The New York Rangers announced that the organization would begin a rebuild following a poor 2017-2018 season. Adam Fox is an unsigned prospect of the Calgary Flames who should be pursued.
The New York Rangers are starting a rebuild this offseason. As is the case with any rebuild, the Rangers need to load up on prospects and draft picks. The team did just that during this past trade deadline.
The Rangers loaded up for a productive offseason by dealing Michael Grabner, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Nick Holden, and Rick Nash. Looking ahead, the Rangers now have seven draft picks in the first three rounds and four new prospects to show for it. Even with this influx of talent, the team cannot sit back and not collect more. Adam Fox is a young defenseman with tons of talent who could be pried away from the team that drafted him.
So, Who is Adam Fox?
Adam Fox is a 20-year-old right-handed defenseman who currently plays at Harvard University. He doesn’t have incredible size, only standing at 5’10” and 185, but he makes up for that with a mix of other skills.
One of the first aspects of Fox’s game that you notice is his skating. He smoothly transitions from defense to offense and throughout the offensive zone, especially on the power play. Defensively, Fox uses his skating to put himself in position to make the right play in front of his own net.
Fox’s second best attribute is his vision. Every player’s on ice awareness and vision impact their passing ability. Fox’s passing is simply incredible, ranging from precise tape-to-tape short passes to long-range saucers that lead forwards brilliantly. Thanks to this innate ability of his, Fox is a consistent point producer. In his first two seasons with Harvard, he has produced 56 assists in just 64 games, along with 12 goals in that time.
What Would it Cost to Get Fox?
As of writing this article, Adam Fox is an unsigned college player. However, the Calgary Flames drafted him in the third round in 2016. This gives the Rangers two options.
The cheaper option for the Rangers is waiting. If Fox remains unsigned at the end of his senior year of college, he has the opportunity to join any other NHL team that courts him. While this is an option that would be enticing for the Rangers, the organization most likely does not want to wait two full years for a strong, young defenseman like Fox.
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The more expensive, more obvious option is to trade for Fox. However, I am not sure how much Calgary values Fox. While he is a great talent, he has gone unsigned for two full seasons now. If given the opportunity, I doubt Calgary would pass up the chance to recoup a third round draft choice for Fox. And, if that happens to be the case, I don’t see how the Rangers could reject that kind of deal.