The New York Rangers have had plenty of ups and downs this season, yet still find themselves in the mix of the playoff hunt. The Rangers are 19-17-4 through 40 games this season, good enough for 42 points, tied for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Even though they are still in the running, the Rangers haven't shown the consistency to feel confident about their chances of making the playoffs.
It certainly doesn't help that they are without two of their stars.
Defenseman Adam Fox has been sidelined since getting injured on a shoulder-to-shoulder check on Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was placed on the long-term injured reserve back on Dec. 1. Meanwhile, team captain J.T. Miller suffered an injury after taking a big hit from Nick Seeler of the Philadelphia Flyers, resulting in him wearing a cast and sling.
Not only do these injuries affect the Rangers, but also Team USA. Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan is leading Team USA, and will have to finalize the roster in the coming days before the Winter Olympics this February. Miller and Fox figured to be prominent figures on the USA roster, but will these injuries affect their statuses for the Olympics?
Will J.T. Miller and Adam Fox make Team USA roster despite injuries?
Speaking to reporters on Monday before the Rangers' game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Sullivan was asked about whether the injuries Fox and Miller are dealing with are affecting their status on the Team USA roster. Sullivan provided a bit of a vague answer.
"I think there's a process that's put in place to account for those types of circumstances. In the event that players get injured along the way, there is opportunity to add players to the roster and that's all taken into consideration when these types of decisions are made," said Sullivan, h/t Mollie Walker of the New York Post. "...I think when you look at a lot of these players, there's a significant body of work that that these guys have built over the course of the last handful of years, and most recently, and all of those things are taken into consideration."
Sullivan will have to come to a decision whether Fox and Miller will make it onto the roster very soon. The deadline to finalize the roster is this Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Fox seemed like a virtual lock to make the roster, given his status as one of the top defenders in the game. Yes, he did have some gaffes in the 4 Nations Face-Off, particularly in the finals against Canada, but he is still one of the best at his craft. Fox is set to miss his 14th game on Monday night, but he has recently participated fully in a practice this past Saturday.
As for Miller, Sullivan did expect the captain to join the team soon. Miller was in the midst of a rough season for the Rangers. He suffered an injury in the preseason, and admitted it affected his play early on in the season. Miller missed two games back in late November due to an upper body injury. Since suffering the injury against the Flyers, Miller has missed three games.
Rangers and hockey fans will get their answers as to who made the cut for Team USA in a matter of days. It will be interesting to see if Sullivan carves out spots for Fox and Miller to make the trip to Milan, Italy.