The New York Rangers placed superstar defenseman Adam Fox on the long-term injured reserve on Friday, just a day after he left in the first period of a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.

Fox is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with the ailment, but he will be required by league mandate to miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days. He'll be eligible to return to the Rangers lineup on Nov. 29 when they're in Michigan to play the Red Wings, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

“If he's out any period of time, obviously he's a huge player in this league, huge player for our team,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba explained after Thursday's victory. “It'll be on guys to step up.”

Fox took a questionable hit from Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, which looked like a leg on leg collision between the two stars. The young American stayed on the ice for the rest of his shift and played one more, before leaving for the dressing room and ultimately not returning.

The 25-year-old has been exceptional for New York this season, and is a key reason why the team is 8-2 and first place in the Metropolitan Division. Fox has scored three goals and 11 points from the back end in just 10 games, second to just Quinn Hughes in defensemen scoring.

Fox was the runner-up for the Norris Trophy as the league's best D-man last year, losing to Erik Karlsson's monster 101-point campaign. Fox scored 12 goals and acquired 72 points in 82 games, just a season after he won his first Norris Trophy in 2020-21.

Adam Fox is putting together another campaign that will earn him a finalist nod, but that could be de-railed by this injury. The Rangers will be hoping to have one of their best players back as soon as he's eligible at the end of November.

Filip Chytil also on the shelf

Filip Chytil was also injured on Thursday night against the Canes, and was placed on IR on Friday with an upper-body injury. The team recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolfpack in a corresponding move.New York also brought up Louis Domingue, as star goaltender Igor Shesterkin continues to nurse an injury of his own.

The Rangers have won six in a row, and they're entering a crucial time with the same expectations, minus Adam Fox, Filip Chytil and Igor Shesterkin.