The New York Rangers came away with a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, but the win on the standings came with a couple of key losses on the roster due to injuries. Filip Chytil and Adam Fox left the game and did not return and are now both reportedly expected to miss a significant amount of time.
Rangers place Adam Fox on LTIR
According to Vince Mercogliano of LoHud, the Rangers have placed defenseman Adam Fox on LTIR (long-term injured reserve) with a lower-body injury. To qualify for LTIR, a player must be expected to miss at least 10 NHL Games AND 24 days of the NHL season, per Puckpedia.
A Norris Trophy winner in 2020-21, the loss of Fox is a significant one for the Blueshirts. He was off to a stellar start this season, posting 11 points (three goals, eight assists) through the first eight games of the season as New York stormed ahead to an 8-2-0 record.
Fox has missed time in previous seasons of his career. While he did manage to play a full 82 games last season, he played in only 78 games in 2021. However, having been placed on LITR, Fox is expected to miss significantly more time with this injury. The Blueshirts’ defense will not be the same without Fox in the lineup.
Filip Chytil headed to IR
Fox is not the only key Ranger who will be absent from the lineup for an extended period of time. According to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, the Blueshirts also placed forward Filip Chytil on injured reserve.
Chytil suffered an upper-body injury in Thursday night’s matchup with the Hurricane. The 24-year-old center will be out for an unspecified amount of time, but long enough for the team to place him on injured reserve and recall Hartford Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski.
Chytil was still seeking his first goal of the season prior to the injury, however, he had been having an excellent start to the season while playing a new role. Ascending onto the second line this season, Chytil had six assists in eight games and was showing plenty of promise in his expanded role.
The absence of Fox and Chytil is significant. The Rangers will now be without two of their best and most consistent players in the lineup for the foreseeable future, leaving them with decisions to make regarding the construction of their roster for the next several weeks.