Rangers Place Shesterkin on IR, Fox on LTIR, Recall Scott Morrow and Spencer Martin
The post–Winter Classic glow vanished quickly, as the Rangers place Igor Shesterkin on IR, Adam Fox on LTIR, and scramble to plug holes with reinforcements from Hartford.
The joy following the New York Rangers' victory at the 2026 NHL Winter Classic was short-lived. Following the team's 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth, the team has placed Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve and Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve, both with lower-body injuries. In response, they have recalled goaltender Spencer Martin and defenseman Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack.
#NYR are placing Igor Shesterkin on IR due to his lower-body injury, with the evaluation process continuing and the hope that it won't be anything too long-term.
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) January 6, 2026
Bigger and more surprising news is that Adam Fox is going on LTIR with a lower-body injury, per source.
Shesterkin, the less surprising of the two moves, left the Blueshirts' game against the Mammoth early after JJ Peterka crashed into him in the first period.
The initial hit looked bad, as Shesterkin immediately pounded the ice in agony and needed help walking to the locker room. While it took some time for the news to come out, no one should be surprised to see him placed on IR. Shesterkin was having a strong season with a .913 save percentage—eighth best in the NHL—and the second most goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
I’m sure people will be attacking Peterka, but he didn’t really make much contact with Igor.
— Cap’n Cook (@JazzePinkman) January 6, 2026
Hopefully Shesterkin will be alright🙏 pic.twitter.com/q85TjQVnXy
However, Adam Fox heading to long-term injured reserve was not something fans saw coming.
The Rangers had just gotten Fox back from an upper-body injury that kept him off the ice for fourteen games. While Fox did play all of regulation in the Rangers' loss against the Mammoth, he did not take a shift in overtime.
In his three games back, he recorded two points, both of which were in the team's loss against the Washington Capitals. Fox's strong season, which consists of 28 points in 30 games, will now be shut down for a minimum of 10 games or 24 days.
As a result, goaltender Spencer Martin and Scott Morrow are on the way as reinforcements.
UPDATE: Spencer Martin and Scott Morrow have been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Brett Berard has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) January 6, 2026
Morrow has spent plenty of time with the Blueshirts this season appearing in 16 games, the most recent of being against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 29. So far this season, Morrow has three assists, but is still in search of his first goal.
Spencer Martin will be heading to the Big Apple for the second time this season. Martin first signed with the organization in November and was called up to serve as Shesterkin's backup while Quick spent time on IR. Martin didn't see any game time at the NHL level but has a .903 save percentage in six games with the Wolf Pack this season.
Also curious is the Rangers' decision to send down Brett Berard to Harford. Berard has played in 12 games so far this season and is still in search of his point. He posted 10 points in 35 games last season, and was viewed as likely to make the team before the season started, at least until Conor Sheary was signed to a PTO.
The Rangers' next game is Thursday at MSG against the Buffalo Sabres, where they will have to face a team that had won 10 games in a row before dropping their last outing, and they'll be doing it without two of their best.
