When you lose a player like Adam Fox, you don’t just plug in the next man up and expect business as usual. The Rangers are learning that firsthand. With Fox sidelined until at least Christmas due to an upper-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan has had to get creative - and that creativity includes rolling out a five-forward power-play unit.
Yes, five forwards. No defensemen.
It’s a bold look, and not something you see often in the NHL, even in today’s offense-driven game. In fact, Sullivan couldn’t recall ever using that alignment in over a decade behind the bench.
But desperate times call for inventive solutions, and with Fox - one of the league’s premier power-play quarterbacks - unavailable, the Rangers are leaning into what they do have: high-end offensive talent up front.
Panarin at the Point? Why Not.
Enter Artemi Panarin, who’s now running the show from the blue line on the top unit. It’s not a role he’s held full-time before, but it’s not completely foreign either.
The Rangers’ power-play structure often involves fluid movement and positional interchange, and Panarin has found himself up top plenty during in-game shifts with Fox. Now, he’s the guy - and he’s embracing it.
“I think I have more options, more time playing with the puck, which I like,” Panarin said, smiling. That tracks.
Few players in the league see the ice like he does. His vision, patience, and ability to thread passes through traffic make him a natural candidate to fill in for Fox.
Sullivan agreed, saying Panarin’s knack for getting pucks through traffic and into dangerous areas was a key factor in the decision.
“Mika [Zibanejad] was also in the conversation,” Sullivan noted. “He’s got that bomb of a shot. But Bread’s ability to distribute and manipulate the defense from up top - that’s something we think can work for us.”
The Risk is Real - and So is the Need
Of course, there’s a reason five-forward power plays are rare. Without a true defenseman on the ice, turnovers at the blue line can quickly turn into odd-man rushes the other way. Sullivan isn’t pretending otherwise.
“Do you want me to state the obvious and say, yes?” he said when asked about the risk. “We’re going to see how it plays out.”
Panarin isn’t sweating it, though. “Why would I worry about that?”
he said with a laugh. Still, he acknowledged the need for balance: play safe, but not too safe.
“You can’t be too conservative. It’s probably not working like that.
The NHL is not an easy league. You’ve got to take a risk every time.”
That’s the tightrope the Rangers are walking right now. With Fox out, they don’t have a clear-cut replacement who can do what he does.
Braden Schneider has stepped into Fox’s even-strength spot next to Vladislav Gavrikov on the top pair, but he’s not a power-play guy - at least not yet. He’s been manning the point on the second unit this season but hasn’t registered a power-play point.
Gavrikov leads all Rangers defensemen in goals entering Tuesday’s game, but he’s a stay-at-home type who’s never recorded a power-play point in his NHL career. Then there’s rookie Scott Morrow, who has the offensive instincts - 28 goals and 94 points in 109 games at UMass, plus 13 goals and 39 points in the AHL last season - but only 20 NHL games under his belt. That’s a big ask for a young player still adjusting to the speed and structure of the big leagues.
So, five forwards it is - at least for now.
Injury Updates and Lineup Notes
The Rangers are dealing with more than just the Fox injury. Fourth-liner Adam Edstrom is day-to-day with a lower-body injury suffered in Monday’s practice.
Taylor Raddysh, who missed that session for personal reasons, was back in the lineup Tuesday. Conor Sheary slotted in for Edstrom.
In goal, Jonathan Quick is still on injured reserve with a lower-body issue, though he did take part in the optional morning skate. Spencer Martin backed up Igor Shesterkin once again.
Meanwhile, Matt Rempe was seen walking around during the morning skate. He’s skating again and progressing well, according to Sullivan, though he’s still not close enough to return to game action.
“Everybody's really encouraged with the progress that he's making,” Sullivan said.
Looking Ahead
For now, the Rangers are leaning into their strengths - skill, vision, and offensive creativity - to weather the absence of one of their most important players. Whether the five-forward experiment becomes a short-term fix or something more depends on how well Panarin and company can handle the dual challenge of producing offense and protecting against counterattacks.
It’s not the safest route, but in a league where power plays can swing games - and seasons - the Rangers are betting on their stars to keep the engine running.