- The New York Post’s Mollie Walker relays word from New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette that Adam Fox and Filip Chytil are both progressing from their injuries, but have not returned to skating yet. That means any return to game action is still a ways off, though it is encouraging that Laviolette appears to expect both to return to the Rangers without any massive absence. With Fox on LTIR after a nasty collision against the Hurricanes, there was some worry in the New York market that their top defenseman’s season was in question. Now, based on Laviolette’s comments, it appears Fox’s season is not in danger.
- Walker also delivered an update on Rangers star netminder Igor Shesterkin, who is out with an injury of his own. Walker reports that Shesterkin skated this morning, although he’s not quite ready to return to full game action. As a result, Jonathan Quick will start for the Rangers tonight against the Detroit Red Wings, while veteran Louis Domingue will serve as the backup.
Rangers Rumors
New York Rangers Recall Connor Mackey
The New York Rangers have recalled defenseman Connor Mackey to the NHL. Mackey has played in seven games with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, to start the season. He’s recorded two points, 17 penalty minutes, and a +8 through those seven games.
Mackey’s recall comes in the wake of Adam Fox’s move to injured reserve. Fox is expected to miss two to four weeks with a lower-body injury after an awkward collision with Carolina’s Sebastian Aho. His absence is a huge blow to a Rangers defense that doesn’t have much of a sting beyond their Norris Trophy-winning defenseman. To add insult to injury, the Rangers’ Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Igor Shesterkin is also currently out with injury.
The capable hands of K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba will step into the team’s top pair in Fox’s absence but there’s reason to be less confident in the four roster spots behind them. Ryan Lindgren has appeared in 10 games for New York this season, scoring a sole assist and recording a -2 while averaging just shy of 20 minutes each game. Zachary Jones has also found his way into the NHL lineup, playing in two games so far this year but failing to score a point and recording a -3.
Mackey’s recall gives New York more options to patch the holes on their back-end. He has appeared in 39 career NHL games, most recently playing 20 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season. He’s scored 11 points and recorded 70 penalty minutes in those 39 games, including four points and 39 penalty minutes last season. Mackey is an undrafted defender, originally signed by the Calgary Flames following three strong years with Minnesota State-Mankato.
New York Rangers Assign Three Players To AHL
4:18 PM: The Rangers announce that all three players have been recalled from Hartford.
9:15 AM: The New York Rangers have reassigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack: forward Jonny Brodzinski, defenseman Connor Mackey, and goaltender Louis Domingue. The trio of players were recalled on November 3rd for the team’s eventual shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Brodzinski filled in as the team’s third-line center with Filip Chytil injured and veteran Barclay Goodrow away from the team to be with his wife for the birth of their child. Mackey was recalled to serve as the team’s seventh defenseman due to the Adam Fox injury, and Domingue was recalled in order to back up Jonathan Quick, due to an injury to starter Igor Shesterkin.
Now the three players have been returned to Hartford with just Brodzinski managing to skate in an NHL game. These reassignments are of significant consequence for the Wolf Pack, who rely on Brodzinski as their captain and offensive engine. (he has six goals, 11 points in seven games) Mackey plays a top-four role in Hartford while Domingue splits starts with prospect Dylan Garand.
For the Rangers, the return of Brodzinski to the minors indicates that, at the very least, Goodrow is ready to return to the lineup. Chytil could still take some time to recover from his injury, though it’s not expected to keep him out long-term.
As for the situation in net, Domingue’s reassignment indicates that Shesterkin could be ready to at least take up backup duties for the Rangers’ next game, which is Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.
Beyond the lineup implications, these reassignments have an impact on the Rangers’ salary cap situation. USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano reports that these reassignments mean that the Rangers no longer have to dip into their pool of newly available cap space (due to placing Fox on LTIR) and as a result, the team is now able to accrue cap space.
New York Rangers Place Adam Fox On LTIR, Filip Chytil On IR
In unfortunate news for the New York Rangers, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today is reporting the team will place defenseman Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve. In a follow-up note, Mercogliano also relays the team is also expected to place forward Filip Chytil on injured reserve, meaning he will be out for at least the next week.
After colliding with Sebastian Aho in last night’s win against the Carolina Hurricanes, the expectation is that Fox will miss the next two to four weeks with a lower-body injury. It is a massive blow to a rolling Rangers team, who have won their last six games and sit at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
Fox continues to score at a rapid pace, scoring three goals and eight assists in the team’s first 10 games, averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time per night. With nine of those points coming on the powerplay, he is one of the primary reasons the team’s powerplay is humming at a solid 32.43% success rate to start the year.
The team does have other defensemen they can lean on for the time being, such as K’Andre Miller, who has provided the team with one goal and six assists through the first 10 games, but no other defenseman on the roster truly offers what Fox is able to bring to the team. One of the best offensive contributors in the league on the blue line, New York will have to go the next couple of weeks without one of their most important players.
Chytil, on the other hand, is also another important piece to have missing, but it will likely only be for the next three games. Sitting sixth on the team in scoring so far, Chytil has six assists on the year, without yet scoring a goal. In the meantime, due to their depth at the center position, Chytil’s spot in the lineup will likely be filled by Vincent Trocheck between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere.
New York Rangers Recall Louis Domingue, Connor Mackey
In preparation for the team’s game tomorrow night against the Minnesota Wild, the New York Rangers announce they have recalled goaltender Louis Domingue and defenseman Connor Mackey from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. In the same announcement, the team also noted that forward Barclay Goodrow would not be in the lineup, as he and his wife are preparing for the imminent birth of their son.
After spending a season in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, Domingue joined the Rangers on a two-year, $1.55MM contract back in the summer of 2022. Last season, spending all year with their AHL affiliate in Hartford, Domingue did well with a 22-12-8 record, posting a .911 SV% and a 2.51 GAA. With sufficient goaltending depth at the NHL level, Domingue will likely only be on the team for tomorrow’s game, before continuing his season in the minor leagues.
Mackey, on the other hand, is in his first season with the Rangers organization, signing a one-year, $775K contract this summer after being traded from the Calgary Flames to the Arizona Coyotes at last season’s trade deadline. He’s been a solid addition to the Wolf Pack this season, scoring one goal and one assist in seven games while also holding a +8 rating.
The team shouldn’t miss Goodrow too much for a single game, as he has yet to score a point in 10 games so far this year, typically playing on the team’s fourth line next to Nick Bonino and Jimmy Vesey. The team is currently on a six-game winning streak and sits alone at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
New York Rangers Recall Jonny Brodzinski
The New York Rangers recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday, according to a team announcement.
Brodzinski’s recall comes after the Rangers lost defenseman Adam Fox and center Filip Chytil to injuries in yesterday’s win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Chytil left the contest with an upper-body injury after colliding with Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast and did not return. The 24-year-old Czech had been elevated to top-six duties, centering a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière. He had six assists through ten games while averaging nearly 16 minutes per game.
The Rangers already had an extra forward on the roster that could draw into the lineup, Tyler Pitlick, but he’s been a healthy scratch for eight out of ten games this season. Unlike Pitlick, Brodzinski is a natural center – the position at which the Rangers will need some depth with Chytil sidelined.
The team has not issued a timeline for Chytil’s return to the lineup, nor have they confirmed that he’ll miss time. However, recalling Brodzinski certainly isn’t a good sign for his availability for Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.
Brodzinski, 30, serves as the Wolf Pack’s captain and leads the team in scoring with six goals and 11 points in seven contests. His four years with the Rangers organization have been spent mainly in Hartford, although he has made 44 NHL appearances in that time, recording five points.
It’s his time in the minors that’s borne the most fruit, however. The minor-league mainstay has notched over a point per game in all four of his campaigns with Hartford, including this season, and has 253 points in 304 career AHL games since turning pro in 2015.
The Minnesota-born center has also spent time with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks organizations, amassing 17 points in 101 career NHL games. He was initially a Kings draft selection, taken 148th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Filip Chytil Leaves Game With Upper Body Injury
The Toronto Maple Leafs have tweeted that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has left tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins and won’t be returning. It is the second time in less than a week that the 24-year-old has had to leave a game with an injury as he was forced to exit a game last week against the Nashville Predators with what was described as an upper body injury.
Liljegren’s injury tonight is being called a lower body injury, but it appears likely it is something in his foot or ankle. The injury happened in the dying moments of the first period as Liljegren and forward Brad Marchand of the Bruins were skating towards the corner and engaging in a puck battle. Marchand appears to give Liljegren the can opener before the Maple Leafs defenseman goes awkwardly into the boards. The move from Marchand was essentially a trip as he appeared to put his stick between Liljegren’s legs and force him to the ice. Liljegren’s skates then smashed into the end boards, likely causing his injury.
In other injury notes:
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil is done for tonight’s game after colliding with Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast in the first period of the matchup this evening. Chytil left with what is being described as an upper-body injury and was last seen on the Rangers bench in obvious pain before leaving the game. The 24-year-old center has six assists in nine games this season and has been working primarily as the team’s second-line center. Should he be out for any period it is likely that Vincent Trocheck was moved up to the second line in his absence.
- The Ottawa Senators have tweeted that young forward Ridly Greig left tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with a lower-body injury and did not return. The news was similar for Greig’s teammate Mark Kastelic who also suffered a lower-body injury and was unable to get back onto the ice. Senators coach D.J. Smith offered an update on both players that was covered by Murray Pam of Full Press Hockey. Smith said that he figures both Greig and Kastelic will miss a few games due to their ailments. Greig has been filling in admirably for the suspended Shane Pinto and has registered two goals and five assists in eight games while Kastelic has no points and 21 PIM in eight games this year. Given the Senators’ predicament, it does seem likely that the team will have to recall some players from the Belleville Senators of the AHL.
Rangers’ Fox Leaves Game And Won’t Return
The New York Rangers have tweeted that superstar defenseman Adam Fox has left tonight’s contest against the Carolina Hurricanes and will not return due to a lower-body injury. Fox collided with Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho in what appeared to be a shin-on-shin incident and left with about 7:51 left in the first period of the affair. Fox played two more shifts after the collision and looked to be laboring before exiting with about 5:30 left in the first period.
There was no penalty on the play, which was a collision in which Fox thought that Aho may have stuck his leg out. In the video, it doesn’t appear as though Aho moves his knee or attempts to change the course of his blade. Aho does appear to attempt to engage Fox physically but misses him with his upper body causing their legs to collide.
In any event, it’s an unfortunate outcome for Fox and the Rangers as the young defenseman came into tonight’s game tied for the lead in scoring amongst all NHL defensemen with three goals and eight assists in 10 games. Fox finished second in Norris Trophy voting last season behind eventual winner Erik Karlsson as the native of Jericho, New York posted 12 goals and 60 assists in 82 games.
In the absence of Fox, it appears that fellow defenseman Erik Gustafsson will take over Fox’s role on the Rangers top powerplay. While Gustafsson is a competent offensive contributor, his capabilities with the man advantage are a massive drop off from that of the 2021 Norris Trophy winner. Gustafsson had seven goals and 35 assists in 70 games last season with 14 of those points coming with the man advantage.
The Rangers don’t play until Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild and one would have to think there should be an update on Fox’s injury status prior to the puck drop in Minnesota Saturday night.
Braden Schneider Set To Lose Waiver Exemption
- Standout New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider is one game removed from losing his waiver exemption status. This means that the Rangers are facing the decision of whether Schneider is a full-time NHL player or not, although he’s appeared in all eight of the Rangers’ games so far this season, netting two points. There’s no expectation that Schneider will lose his roster spot as a result of this news.
[SOURCE LINK]
Dunc Wilson Passes Away
Inaugural Vancouver Canucks starting netminder Dunc Wilson has passed away at age 75, the NHL Alumni Association announced yesterday evening.
Born in Toronto, Wilson made his NHL debut in the 1969-70 campaign, stopping 23 of 26 shots in a lone appearance for the Flyers. The 22-year-old would then be a Canucks expansion draft selection when they entered the league in 1970, splitting crease duties evenly with 37-year-old Charlie Hodge in the franchise’s first season. He took over as the full-time starter for Vancouver in 1971-72, recording the first shutout in franchise history and playing in a career-high 53 games. He remained in Vancouver through 1973, after which he served in backup roles for the Maple Leafs and Rangers through much of the mid-1970s. Just prior to the 1976-77 season, Wilson was traded from New York to the Penguins, where he would post a career-high 18 wins, .906 SV%, 2.95 GAA, and five shutouts, placing him fourth in All-Star team voting among netminders.
Wilson was transferred back to the Canucks early in the 1978-79 campaign, which would be his last playing pro hockey. It was a premature end, in part due to an extensive surgery required to treat skin cancer. Wilson sued the Canucks soon after his retirement, alleging improper treatment of the original mole that caused the cancer, but was unsuccessful.
Like many goalies, Wilson had quite the personality – often described as “rebellious,” he didn’t let his 5-foot-11 frame stop him from appearing in nearly 300 NHL contests, even if smaller goalies were the norm in his playing days. PHR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.