The club's top defender will play tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
The club's top defender will play tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
Tarrytown, N.Y: The New York Ranger's top defender and 2021 Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox will return to the lineup for the first time in a month tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.
Fox was hit by Sebastian Aho on November 2nd and did not return to the game. The staff placed him on the LTIR the next day.
Luckily for the Rangers, it was not as long-term as it could have been. Following today's optional skate, Fox was happy the team was succeeding, in part for his own recovery, "The team winning and a lot of guys doing well is nice and it allows you to not feel like you have to rush to get back or anything."
In that time span, the Rangers have seized the NHL throne and posted a whopping 7-2-1 record without their Leetch-like dual threat.
He spoke for the first time about the hit from Aho, "A bang, bang play. We kind of play that man-to-man defense. So he was kind of just coming at me and his leg got extended. Just happy it wasn't worse."
The Jericho, New York native feels like he's in game shape, mentally and physically. It was the longest Fox was out in his 5 NHL seasons, and his hockey career as a whole, "No, I've never really missed any time, so this was a first and I'm happy it wasn't any longer than it was."
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette tipped his cap to Erik Gustafsson who played with Ryan Lindgren and quarterbacked the first powerplay unit in No.23's absence, "Gus has done an excellent job and I have a lot of history with Gus. To be able to insert somebody in there to pick up for Adam... it was pretty clear he could jump in like that. That's a bonus for us."
He also acknowledged the elite caliber of his returning rearguard, "One of the best in the business is coming back into the lineup and that unit was really good at the time of his exit from us. To put him right back in there is a no-brainer. Adam is one of the best in the business."
The medical and coaching staff opted to let Fox fully heal early in the season, a move that has paid off in dividends. The team won several hockey games without their MVP-caliber rearguard.
Tonight, he will pair up with his long-time d-partner Ryan Lindgren, quarterback the first powerplay unit, and play to his ceiling on both sides of the puck. It is a breath of fresh air for a team that has suffered numerous injuries to start the year.
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