Rangers activate D Adam Fox from injured reserve

The New York Rangers won’t play again until next week but that didn’t stop them from activating Adam Fox from injured reserve Wednesday. The superstar defenseman was placed on IR at the end of January, missing the final three games before the All-Star break. To make room on the roster, Jarred Tinordi has been sent to the AHL.

In those three games without Fox, the Rangers went 2-1, including an impressive win over the Florida Panthers. The club now sits second in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins on a tiebreaker for home-ice advantage if the playoffs started today. A group loaded with talent from Fox to Artemi Panarin to Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are one of the teams most will be watching as the deadline approaches and rentals are sold off around the league.

Right now, they have a little while to practice and hone their systems before starting what will be a condensed second half. They don’t play until Feb. 15, meaning it will be two weeks between games. Things are very cramped in March, however, with 16 games in a 30-day span. Hopefully, they’ll have Fox available for each and every one as he attempts to defend his Norris Trophy.

Through 44 games, Fox is certainly putting up a good fight. The 23-year-old has already matched his offensive total from last season with 47 points and is once again averaging more than 24 minutes a night for the Rangers. Those 47 points tie him with Victor Hedman for the league lead among defensemen, though both do slightly trail Cale Makar in terms of points-per-game. Since he entered the league in 2019-20, only four defensemen have more points than Fox, and he has quickly helped turn the Rangers from a rebuilding club into a contending one.