Emily Kaplan tweets that the “worst case scenario” with Igor Shesterkin was avoided after he left last night’s game.
Shesterkin will go on IR and will be out for at least seven days.
Adam Fox, apparently also injured last night, is going on LTIR with a lower-body injury. (Baugh)
Fox will be out at least 10 games and 24 Days and will be eligible to return just before the Olympic break.
To correspond with those moves, the Rangers have called up goalie Spencer Martin and recalled Scott Morrow. Brett Berard was sent back to Hartford.
Adam Rotter: Shesterkin sure looked like his season was done last night but luckily it appears to be more of a week to week injury rather than month to month. Had it been something worse he likely also would have gone on LTIR.
The Fox injury is out of nowhere since he was on the ice late in the third period. On his last shift in the third period he made a pass to Artemi Panarin for a one-timer and then defended Sean Durzi in the defensive zone. He went off the ice at 59 seconds. MSG showed him at the end of the bench, near where Jonathan Quick was skating, during the break between regulation and OT and he was with his teammates on the ice skating off after Utah won.
Now the Rangers are without their two best players for this stretch before the Olympic break that will likely determine the direction they take the rest of the season. Maybe they totally pull together, rally and go on a huge winning streak and welcome Shesterkin and eventually Fox back with a playoff spot. But more than likely the Rangers will remain inconsistent, stay at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and face the massive question of whether they will ask Artemi Panarin to waive his no-move clause. Panarin is in control and may not want to leave now, or in the future, but I’d imagine he wants another crack at it in the playoffs. Panarin would almost certainly be the best player available at the deadline, even with his playoff struggles, and that could net the Rangers a nice package.
There will be questions about Vincent Trocheck but unless the Rangers are bowled over with something they can’t pass up, I’d imagine the Rangers will try to return to the playoffs next season and Trocheck would be part of that. Trocheck also has the character and culture that the Rangers are trying to create.