Adam Fox Feels Good Physically With Recovery From Injury Behind Him

Adam Fox returned to the New York Rangers lineup on Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets after being sidelined for eight games with an upper-body injury as he didn’t miss a beat. 

There was no shortage of minutes for Fox. He played a total of 20:36 minutes, second among all Rangers players on the night. 

It’s difficult to jump right back in after missing a handful of games, but Fox felt comfortable almost immediately due to the mindset he had in place.

“When you miss a couple of games and come back from an injury, you try not be to be a little tentative,” Fox said. “You wanna get that awareness up there. Play kind of an instinctive game. I thought as the game went on, I felt a little bit better. Just tried to keep it as simple as possible. These guys have been playing so hard from before I got hurt and while I was hurt, so I just tried to contribute in any way I could.”

The 27-year-old defenseman was not seen around the team for a while during his recovery process from an upper-body injury. He practiced just a couple times before making his return.

The rust from not playing was there, but once Fox was hit by his opponents, he felt right back in the swing of things. 

“You take bumps when you’re out, but it’s not the same as someone on the other team really trying to hit you,” Fox said. “It felt great. I think once you get a few in you, you get that comforter level back. I felt pretty good physically out there.”

Peter Laviolette was happy to have Fox back and felt that he only progressed and grew more confident throughout the contest. 

“I thought he got better every minute as the game went on,” Laviolette said of Fox. “By the third period it looked like he got his groove. You’re out for a while and I think it takes just a second. He was fine at the start, but I just think he got better and better. 

“Some of the plays he made in the third, just his breakouts and his patience, his poise, the decisions he makes with the puck. He got better and better as the game went on.”

With their 4-0 win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday night, the Blueshirts jumped back into the second wild-card spot. 

There are 15 games remaining this season and the Rangers are going to need a healthy Fox at the top of his game if they want to make the playoffs.