It hasn’t been a great few days for All-Star representatives, as Drake Batherson suffered a high-ankle sprain, Nathan MacKinnon suffered a facial fracture and now Adam Fox has been moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Fox left last night’s game and was considered day-to-day, but will miss at least the last three New York Rangers games before the All-Star break with his IR designation. Whether he can take part in the festivities is unclear, though it seems unlikely he’ll be on the ice for the game itself given this new injury.
The Rangers, meanwhile, have recalled both Tim Gettinger and Nils Lundkvist to the active roster, sending Morgan Barron to the taxi squad to make room. Lundkvist would potentially represent a replacement for Fox in the lineup, though it is hard to fill the skates of the reigning Norris Trophy winner.
In 44 games this season, Fox has already matched his previous career-high of 47 points including 16 in his last 12 matches. He averages more than 24 minutes a night, plays both the powerplay and penalty kill, and is overall one of the most impactful players in the entire NHL. Without him, the Rangers will have to rely more on some of their other young defensemen including K’Andre Miller, who broke the 22-minute mark last night for the fourth straight game.