Rangers Face Life Without Adam Fox: A Massive Void, a Team Effort
GREENBURGH - There’s no sugarcoating it: losing Adam Fox is a gut punch. The Rangers’ top defenseman is out until at least Christmas with an upper-body injury, and while the phrase “next man up” gets tossed around like a puck in warmups, there’s no one-for-one replacement when you’re talking about a player like Fox.
Head coach Mike Sullivan knows it too, even if he’s keeping a steady hand on the wheel.
“Injuries are part of the game,” Sullivan said Monday, as the team returned to practice following a day off. “Every team goes through it, and we’re no different.
Obviously, Foxy is not an easy guy to replace for so many reasons. But we’re going to put a game plan together based on the people that we have and try to set our group up for success.”
That’s the plan. But the reality? The Rangers just lost a cornerstone.
What the Rangers Are Missing
Fox isn’t just a top-pairing defenseman - he’s the guy. The Jericho native co-leads the team in points with 26 (three goals, 23 assists), logs the most ice time at nearly 24 minutes a night, and quarterbacks the top power play unit.
He’s been involved in eight of the team’s 13 power play goals this season. He’s the engine of the Rangers’ blue line, and when he’s on the ice, good things tend to follow.
His pairing with Vladislav Gavrikov has been one of the most dominant in the league at 5-on-5. Together, they’ve logged over 449 minutes, during which the Rangers have outscored opponents 16-11 and outshot them 199-179. The advanced metrics back it up, too: they’ve generated more shot attempts (481-375), more scoring chances (223-146), more high-danger looks (97-50), and more expected goals (21.67 to 14.54) than they’ve allowed.
In short, when Fox and Gavrikov are out there, the Rangers control the game. And now, that dynamic duo is on pause.
The injury occurred late in the third period of Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Lightning, when Fox was driven hard into the boards by Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel. The hit earned Fox a trip to long-term injured reserve, where he’ll remain for at least 10 games and 24 days.
Schneider Steps Up
So, who fills that void? Not one person - not really. But the first domino has already fallen: Braden Schneider is moving up to pair with Gavrikov on the top defensive unit.
“I’m excited for the opportunity,” said Schneider, 24, a 2020 first-round pick. “I’ve done it last year, played those heavy minutes against top guys, and I think it’s something I know I can do.
I take pride in it. It’s going to be a challenge that I’ll have to take head on.”
Schneider’s got the physical tools and the mindset. He’s played a steady second-pair role and has seen time on the second power play unit this season. But replacing Fox’s two-way brilliance is a tall order for any defenseman, let alone one still carving out his place in the league.
Power Play Gets a Shake-Up
Fox’s absence also forces a rethink on special teams. With no natural replacement to run the point on the top power play, the Rangers are turning to a bold - and potentially risky - solution: five forwards.
Artemi Panarin, who co-leads the team in scoring with 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists), will slide into the point position. That means the Rangers will ice a power play unit with no defensemen, a setup that can be lethal offensively but vulnerable to shorthanded counterattacks - especially against aggressive penalty-killing teams.
“We’re going to see how it plays out,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to start there. Obviously, we need to have some conscience in running the power play with five forwards.”
The alternatives? Schneider, who’s still getting his feet wet on the man advantage, or rookie Scott Morrow, who’s played just 18 NHL games. Neither option screams “plug-and-play” for a unit that’s already been leaning heavily on Fox’s vision and poise.
Filling the Gap by Committee
There’s no magic fix here. Fox’s absence isn’t the kind of thing you patch up with a lineup shuffle or a hot hand. It’s going to take a team-wide lift - defensively, offensively, and on special teams.
Sullivan put it plainly: this is a “by committee” situation.
The Rangers have already seen what happens when a key player goes down. Earlier this season, they struggled when Vincent Trocheck missed 14 games with an upper-body injury. Fox’s absence could prove even more disruptive, given how much of the game flows through him at both ends of the ice.
Around the Rink
There were a few other developments at Monday’s practice:
- Fourth-line winger Adam Edstrom left early and is being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
- Taylor Raddysh missed practice due to personal reasons.
- Veteran goalie Jonathan Quick, still on IR with a lower-body issue, was back on the ice and shared reps with third-stringer Spencer Martin.
The Road Ahead
The Rangers are still in a strong position, but this next stretch will test their depth and resilience. Fox isn’t just a star - he’s a stabilizer. And now, the Rangers will have to find a way to stabilize without him.
It’s next man up, yes - but it’s also next men up. Because replacing Adam Fox isn’t a one-man job.