It seems like what you see is what you get in the New York Rangers lineup. Barring any unforeseen trades, the Rangers can’t count on any injured players returning in the near future.
Coach Mike Sullivan said a group of injured Rangers, including goaltender Igor Shesterkin, defenseman Adam Fox, forwards Adam Edstrom and Connor Sheary, have not yet returned to skating.
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When asked a follow-up question about whether anyone in the group could return to the ice soon, such as in the next week or two, the Rangers coach was noncommittal but didn’t sound optimistic.
“I have to check the more specific details because I don’t quite know when they’re going to play, but I think they’re a little bit far away,” Sullivan said after practice Tuesday.
Although not described as such, this appears to be more of an issue with Shesterkin, as he is the only one of the four players without a long-term injury. The 30-year-old goaltender went on IR last week with a serious lower-body injury and is eligible to be activated on Wednesday. Of course, no one expected him to be back so soon, but Sullivan’s comments make it clear that Shesterkin still has a long way to go even if he’s not on LTIR.
While not unexpected, it’s not good news for the Rangers (20-21-6). They have lost four straight games (0-3-1), including a 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth last Monday after Shesterkin left the game in the first period. New York has the lowest scoring percentage among the 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and is in danger of exiting the playoffs early.
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The Rangers have allowed 19 goals in the past three games with Jonathan Quick starting, including 10 goals in a loss to the Boston Bruins last weekend. Sullivan pulled Quick after allowing six goals in that game, while substitute Spencer Martin allowed the final four.
Quick turns 40 this month and Shesterkin’s return isn’t expected anytime soon, with Sullivan admitting managing the veteran goaltender’s workload is a concern.
“It’s just another challenge,” the coach explained. “I’ve talked with ‘Quickie’ about our intentions in this process. He’s really embraced the challenge in front of him. … We’re going to get a feel for that and some of it will be gut instinct as we see it. We want to set up Quickie to be successful and we don’t want to give him a workload that has diminishing returns so you get a smaller version of the player. That’s what we’ve got to do. Watch.”
Rangers try to overcome injuries to key players
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As for other injured Rangers players, Fox suffered a lower-body injury and won’t return from LTIR until late January. Edstrom is sidelined with a lower-body injury he suffered in late November. Sherry suffered a lower-body injury on New Year’s Eve against the Washington Capitals and was seen on crutches heading into the 2026 Winter Classic.
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Additionally, the Rangers scratched Matt Lempey in Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken as his thumb has not fully healed before returning from LTIR on Dec. 15, affecting his on-ice performance.
Captain JT Miller recently returned from missing seven games due to injury and doesn’t look 100 percent. It didn’t help that he was crushed in an unexpected collision with teammate Brayden Schneider on Monday.
“These guys want to play, they want to be in the starting lineup,” Sullivan explained. “The challenge is when players go through injuries like this, figuring out where they are and whether they can make an impact in a positive way.”
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