Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Horvat, Vladar, Wilson
Today’s letter from the Rangers and subsequent reporting indicated that some veterans will be on the move, winger Artemi Panarin among them. But at first glance, it doesn’t appear as if some of their other notable veterans could be in play on the trade front. Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that five members of their veteran core – goalie Igor Shesterkin, defensemen Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, and centers J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad – all spoke with management today and indicated a desire to remain with the team. All five players are signed through at least the 2028-29 and have no-move clauses in their respective contracts so it’s unlikely that New York will be making multiple moves of significance before the March 6th trade deadline.
More from the Metropolitan:
- It’s now unlikely that Islanders center Bo Horvat will join the team on the back half of their road trip, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter links). The veteran has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the last couple of weeks but since it was doubtful that he’d be cleared to play on the trip, they’ve opted to keep him home. It should be noted that he has not suffered a setback in his recovery. Now, the soft target for a return, if all goes well, will be next Saturday against Buffalo. Despite missing 11 games so far, Horvat still leads the team in goals with 21 and sits second in points with 33.
- Flyers goaltender Daniel Vladar won’t be available on Saturday but isn’t expected to be out much longer, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. He suffered an undisclosed injury on Wednesday and the team believes he’s only out day-to-day. Vladar has done rather well in his first season in Philadelphia, posting a 2.46 GAA and a .908 SV% in 28 games while already setting a new career-high in wins with 16.
- Capitals winger Tom Wilson (lower body) was a full participant in practice today. However, head coach Spencer Carbery indicated to reporters (video link) that he couldn’t confirm if the veteran would be back in the lineup on Saturday. Sidelined for the last five games, Wilson remains Washington’s scoring leader with 22 goals and 20 assists in 41 contests.
New York Rangers To Place Adam Fox On LTIR, Igor Shesterkin On IR
The New York Rangers will place defenseman Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), and place netminder Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve, according to Mollie Walker of The New York Post.
While those injured reserve placements have yet to be officially announced, the Rangers did foreshadow the moves by recalling veteran netminder Spencer Martin and defenseman Scott Morrow from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Rangers also reassigned forward Brett Berard back to the AHL.
The Rangers lost in overtime to the Utah Mammoth yesterday, and Shesterkin left that game with a non-contact lower-body injury.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported today that Shesterkin “avoided” the “worst-case scenario” with his injury, but is still being evaluated.
Any potential extended absence of Shesterkin would deal a massive, potentially fatal blow to the Rangers’ hopes of returning to the playoffs in 2025-26.
The 2021-22 Vezina Trophy winner has started 34 games for New York this season, posting a .913 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against-average.
He’s widely considered to be among the league’s finest netminders, a status reflected by the eight-year, $11.5MM AAV contract extension he signed in December of 2024.
While the Rangers have a veteran backup in Jonathan Quick who has been stellar this season (.919 save percentage in 11 games), he hasn’t had to handle a significant workload since he was a member of the Los Angeles Kings. The three-time Stanley Cup champion made just 20 starts last season and 26 the year before. For as long as Shesterkin is out with this injury, Quick will now be counted on as the Rangers’ No. 1 goalie.
Supporting Quick in the crease is Martin, a 30-year-old veteran with 66 games of NHL experience. Martin was the No. 3 goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes last season but couldn’t find an NHL role for 2025-26 last summer, so he signed with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. Martin left CSKA and signed with the Rangers in November. He went 5-6-2 with a .905 save percentage in the KHL, and has a .903 save percentage in six games played for the Wolf Pack this season.
The Rangers could have also opted to recall 23-year-old Dylan Garand to the NHL to fill Shesterkin’s vacated roster spot, as the former CHL Goalie of the Year has been quite good in Hartford over the last few years and could be NHL-ready at this point. But seeing as Quick is likely to start most of the games in Shesterkin’s absence, it’s understandable that the Rangers would rather recall Martin, the veteran, and let Garand continue to get a steady diet of starts and develop at the AHL level.
While we don’t know how long Shesterkin is set to be out for, we do have a slightly more clear timeline regarding Fox. The 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner missed most of December with an upper-body injury, one that landed him on LTIR. He’ll now return to LTIR, this time with a lower-body injury, after just three games played. LTIR rules stipulate that Fox must now miss at least 10 games or 24 days of action. According to Walker’s report, Fox will be re-evaluated when he is eligible to be activated.
Replacing Fox on the Rangers’ roster is Morrow, who the team acquired this past summer as part of the K’Andre Miller trade. Morrow was ranked as the NHL’s No. 33 skater prospect by the team at Elite Prospects this past August, a billing he earned after scoring 39 points in 52 AHL games in his first full season playing pro hockey. The 23-year-old hasn’t been able to translate that level of production from the Hurricanes organization to New York, scoring just five points in 14 games in Hartford and three points in 16 games for the Rangers.
The Rangers at times gave Morrow a look quarterbacking their power play while Fox was injured, but he was unable to seize that role. With Fox now set to miss around a month or more, Morrow could get another look in that role.
The final player involved in transactions today is Berard. The 23-year-old has split time between Hartford and New York this season, skating in 20 games for the Wolf Pack (nine points scored) and 12 games for the Rangers (zero points). He’s a pending restricted free agent who was recalled at the start of 2026 and was dressed for the team’s Jan. 2 victory over the Florida Panthers.
He was a healthy scratch for yesterday’s loss to Utah. Newsday’s Colin Stephenson noted today that Berard’s reassignment leaves the Rangers short of spare forwards, which could suggest that one, or both, of injured forwards J.T. Miller and Noah Laba may be close to returning.
Photos courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Rangers Activate Adam Fox, Reassign Scott Morrow
Dec. 31: The Rangers announced that defenseman Scott Morrow has been assigned to AHL Hartford, indicating Fox will be activated from long-term injured reserve and return to the lineup tonight against the Caps. Morrow had been up since just before Fox exited the lineup and had gotten a few reps as New York’s top power play quarterback in Fox’s absence, but the 23-year-old transition defender remained relatively unproductive.
As the Blueshirts’ most dynamic defense prospect continues to shift between the NHL and AHL, he’s up to three assists and a -1 rating in 16 games in the top flight this season while averaging 15:34 of ice time per game.
Dec. 30: The New York Rangers might soon be able to put a nightmare injury behind them. Star defenseman Adam Fox has been designated as a game-time decision for Wednesday’s match against the Washington Capitals, per Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic. Fox has missed the last 14 games with a shoulder injury sustained on Nov. 29.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan called Fox a “very difficult guy to replace,” speaking with Mollie Walker of The New York Post. That sentiment has reflected on the scoreboard for the Rangers, who have a 6-5-3 record and 34-to-39 goal differential since Fox’s injury.
Even after a month out of the lineup, the 2021 Norris Trophy winner still ranks third on the Rangers in scoring with 26 points in 27 games. Fox was tied with Artemi Panarin for the scoring lead at the time of his injury. He was also riding a six-game scoring streak that saw him rack up 10 assists, including one in the game he was injured.
Fox could keep that scoring streak rolling with a strong return from injury. He has been taking practice reps alongside Vladislav Gavrikov, who stepped up as New York’s top defender in December. Gavrikov averaged 25:11 in ice time over the last month, the seventh-most of all defensemen in the NHL. That run included Gavrikov reaching nearly 29 minutes of ice time in New York’s December 20th shootout-win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Fox should help shoulder that load and could find a chance to ease back into minutes against a Capitals team that New York beat 7-3 last week.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images.
Metro Notes: Barzal, Berard, Crookshank, Fox
There may be some supplemental discipline coming from tonight’s contest between the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders. Early in the second period, Islanders’ Mathew Barzal was given a five-minute major and a 10-minute game misconduct for slashing Blue Jackets forward Mason Marchment (X Link).
Additionally, the penalty was retaliatory in nature. Marchment was assessed a tripping penalty shortly after sticking his leg out as Islanders’ rookie Matthew Schaefer was attempting to skate the puck out of the zone. The video for each event can be found here.
It’s always difficult to theorize whether the NHL’s Department of Player Safety will use suspension as a punishment or not, but they haven’t been scared to fine Barzal in the past. The Islanders’ second-highest scorer has been fined four times throughout his career, with the most recent coming during the 2023-24 season when he high-sticked current teammate, Tony DeAngelo. Given that he was ejected from the contest, Barzal could be facing the fifth fine of his 10-year career.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- It’s not uncommon for teams to shift around their roster coming out of the holiday break, and the New York Rangers are no different. This morning, the Rangers announced that they’ve reassigned Brett Berard to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. He’s gone scoreless over 11 games this year in New York, and didn’t play throughout the duration of his recent recall.
- Similar to the Rangers, the New Jersey Devils also moved a depth forward back to the AHL today. New Jersey announced that they’ve reassigned Angus Crookshank back to the AHL’s Utica Comets. Unlike Berard, Crookshank played in multiple games throughout his recall, which began on December 5th. He scored one goal in eight games, averaging 8:36 of ice time per game.
- Back with the Rangers, the team could be getting a huge boost to their defensive core by the end of the week. According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, Rangers defenseman Adam Fox has been downgraded to day-to-day and could return tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes. Fox, who hasn’t played since November 29 due to an upper-body injury, has missed the last 13 games for New York. He scored three goals and 26 points in 27 games before the injury.
Injury Notes: Vejmelka, Horvat, Fox
Shortly before tonight’s game in Colorado, the Utah Mammoth shared that starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka is unable to play, due to an upper-body injury. Vítek Vaněček has gotten the start, looking to improve upon his 2-7-1 record this season.
As such occurred on short notice, the team signed Utah native Colten McIntyre to an Amateur Try-Out Agreement. McIntyre, 21, will live out a dream tonight having played in the NA3HL and EHL, at the Tier 3 Junior A level, fairly different than #2 goaltender against the best team in the NHL.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Islanders forward Bo Horvat was a participant in practice this morning, donning a non-contact jersey, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post. The center hasn’t played since December 11, leaving mid-game due to a lower-body injury. Fearing the worst, the club received favorable news on his diagnosis, and Horvat should return by early January. Despite showing some regression last season, the 30-year-old has 31 points in 32 games, and will be a huge boost for an Islanders group which has continued to win and exceed expectations.
- Another New York star was spotted this morning in a non-contact jersey, albeit elsewhere, as Adam Fox eases back in from his shoulder injury (shared by Mollie Walker of The New York Post). The defenseman first returned to practice last week, having been absent all of December. With 23 points in 27 games, Fox was playing at peak level prior to going down, and while they do not want to rush him, New York is facing mounting pressure to get their season on track which has been pushed back without their hometown hero. Fox will most likely return after the New Year.
Rangers’ Artemi Panarin Out, Adam Fox Returns To Practice
The New York Rangers will be without both of their stars up front in Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues. On top of an injury to top defender Adam Fox, the Rangers will also be without top winger Artemi Panarin, who is out with an illness per Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Fox, who has missed the last eight games with a shoulder injury, did make his return to practice in a non-contact jersey on Thursday per Baugh.
Missing their top two skaters will only pull the Rangers lower. New York has struggled with Fox on the shelf, posting a 3-3-2 record and 17-to-24 goal differential in his absence. Panarin has been the heart of the offense in those games, with eight points – all scored at even-strength – and over 21 minutes of average ice time. Without him, New York will be forced to lean on Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, who both have two goals and six points in the last eight games. Zibanajed will have a little extra motivation to perform, after being scratched in New York’s Tuesday loss to the Vancouver Canucks for disciplinary reasons.
Despite a tough game ahead, the Rangers’ struggles shouldn’t carry on for too long. Panarin should return to a top-line role when New York returns home on Saturday. Fox could be shortly behind him. He’ll have six games left to return before December ends. The return of the former Norris Trophy winner should quickly bring the Rangers back to life. Fox was riding a six-game scoring streak prior to his injury – netting 10 points, all assists, in that span. New York had an 8-7-0 record and 44-to-42 goal differential throughout November, leaning heavily on both Panarin and Fox.
Rangers Face Uphill Battle With Adam Fox On LTIR
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.
Snapshots: Fox On IR, Ekman-Larsson, Blue Jackets
1:00 PM: Further updates have come on Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, as per Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, the star will be placed on long-term injured reserve. Fox is expected to miss multiple weeks due to the shoulder injury. ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan shared that, at least, a longer term injury was avoided, and Fox should be set for the Olympics. However, it is a major blow to the struggling team nonetheless, to trudge into December without their #1 defenseman.
The 27-year-old alternate captain is tied for the Rangers’ team lead in points, with 26 in 27 games. In a season which has certainly not gone to plan, Fox has been a bright spot, playing at a franchise level, right on track with his best production to this point, which has been the 70+ point level.
Now, eyes may turn to GM Chris Drury to make a move to help out a seriously deflated defense corps, which has come at such an inopportune time. While questions exist on if Rangers can even keep up healthy or not, the franchise is at a serious crossroads. Now with Fox going down, Drury’s hand could be forced to try and provide reinforcements, although further mortgaging the future in an attempt to right the ship would be risky, as prior such moves to this point have already not panned out as initially hoped.
10:00 AM: The New York Rangers have not played up to expectation thus far in 2025-26, and their chances of making a serious push to climb the Eastern Conference standings may have taken a serious hit yesterday. Fox left yesterday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with an injury, and head coach Mike Sullivan told the media after the game, including Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, that Fox has suffered an upper-body injury and is still being evaluated.
While we are still waiting on official word on the extent of Fox’s injury, Daily Faceoff’s Arthur Staple cited sources this morning who said that Fox’s injury situation “doesn’t look good.” If Fox does indeed miss any kind of extended time, the Rangers would be left in an even more perilous position. Fox, the 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner, quarterbacks the Rangers’ top power play unit, a unit that the team has been heavily reliant on during its most recent competitive period. The team’s third-leading scorer, Mika Zibanejad, has been highly reliant on the power play for most of the offense he generates, so in the absence of Fox, it’d be fair to wonder where the Rangers’ offensive production will come from. The club doesn’t have another player with clear-cut power play quarterback ability. The team’s No. 2 defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov scored 30 points last season, but would be an imperfect fit in that role. Prospect Scott Morrow has gotten into some NHL games and has that kind of natural offensive ability, but Mercogliano wrote on Nov. 15 that “the early whispers” he’d heard from AHL Hartford regarding Morrow’s play were not “overly positive.” Morrow, who was ranked as the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect by Elite Prospects entering the season, has three points in 12 AHL games this season and one point in four NHL games.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson couldn’t finish yesterday’s win over the Pittsburgh Penguins due to an upper-body injury, head coach Craig Berube told the media yesterday. (via The Hockey News’ David Alter) Berube added that Ekman-Larsson would be evaluated today and that the injury isn’t expected to be serious. If the Maple Leafs lose Ekman-Larsson for any time due to this injury, it would cost them a very valuable player. Ekman-Larsson has been stellar in 2025-26, scoring 20 points in 25 games. That’s a 66-point pace over 82 games, a steep increase from the 29 points he scored in all of 2024-25. Ekman-Larsson also contributes on the penalty kill, albeit on a less regular basis compared to his contributions on the man advantage. The 34-year-old has two seasons left on his deal beyond this one at a $3.5MM AAV rate.
- Columbus Blue Jackets team reporter Jeff Svoboda reported today that veterans Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan did not participate in today’s practice, and that the two players “have been battling through some things of late.” Werenski has been managing an upper-body injury, but thus far it hasn’t impacted his ability to dress for games. Werenski is Columbus’ most important player, skating in 26:30 per game with 24 points in 25 contests. Monahan dealt with an upper-body injury earlier in November, but it’s unclear at this time if his current ailment is related to what he was managing earlier this month. The 31-year-old pivot has had a slower-than-expected start to 2025-26, scoring just 11 points in 25 games. He scored 57 points in 54 games last season and was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for 2024-25.
New York Rangers Expected To Have Busy Offseason
According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the New York Rangers are expected to be one of the busier teams this offseason, along with the Buffalo Sabres, Seattle Kraken, and Utah Mammoth.
That wasn’t the only assertion Staple made in his report. He indicated that General Manager Chris Drury will look to shake up the roster and lists Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, and Artemi Panarin as the only true untouchables on the roster.
The news comes with little surprise given that the trio was inarguably the top three performers on a disappointing Rangers team this past season. Still, outside of those three, it would make little sense for New York to part ways with the likes of J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck, or Gabriel Perreault, either, for various reasons.
Additionally, moving on from higher-priced players such as Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière could prove difficult this offseason, given the Rangers would undoubtedly be selling low on either piece. However, if New York frees up some cap space, Staple believes they already have a target in place.
Vladislav Gavrikov, who has spent the last two-and-a-half years with the Los Angeles Kings, would immediately become an interest for the Rangers with more cap flexibility. Gavrikov has already indicated he’d like to sign a longer-term extension with Los Angeles, but the new regime led by Ken Holland could have different ideas.
The Russian defensive defenseman would immediately become one of the top options on the blue line in a thin free agent class. Gavrikov averaged above a 50.0% mark in CorsiFor% at even strength during this time with the Kings, and an on-ice save percentage at even strength of 91.6%.
Given that the Rangers finished 27th in the league in shots against and 25th in high-danger scoring chances against during the 2024-25 season, Gavrikov would help alleviate many of their issues. Still, assuming Gavrikov signs around the projected mark between $6.5MM and $7.5MM, the Rangers would have difficulty making that work at the present with only $8.4MM in cap space heading into the offseason.
Rangers Activate Adam Fox Off Injured Reserve
The Rangers will welcome back a key cog of their back end to the lineup tonight in a crucial game against Columbus. Mollie Walker of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Adam Fox has been activated off injured reserve, meaning he is ready to return.
The 27-year-old had missed the last eight games due to an upper-body injury that was believed to be a shoulder issue. While Fox isn’t producing at the same level as in previous years that saw him surpass the 70-point mark for three straight seasons, he’s still tied for second on the team in scoring among full-season Rangers (tied with Mika Zibanejad, behind Artemi Panarin) with 48 points in 58 outings while averaging over 23 minutes a night of playing time.
Fox’s absence has also coincided with a stark drop in production for New York’s power play; the team played to a 2/26 mark with the man advantage in his absence. While the Rangers’ power play success rate isn’t the highest – they sit 24th in the league in that category – getting their top option at the point back can only help.
Tonight’s contest is critical for both teams with the Rangers and Blue Jackets tied for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with Columbus holding the tiebreaker so Fox’s return is certainly timely. It’s expected he’ll take the place of newcomer Carson Soucy who is slated to be a healthy scratch.