In one giant swoop, the injury bug has hit the Rangers. Winners of six straight entering Saturday night’s match at the Wild, they’ll be without two key players for a while.

A day after leaving Thursday night’s 2-1 win over the Hurricanes, Adam Fox was placed on the long-term injured reserve by the Rangers. By moving him to LTIR, that means Fox will miss at least the next 10 games. He won’t be eligible to return until Nov. 29.

The severity of Fox’s injury still isn’t known. The 25-year-old defenseman is second in team scoring with 11 points (3-8-11). That includes nine power play points. Losing the former Norris winner for any length of time could dramatically affect the Rangers’ man-advantage. They’re ranked third in the NHL with a 32.4 percent connect rate.

Gustafsson Likely to Get First Chance

Without Fox to run the point on the top unit, it’ll likely be Erik Gustafsson, who gets the first chance. A capable offensive defenseman who’s had success under Rangers’ coach Peter Laviolette in Washington, the 31-year-old Swede replaced Fox on the power play on Nov. 2. The left-shooting Gustafsson can fire it from the top. He’s also capable of moving the puck to set up both Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad.

The Rangers still boast strong power play weapons, including Chris Kreider, Panarin, Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck. Maybe adding a left shot won’t be such a bad thing. However, they’ll lose some of Fox’s creativity and patience. He’s superb at reading the play and making the right decision with the puck. Kreider’s made a living in front thanks to Fox’s wrist shot that he’s excellent at deflecting for power-play goals.

More Pressure on Defense

Losing Fox for any length of time will put more pressure on a blue line that still features Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Gustafsson, and Braden Schneider. All stepped up in the victory over Carolina.

While Laviolette can keep Miller and Trouba paired together, he’ll have to get creative with Lindgren, who’ll be without his defense partner. It could be a mix of Gustafsson and Schneider, who’s the only right-shooting defenseman left after Trouba.

An Opportunity for Jones

The Fox injury opens up an opportunity for Zac Jones to get in the lineup. A forgotten player who was re-signed to a one-way deal, he’s only played in one game. That was back on Oct. 14 in a loss at Columbus. Now 23, the clock is ticking on Jones to prove he belongs in the league. If not, as a Ranger, perhaps he can play well enough to become a trade target for another team to consider.

Jones’ strengths are his skating and offensive capabilities. His weaknesses are his size and strength, which can be exposed defensively. Here’s a chance to show that he can be relied on. If he struggles, Laviolette won’t hesitate to insert Connor Mackey, who was recalled on Friday from Hartford. A 27-year-old veteran with 39 NHL games underneath his belt.

Chytil Placed on Injured Reserve

The Rangers will also be minus Filip Chytil. The center was placed on the injured reserve yesterday. He left Thursday’s game during the second period with an undisclosed injury. It isn’t certain when he’ll be back. In 10 games, he has six assists. Chytil found some chemistry centering Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere on the second line. They’ve been an effective trio at even strength, creating offense on both the rush and forecheck.

Without Chytil, Trocheck could be moved up to play with Panarin and Lafreniere. He’s played well in a checking role, centering Will Cuylle and Blake Wheeler. They’ve been effective on the cycle due to their tenacity. Trocheck has been counted on defensively. He’s won 62.7 percent of faceoffs this season. Laviolette hasn’t been shy about using him on key draws in both the offensive and defensive zone. That’s how well he’s played.

If Trocheck gets bumped up, it’s possible that Jonny Brodzinski could fill the role on the third line. He was brought up on Friday to replace Chytil on the roster. A serviceable player who’s been reliable when called upon the past two years, Brodzinski likely will be in the lineup tonight at the Wild. If he plays over Tyler Pitlick, it’s due to him being a center. A necessity for the Rangers.

Laviolette could also move Nick Bonino up to the third line. However, the chemistry he has with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey on the fourth line should be considered. Although they haven’t provided much offense, that trio has been noticeable during shifts. They are defensively responsible, which is an area Laviolette emphasizes.

In the win over the Canes, he wasn’t shy about giving both Goodrow and Bonino more shifts in the third period. They both did a good job when called upon.

Rangers Face Adversity

How much will the losses of Fox and Chytil affect the Rangers? That depends on how they respond to adversity. Under previous coaches, it wasn’t good enough. However, they seem to respond well to Laviolette’s hands-on approach.

It’ll be an interesting challenge. We’ll learn more about the team with what’s ahead.