Rangers’ Adam Fox ‘trending’ toward return to lineup against Blue Jackets on Saturday

The top blueliner in Manhattan seems to be nearing his return to the lineup.

When speaking to reporters after morning skate, New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette revealed that defenseman Adam Fox is trending toward appearing in Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Per Peter Baugh of The Athletic, Fox is no longer listed on injured reserve on the NHL media site.

Fox has been on IR since late February with an upper-body injury. He suffered the injury during a game against the rival New York Islanders on Feb. 25, which led to the 27-year-old seeing a season-low 17:48 of ice time. The Blueshirts went on to win the game, 5-1.

Fox has missed the Rangers’ last eight games, in which the team managed to stay afloat, going 3-3-2 during that span, snapping a four-game losing skid with an overtime win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.

Prior to the injury, the Jericho, New York native had played every game this season, scoring five goals and 43 assists for 48 points. He leads Ranger defenders in scoring and is fifth among all NHL defensemen in helpers. Fox had also posted points in each of his last seven appearances, notching eight during that timeframe.

Fox had been having a good stretch of play in February, which also saw him represent the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Americans lost to Canada in the championship game.

Fox has played all five-plus seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers, winning the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2021. In 415 games, he has scored 58 goals and 298 assists for 356 points, including 39 points in 46 postseason contests.

The Rangers’ (32-28-6) meeting with the Blue Jackets is vital. While the two teams are tied for fourth in the Metropolitan Division, Columbus is the one holding the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.