It’s largely been a struggle for the New York Rangers in their first season under head coach Mike Sullivan, and the team was just dealt a pair of blows to two of their most important players.
And now, their playoff hopes, which are already slim, were just dealt a serious blow because of the latest injury updates to a pair of their top players.
Defenseman Adam Fox, who had just returned in December after having already missed a month of action because of an upper-body injury, is being placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve with a lower-body injury. His stay on LTIR means that he’ll miss no less than 10 games, or at least 24 days.
Meanwhile, goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who was hurt during Monday evening’s tilt against the visiting Utah Mammoth, is being placed on Injured Reserve and will miss at least the next three games; the only solace is that he reportedly avoided a more serious injury.
It was the Mammoth who added to the woes the Ranges have experienced on home ice, defeating them by a 3-2 final score in overtime. With the latest setback, New York’s home record dropped to a dismal 5-10-4, which include multiple shutout losses.
New York’s .523 points percentage is the worst in the Eastern Conference, while their 20-18-6 record is the second-worst in the Metropolitan Division, better only than the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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New York Rangers Goalie Igor Shesterkin Was Injured Against The Utah Mammoth
During Monday’s game against the Utah Mammoth, Shesterkin was hurt when his knee bent awkwardly after making contact with forward J.J. Peterka, and remained down on the ice in pain for several minutes.
Chants of “Igor! Igor!” rang through Madison Square Garden as he was aided by a team trainer along with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov toward the tunnel that leads to the club’s dressing room.
“He’s an important part of this team,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “We hope it’s not too serious.”
However, Sullivan didn’t feel that the Mammoth were guilty of trying to crash the net too aggressively while noting that it’s something that he’d like to see his team do more of.
“I think they were going to the net hard,” he said. “Numerous times there was contact. When you go to the net hard, sometimes there’s incidental contact. I think we could go to the net hard. It’s an important aspect of scoring goals.”
Without Shesterkin available for the immediate future, the Rangers will have to rely upon veteran backup Jonathan Quick, who turns 40 years old in just under two weeks.
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Adam Fox Had Just Returned To The Rangers After A Considerable Absence
As far as Fox’s injury, it’s not entirely clear when he was hurt considering that he played the entire game other than the extra session.
He ultimately skated in 23:30 worth of ice time in what was just his third game back after having already missed 14 games because of a shoulder ailment.
Fox, who was one of Team USA’s top defenseman during the Four Nations Face-Off tournament last February, was left off the roster for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Playoff Hopes For New York Rangers Dealt A Blow After Crushing Injury News