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Rangers Face Uphill Battle With Adam Fox On LTIR

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The New York Rangers were riding a three-game win-streak into Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was tied for their longest win-streak of the year, and their second three-game streak in November. But on the back of that fortune, the Rangers have been dealt a major lineup blow. Star defenseman Adam Fox sustained an upper-body injury that has landed him on long-term injured reserve. The Rangers avoided worst-case-scenario, with Fox expected to return before the end of the year. Even then, New York will face their toughest challenge of the season with at least 10 games without Fox.

Fox fills a clear #1 role for the Rangers. He has averaged 23:50 in ice time through 27 games this season, his highest usage since the 2022-23 season. He’s scored 26 points in those appaerances, tied for most on the team with Artemi Panarin. Fox also leads the defense with 51 shots on goal and ranks in the top-three with 31 blocked shots. He is a focal piece of play in all three zones when he’s on the ice, and now leaves a hole that will take multiple Rangers to fill.

New York has proven capable of filling the void in the past. They posted a 3-2-3 record in eight games without Fox last season, and a 7-2-1 record in 10 games without him in 2023-24. It was Erik Gustafsson who stepped up for Fox in 2023. He posted 11 points and averaged 20 minutes of ice time in those 10 games, while Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller averaged 24 minutes in a more defense-oriented role. The offense was a bit more spread in Fox’s absence last year – with Miller netting four points, while William Borgen and Zachary Jones each scored three, in eight games.

The Rangers have turned over the bulk of those difference-makers over the last two seasons, but did just gain Borgen back from an extended injury of his own. He was leaned on heaivly following Fox’s departure from Saturday’s game, and should continue to fill an important all-zones role in the short-term. New York will also have Vladislav Gavrikov, who has looked sharp on both sides of the puck as of late. He has nine points and a plus-four in 15 games this month, and 11 points in 27 games on the full season.

Filling Fox’s absence has proven to be a job for two or three players. The Rangers will have to wait and see who can step up to support Borgen and Gavrikov. Carson Soucy has four points and a plus-five in 23 games this season and Braden Schneider has five points in 27 games. Both play a physical and responsible game, and have shown an ability to stand up to tough minutes when called upon.

But if they can pillar the Rangers through the next month is yet to be seen. New York has had a positive month – posting an 8-7-0 record and +2 goal-differential. They’ve avoided the depths of the league that they landed in last season, but still need another push to stand out in a crowded Eastern Conference. Now, they will have to make that heave without one of their most impactful players. The team has proven up to the test before, and aren’t doomed to struggles just yet, but this will be the toughest test that head coach Mike Sullivan has faced yet in his first year with the Rangers.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports.

Injury Notes: Pesce, Jenner, Cooley

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Last night, Ryan Novozinsky of njdotcom asked Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe for an update on defenseman Brett Pesce. As shared by Novozinsky, while the key defenseman is progressing, he is still not close to a return, and remains considered week-to-week. 

The blueliner has now been absent for over a month after blocking a shot against the Avalanche and leaving mid-game. The initial thought was at least one month, so the update is not great, but it appears the veteran is on the right track for a return by January. While Pesce never jumps out on the stat sheet, anyone remotely familiar with his game knows his importance as a top shutdown defender. Prior to going down, he and Luke Hughes were a formidable pair, complementing each other’s games perfectly.

Impressively, New Jersey has battled through the adversity of losing Pesce, along with Jack Hughes and others, remaining atop the Metropolitan, especially thanks to a 9-1-1 home record. 21-year-old Simon Nemec has stepped up of late, being trusted with high minutes from Keefe, and starting to break through from his second-overall selection billing. However, Pesce’s absence is a major hole, and if the Devils are to hold off the Hurricanes along with the many other formidable teams in the division, they will need their steady leader back, placing their elite young defenders Hughes and Nemec back into more favorable roles. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Blue Jackets Head Coach Dean Evason told Jeff Svoboda, Columbus’ team reporter, that Boone Jenner is “close” to returning, but likely not tomorrow against the Devils. The captain practiced today but is being phased back gradually. Jenner landed on IR two weeks ago with an upper-body-injury, and it was thought to be longer term, so a return by early December is favorable. The 32-year-old career long Jacket has 10 points in 16 games, and while a Monday return seems out of the cards, Jenner could return on Thursday as Columbus hosts Detroit. 
  • Insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirmed that Utah forward Logan Cooley appears to have “dodged a bullet”, with an initial finding of a quad contusion. Although further testing will be done, it seems to confirm last night’s sentiment that a serious injury was avoided. Cooley’s knee-on-knee collision with Alexei Toropchenko immediately caught the concern of the league, as he had to be helped off the ice, earning Toropchenko a match penalty. In an update from Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Toropchenko will not face supplemental discipline for the hit. Thankfully it appears the dynamic young star Cooley, with 23 points in 26 games, will not be sidelined for long. 

Evening Notes: Teravainen, Foegele, Greig

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The Chicago Blackhawks could be without a top winger in Sunday’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. Teuvo Teravainen is questionable due to an undisclosed injury per Scott Powers of The Athletic. Teravainen was not present for the team’s Saturday morning practice.

It is unclear when Teravainen sustained his injury. In any case, he would leave a major lineup hole behind him after playing in more than 20 minutes of ice time in three of his last five games. He has recorded three points and a minus-three in that span, bringing his year-long totals up to 16 points and a plus-four in 24 games. Teravainen has been a core piece of a young Chicago lineup. Should he have to sit, the Blackhawks would be forced to turn towards Landon Slaggert, who has played scant minutes and managed no scoring in his last four appearances. Slaggert has one goal and 12 penalty minutes in 10 games this season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Los Angeles Kings winger Warren Foegele is continuing to progress from a day-to-day, upper-body injury. Head coach Jim Hiller said that Foegele is feeling better but won’t play in Saturday night’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, per Kings’ managing editor Zach Dooley. Foegele has four goals, a plus-two-, and eight penalty minutes in 18 games this season. He has served a third-line role, after posting a career-year with the Kings last season. In what was his first year with the club, Foegele managed 24 goals and 46 points in 82 games, both career-highs. He will continue to carry a day-to-day designation and look to find a path back to production when the Kings take on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig could make his return from injury in Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Stars, head coach Travis Green told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Greig missed his fifth-straight game on Friday. He is working back from a day-to-day, undisclosed injury sustained on November 15th. The 23-year-old center has eight points, 20 penalty minutes, and 25 hits in 19 games this season. He seems to be approaching a true breakout, and could continue that hunt as soon as Sunday.

Canadiens’ Jayden Struble Out With Upper-Body Injury

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The Montreal Canadiens have announced that defenseman Jayden Struble is out of Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury. This will be his fifth absence of the season. Montreal will have to lean on Arber Xhekaj for their physical presence on Saturday, though Xhekaj was on the ice for both of Colroado’s first period goals.

The Canadiens have seen a lot of rotation in their defense on the back of a long-term injury to Kaiden Guhle and up-and-down play from Xhekaj. Struble has been a pillar of the team’s bottom pair as a result. He is averaging just over 15 mintues of ice time through 19 games this season, and has four assists, a minus-three, and 32 penalty minutes to show for it.

Struble is now in his third NHL season, all spent with the Canadiens. He had a quaint rookie season, with 10 points and 57 penalty minutes in 56 games. Those numbers leveled out slightly in his sophomore year, with Struble posting 13 points and 52 penalty minutes in another 56 games. Now, he appears to be getting comfortable on Montreal’s third-pairing, currently on pace for 17 points and 138 penalty minutes. Struble also leads Montreal’s blue-line with 36 hits this season, after posting more than 100 hits in each of the last two seasons.

The missing physical presence that Struble brings makes Xhekaj a natural replacement. But the enforcer has struggled to stay on the positive side of the puck, with just one assist and a minus-four in 21 games entering Saturday’s matchup. He also leads the Canadiens with 42 penalty minutes.

Struble’s absence has also proven beneficial for rookie Adam Engstrom, who played in just his second NHL game in Struble’s place on Saturday. Engstrom only managed one shot on goal, and no other notable stats, in 10 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut. The Canadiens will likely shelter his minutes moving forward, but there’s no doubt that Engstrom can bring a spark to the lineup. He leads the Laval Rocket blue-line with 14 points in 18 games, including a five-point match last week that preceded his NHL debut. The 2022 third-round pick is on a gradual climb, but seems to be on the cusp of a breakout in the NHL. Extended absences from Struble could provide the path needed to earn Engstrom more minutes.

Rangers Activate William Borgen Off IR

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The New York Rangers have actived defenseman William Borgen off of injured reserve, per Mollie Walker of The New York Post. Borgen has been day-to-day with an upper-body injury for the last 10 days. He was designated as a game-time decision before Saturday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and did indeed make his return from injury when the game kicked off.

It was more than a welcome return. New York struggled against Tampa Bay but Borgen posted two blocked shots and six hits in 18 minutes of ice time. He has been a serviceable utility piece for the Rangers. Through his first full season with the club, Borgen has posted three points, a plus-five, 24 blocks, and 26 hits in 19 games. Those numbers add on to the 13 points, plus-nine, 74 hits, and 80 blocks he posted in 51 games with the Rangers after a mid-season trade from the Seattle Kraken.

Hopefully Borgen’s return, even to a lost game, can help the Rangers continue their November surge. The team has been hot-and-cold all month long, kicking off November with a 5-2-0 record, then losing four games straight, and then bouncing back to a three-game win-streak that ended on Saturday. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier in the short-term, with matchups against the Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas Golden Knights on deck. Borgen’s hard-earned defense should help New York fight off those strong offenses and continue climbing up the standings.

Hurricanes Reassign Justin Robidas Amid Injury Updates

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The Carolina Hurricanes saw a wave of roster updates come through during Saturday morning’s practice. Notably, winger Justin Robidas was not at practice, as he’s been reassigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Robidas won’t skate in Saturday’s match against the Manitoba Moose but should be back in time for Sunday’s rematch.

Forward William Carrier also missed practice. It is unclear if he has sustained a new injury after appearing in Friday’s win over the Winnipeg Jets. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov did sustain a lower-body injury that forced him out of Friday’s game, and Saturday’s practice. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin also remained out, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff.

In better news, Ruff adds that forward Jordan Staal participated in practice despite being questionable with an illness, and center Jesperi Kotkaniemi continued to work in a non-contact jersey.

Carolina continues to face a heap of injuries despite getting Shayne Gostisbehere and K’Andre Miller back into the lineup recently. They have been forced to play hot potato with much of their lineup, routinely cycling through their lines. The Hurricanes have had six different forward lines, and 10 different defense pairings, play in at least 50 minutes of even-strength ice time this season. Their most-used forward line has been Jordan Martinook, Staal, and Carrier – a trio that could be broken up if Carrier sustained another injury. The most-used defense pairing has been Miller and Sean Walker, who reunited recently after Miller missed six games.

The Hurricanes have felt the brunt of that shuffle over November. They started the month with a 4-1-0 record, but have fallen into a back-and-forth over the last two weeks. Carolina is 4-3-2 in their last nine games, and haven’t won back-to-back games since Novmber 8th and 9th.

Injuries have forced Carolina’s healthy skaters to step up. Sophomore winger Jackson Blake ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 15 points in 24 games. Robidas was also contributing to the offense, netting one assist and a 50 percent faceoff percentage through two games in a bottom-six role.

Robidas now have three points in the first four games of his NHL career, including a pair of games he played in last season. He has been an electric scorer in the minor leagues and currently ranks third on the Wolves with 12 points in 16 games. Chicago is trying to break out of their own November slump, posting a 2-4-0 record over their last six games but winning last Wednesday’s game against the rival Rockford IceHogs by a lofty 8-4. Robidas should help the Wolves keep that offense rolling as they look for better outcomes in December.

Kyle Palmieri Out For Six To Eight Months

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Earlier today, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported (Twitter link) that the Islanders were fearing the worst-case scenario when it came to winger Kyle Palmieri.  That is indeed the case as the team announced that the veteran will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.  The recovery timeline for this procedure is six to eight months, meaning he is out for the remainder of the regular season and multiple playoff rounds (should they get that far) at a minimum.

The veteran was injured in the second period of yesterday’s game against the Flyers.  While trying to get back to the bench, he wound up intercepting the puck and made a quick pass that eventually led to an assist.  Unfortunately for Palmieri and the Isles, it will be his final point of the season, capping his 2025-26 totals at six goals and 12 assists in 25 games.  It will also put an end to his team ironman streak which had lasted 223 consecutive games.

The injury is certainly a big blow to a New York attack that sits in the middle of the pack heading into today’s action.  Palmieri had notched 54 goals over the last two seasons combined which had earned the 34-year-old a two-year, $9.5MM deal back in the spring.  At first glance, either rookie Max Shabanov or veteran Anthony Duclair seem likely to get the first chance to take Palmieri’s spot in their top six forward group.  They should also get center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper body) back before the holiday break.

This is the second major long-term injury for the Isles within the last seven days.  Back on Sunday, it was revealed that defenseman Alexander Romanov would miss five to six months due to shoulder surgery, taking a key veteran off their back end.

The Islanders are carrying a roster that narrowly operates outside LTIR at the moment, checking in with a projection of $32K in cap space, per PuckPedia.  It’s likely that will be changing in the near future if they elect to call someone up from AHL Bridgeport to take Palmieri’s place.  Pierre Engvall, who is out for the season with an ankle injury, is already on LTIR.  With them knowing that his season is over already and Romanov at least eligible for regular LTIR (carrying $3.82MM in potential added flexibility instead of the full contract value), New York shouldn’t get to a point where they need to make a decision on putting Palmieri on season-ending LTIR which would make him ineligible to return late in the playoffs.

But operating in LTIR for the foreseeable future – if not the rest of the season – will have consequences down the road.  Matthew Schaefer and Shabanov have significant performance bonuses in their respective deals ($7MM combined) so any of those will likely now be charged against their 2026-27 books as a team that finishes up the year in LTIR has to take any bonuses earned as a carryover penalty.

Bruins Place Henri Jokiharju On IR, Recall Michael Callahan On Emergency Basis

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More clarity has been provided on defenseman Michael Callahan’s status from the Boston Bruins’ optional skate this morning. Boston announced that Callahan has been recalled on an emergency basis, and the team has placed defenseman Henri Jokiharju on the injured reserve, retroactive to November 28th.

There hasn’t been much insight into the nature of Jokiharju’s injury, though it’s obviously connected to the Bruins’ loss to the New York Rangers yesterday. It’s something that must have been discovered postgame, as the Finnish rearguard tallied one assist while skating in 20:51 of action.

Regardless, it’s another injury to Boston’s defensive core, who’s already without Charlie McAvoy and Jordan Harris. Despite the injuries, the Bruins haven’t relied on Jokiharju too much, as he’s registered six assists in 25 games on the year while averaging 17:23 of ice time.

Additionally, while Jokiharju’s value has typically stemmed from his play on the defensive side of the puck, he has been one of the worst performers in that regard for Boston this season. Of defensemen on the team with more than 20 games played, Jokiharju is second to last on the roster with an 88.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength. This comes after averaging a 90.8% across six years with the Buffalo Sabres.

Meanwhile, Callahan finds himself in a familiar position, albeit on an emergency basis. He’s spent a significant portion of his season serving as a depth defenseman for the Bruins, though he’s only appeared in three contests up to this point. In Providence, Callahan has registered two assists in 12 games with a +6 rating.

Kyle Palmieri Exits Due To Injury

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The New York Islanders announced mid-game that forward Kyle Palmieri will not return, due to a lower body injury. Early in the second period, the veteran hit Jamie Drysdale in the corner along the boards, and as Drysdale went down, he tripped Palmieri, who immediately favored his leg in pain after going down awkwardly. 

In a remarkable effort, despite it looking serious and potentially warranting a stoppage of play, Palmieri picked up his stick and limped to the bench, sneaking up behind Emil Andrae, and catching him completely off guard, stripping the puck and setting up an Emil Heineman goal, where Palmieri rightfully earned an assist. Making it a 3-1 game, the gutsy play sparked a comeback from the Islanders, who managed to tie the game and force overtime. 

At 34, Palmieri remains from a previous era for New York, but as an assistant captain, his presence in the lineup is undeniable. So far this season he has 17 points in 24 games, continuing to produce in a top line role, and currently averaging a career high in ice time, showing the trust Patrick Roy has in the local native. 

Noteworthy is Palmieri’s current consecutive games played streak, 223, good for 19th-best among active players, which is now in jeopardy. With New York having a strong start to the season, they’re already missing Alexander Romanov for several months, and J.G. Pageau is week-to-week. Therefore, updates on Palmieri will be closely watched in the next 24 hours. The Islanders are back in action on Sunday afternoon, hosting the Capitals. 

Lukáš Dostál Out 2-3 Weeks

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Prior to this afternoon’s tilt vs Los Angeles, the Anaheim Ducks announced that goaltender Lukáš Dostál will miss 2-3 weeks due to an upper body injury. The 25-year-old’s ailment led to the recalling of Ville Husso on Wednesday, and now the upstart Ducks, currently atop the Pacific Division, must move forward without their #1 goalie who has played a big part in their resurgence so far this season. 

Without Dostál, the team turns primarily to Petr Mrázek, a highly experienced backup, but in six games so far as a Duck the 33-year-old has not been great, at least up to Anaheim’s current standards, posting a 3-3 record, and a 3.69 GAA. In their first game without Dostál earlier this week, Mrázek allowed four goals in a 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Canucks. 

On the other hand, Husso played well in a small sample size when called upon last season, with a .925 save percentage. The once more-promising goaltender interestingly was signed to a two-year extension worth $2.2MM, highly unusual for a third goalie set to play in the AHL, but now is the time for the Finn to prove his value to the organization. Whether necessary or not, any team with a third netminder having a pedigree such as Husso’s is impressive, and needed in times such as this. 

Sure enough, Husso is set to start today, thrown into action for his first NHL appearance since last April.

As Anaheim has exceeded expectations so far this season despite unfavorable defensive metrics, losing Dostál, an emerging young star, is a real test to see how sustainable their success under Joel Quenneville can be. After the tough news, the team is right back into action this afternoon against their in-state rivals, and it will be up to Mrázek and Husso, two familiar names, to backstop the team as 2025 winds down. 

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