury shouldn’t impact his 2026 Winter Olympics Team USA participation.

Rangers Place Adam Fox On Injured Reserve

On an inconsistent Rangers team this year, one steadying force has been Adam Fox. His presence will surely be missed in the lineup. On the year, he’s almost a point-a-game, with 26 points in 27 games. Furthermore, he’s second on the team with seven power play assists. This has been the type of productivity we’ve come to expect from Fox.

During his seven-year NHL career, three times he has 72-or-more points. Prior to this injury news, he was well on his way to another season like that. In his second season, 2020-21, Fox captured the Norris Trophy, as league’s top defenceman. Three other times throughout his career he’s finished within the top five of voting.

What is Fox’s Significance, Rangers and Team USA

This year he was playing nearly 24 minutes a game, another example of the standard he holds himself to. One player that will miss Fox, has been his regular partner, Vladislav Gavrikov. According to Moneypuck.com, the two were already at over 450 minutes on-ice together. This includes a very respectable expected goal percentage above 60%.

The short-term beneficiaries to Fox’s absence, will likely be one of Scott Morrow and Urho Vaakanainen. Those two were scratches recently, and will be able to slot in to replace Fox.

The other part of this, is the potential impact to Team USA. The American lineup will rely on Fox’s intelligence and offensive abilities, and also calming demeanour on the backend. Many of the front-runners for the team are younger. Players like Lane Hutson, Brock Faber, or Luke Hughes would benefit from Fox’s style and assets. We had him slotted with Zach Werenski, which would be an elite pairing, featuring plenty of offensive and defensive abilities. Those two would complement one another very well. It’s not hard to see why the Rangers and Team USA would miss his presence. Hopefully he has a speedy recovery.