Sykora's breakthrough delayed: Rangers lose young forward to 4–5 month injury before season opens
Adam Sykora, 22, suffered a lower-body injury in a preseason game against the Devils and will miss 4–5 months, sidelining him until late January 2027.
Adam Sykora's shot at an NHL career has been indefinitely delayed. The 22-year-old New York Rangers forward suffered a lower-body injury during a preseason game against the New Jersey Devils and will miss 4–5 months, sidelining him until late January 2027 at the earliest—a devastating blow to a young forward who had just begun to show he could compete at the NHL level.
How it happened
The injury came in the first period at Prudential Center, per NHL.com, in a preseason game the Rangers went on to lose 3–2. Sykora was caught off-balance in the corner, took a hit from Devils defenseman Mikael Diotte and fell awkwardly into the boards, per Yahoo Sports, which also reported that he needed assistance leaving the ice. He had played only 2:49 over four shifts, per Blue Shirt Banter. NHL.com reported the injury is believed to be to his right knee. Four shifts were all he managed before the collision ended his night and, as it turned out, the first months of his season.
The prospect he is
Per Blue Shirt Banter, Sykora was drafted by the Rangers in the second round, 63rd overall, in 2022. After a full season in Hartford's AHL affiliate, he had built a case for the next level: per Yahoo Sports, he recorded 12 goals and 29 points in 62 games last season. When recalled to New York in March 2026, he appeared in 11 games, contributing 3 goals and 1 assist, per Yahoo Sports. That taste of the NHL was significant—proof that he could survive the pace and physicality at the elite level. He had earned his chance the hard way, through production and persistence.
At 22, entering the 2026–27 preseason, Sykora carried momentum from that March recall. Per NHL.com, he entered camp with a genuine chance to make the opening-night roster. The preseason was supposed to be his runway to confirm he belonged, and his coach's own words, below, describe how that camp had gone.
"I thought he was having a real strong camp to this point. It's real disappointing. I feel for him. He's such a great kid. He brings so much energy and enthusiasm to the rink. It's disappointing, but he'll get better, and we'll do everything we can to help him get back in the most timely fashion," Sullivan said, per Yahoo Sports.
What the Rangers lose
The Rangers' 2026–27 season opens on 29 September at the Boston Bruins, with their home opener on 1 October against the Tampa Bay Lightning, per Blue Shirt Banter. Sykora will not feature in either game. His absence leaves a hole in the roster that someone else will have to fill—a young forward with recent production at both the AHL and NHL levels who had been competing hard in the preseason. For a team opening its season in just days, losing a developing forward to a long-term lower-body injury is a problem that cannot be solved before the puck drops.
The timeline ahead
Set against the calendar, the numbers are stark. From the 29 September opener in Boston to late January 2027 is roughly four months of hockey, and a return after the All-Star break in February, which NHL.com flagged as possible, would stretch that further. For a player whose NHL résumé so far is 11 games, per Yahoo Sports, that is a long stretch without the chance to add to it.
Per NHL.com, Sykora's earliest return date is late January 2027, though recovery could extend through February's All-Star break. A 4–5 month absence swallows the season's opening third. The Rangers will open their campaign in late September and, by the time Sykora is cleared to play, much of their early narrative will already be written. The window for him to make an immediate impact has been shut—at least for this season. Sullivan and the organization have committed to getting him back the right way, but the injury has stripped away months from what was meant to be a breakout moment for a young prospect finally getting his chance.