The New York Rangers’ 2023- 24 regular season was their best in franchise history. They won the Metropolitan division with a franchise record 114 points and captured their fourth Presidents Trophy. The Blueshirts swept the Washington Capitals in the first round before eliminating the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the second round.
The Rangers then faced the defending Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers in the conference final. Despite taking a 2-1 series lead, the blue and white fell in six games to the Panthers.
After the blue and white extended their cup drought to 30 years, the squad had their locker clean-out day. While plenty of the Rangers revealed exactly what injuries they had been playing through, one Blueshirt kept it vague.
Rangers: Adam Fox didn’t quite reveal what was wrong
“It was the same knee as the hit before. Just kind of re-aggravated it a little bit. Like I said, I was able to play and just tried to play to the best of my abilities,” Fox said. “Any time you hurt something, maybe you feel a little tentative. As it went on, I thought it got better and tried to create a little more, but definitely, that Carolina series made me a little tentative and thought it got better as it went along.”
Adam Fox via SNY
The 26-year-old hurt his knee when he collided with Nick Jensen during game four of the Rangers first-round matchup and reaggravated an injury that had cost him some time during the regular season.
Fox rested between the first and second rounds and remained in the lineup, but something was clearly bothering him. The New York native ultimately had zero goals and eight assists across 16 playoff games, averaging 23:57 minutes of ice time.
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Fox reportedly had a mild MCL strain
According to a report from Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the injury that Fox had been playing through was a mild MCL strain. The same report described the symptoms of the injury as “swelling, as well as locking or catching of the knee when it’s moved, but it doesn’t usually require surgery.”
By the time the Rangers faced the physical Panthers, it was likely too much for Fox to be as effective as the blue and white had gotten used to. Blueshirts fans can now ponder what it would have been like if Fox had played at 100%.
