There’s a lot of fallout, yet opportunities that come from Adam Fox’s injury.
On Sunday, it was reported that the New York Rangers plan to place Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve, while he’s expected to miss multiple weeks due to a left-shoulder injury.
Fox’s absence leaves a gaping hole in the Rangers’ defensive core and will force every blueliner in the lineup to step up.
“The message is that it is the next man up, and let's be ready,” Sullivan said of the message following Fox’s injury. “Injuries are a part of the game, every team has to go through them, and we are no different. Obviously, Foxy is not an easy guy to replace for so many reasons. You know, I'm sure I'm stating the obvious when I say that, but we're going to put a game plan together based on the people that we have to try and set our group up for success.”
Perhaps the player who will see his responsibilities increase the most is none other than Braden Schneider.
During Monday’s practice, Schneider practiced on the team’s top defensive pairing alongside Vladislav Gavrikov.
Schneider’s average icetime per game has already gone up from 17:52 to 18:27 minutes from last season, and those numbers should now only continue to increase.
It’s a big test for Schneider, who is still looking to solidify himself as a reliable top-four defenseman.
“You can’t fill that hole, but I think if I can take a step forward and really dig into my identity, and see what I can do to help my team win, I think that’s the most important thing,” Schmerider said. “It sucks seeing Adam go down, you don’t want to see that happen, he’s been so good this year. It’s an opportunity to step up and see if I can put the big-boy pants on and do a job for us. I’ll do my best, play fast, play hard, and play the game that I know how to play, and hopefully we can get some wins.”
A few weeks ago, Sullivan emphasized the importance of Schneider finding more consistency in his game.
Playing against opposing team’s top opponents with Gavrikov in place of Fox, that consistency will be especially critical, as Sullivan looks to Schneider to take on increased responsibilities.
Adam Fox Being Evaluated For Upper-Body Injury
Adam Fox is currently being evaluated for an upper-body injury according to Mike Sullivan.
“Schneids has the ability, very similar to Will Borgen, to bring a certain hardness to our defense core, both physically, but also with his mobility and his stick and just being hard to play against… I think Schneids can bring that dimension to our team. I think he can do it a little bit more consistently than he has to this point. That's a conversation that we've had,” Sullivan said.
“I think he's had moments in games where he's noticeable with how well he defends, how physical he is, he's strong, he has good size, he has got real good mobility, he doesn't get beat wide hardly at all because of his mobility. The challenge is bringing that consistently game in and game out.”
Scott Morrow will get the chance to carve out a role in the Rangers’ lineup.
He’s been up and down from the American Hockey League this season, playing in just four games this season.
The 24-year-old defenseman practiced on the second power play unit on Monday and is expected to hold a spot in the rotation over Urho Vaakanainen.
While watching Morrow play, it’s easy to see that he possesses the necessary skills to be an impact NHL defenseman, but Sullivan was blunt in emphasizing that there’s still a lot to be desired regarding his overall play.
“Assertive play,” Sullivan said about what he wants to see from Morrow. “Making decisions with conviction and not being in between. Eliminating hesitation from his game.”
Obviously, the pressure Fox’s injury puts on Gavrikov goes without saying.
However, Sullivan doesn't intend to put the brunt of the defensive workload all on Gavrikov’s shoulders. He wants every defenseman to be prepared to share the responsibilities left by Fox, including Will Borgen, Carson Soucy and Matthew Roberston.
“Replacing Foxy's minutes, I think will be by committee,” Sullivan said. “I think everybody will assume a little bit of an elevated role in that capacity.”
We’ll see how the Rangers hold over without Fox, starting on Tuesday when they face off against the Dallas Stars.