Adam Fox exceeded all expectations for the New York Rangers last season
We continue our series of New York Rangers report cards. We’ll look back at last season and provide some expectations for the coming season.
Adam Fox: Grade A
Adam Fox always wanted to play for the New York Rangers. He was loyal to his family and not his geography, growing up on Long Island a short distance from the Nassau Coliseum. He orchestrated his future so that his becoming a Ranger was an inevitability that became real last April.
The Rangers knew they were getting a talented player, they just didn’t know how talented. They actually believed that he wasn’t a lock for the NHL. When they traded for him they gave Carolina two draft picks. One was conditional, a third round pick in 2020 converting to a second round pick if he played in 30 NHL games in his rookie season. After his debut, 30 games was never in doubt.
In Adam Fox the Rangers have a defenseman who should man their blueline for years to come. He’s a smart player who overcomes his lack of size with speed and smarts. Rangers President John Davidson likens him to Sergei Zubov and if his career is anything like that of the Russian, he’s a future Hall of Famer. There’s no doubt that he is the best Ranger defenseman to debut since Brian Leetch.
His season
The Rangers were determined to bring Fox along slowly. He played just over 12 minutes in his first game and it took him 14 games to break the 20 minute mark. By the end of the season, he was among the top Rangers in average ice time even though he wasn’t on the top power play unit.
That slow start may have contributed to the fact that he finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting, behind fellow rookie defensemen Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. Both of those players were given huge roles on their teams from day one.
After 11 games, Fox had one goal and one assist. In the remaining 59 games he seven goals and 33 assists for 40 points. While Hughes and Makar had better total statistics than Fox, they both played considerably more minutes on the power play. If Fox had played the same amount of time he would have finished with a dozen more points.
While their Corsi For percentages were similar, the Fox’s plus minus rating of +22 was better than Makar’s +12 and overwhelmingly better than Hughes’ -10.
So, we’ve established that Fox compares well to the his rookie peers, how was he with the Rangers? Considering his rookie status, the numbers were dazzling.
He was an iron man, playing in all 70 games, one of four players on the team to do so. He was fourth in ice time, fourth in Corsi For percentage (55.02%), second on the team in blocked shots (92) and he led the team in takeaways (57). Four defensemen took more minor penalties than Fox. Offensively, he was fourth on the team in assists (34) and primary assists (20).
Fox’s greatest asset is his vision. He has a knack for finding the open man and can make sublime passes. Remember this no look pass to Kaapo Kakko for an overtime winner against Pittsburgh?
His ability to jump into the play is Leetch-like and he found many opportunities to show his offensive ability. In this goal against the Islanders, he never hesitated and went right to the net.
If you are looking for a booming slapshot from the point from Adam Fox, think again. Of the 125 shots he took last season, 16 were slap shots. That’s only 13% compared to the 33% for Jacob Trouba. The Rangers are lucky to have two very similar right-shot defenders in Fox and Tony DeAngelo. Both don’t have big slapshots and can jump into play in the offensive zone in a heartbeat.
Fox was also very clutch. Four of his eight goals were game winners, third best on the team and the same number as Artemi Panarin who scored 32 times.
The numbers
Games: 70
Goals: 8 (2nd among NHL rookie defensemen)
Assists: 34 (3rd among NHL rookies)
Points: 42 (4th among NHL rookies)
PIMs: 32
Plus/Minus: +22
Blocked shots: 92 (2nd most on team, 3rd among NHL rookies)
Hits: 35
ATOI: 18:54
Corsi–for: 55% (4th best on team)
Postseason: Fox played in all three games in the Stanley Cup Qualifier. While he didn’t score, he averaged over 21 minutes ice time per game. He took one minor penalty, led the team in blocked shots with five and was second on the team with three giveaways. Significantly, he was the only player on the team with a positive plus/minus at +2.
Why the grade?
In this case it is rather obvious. He exceeded all expectations and but for the fact that it was the strongest season for rookie defensemen in the NHL in years, Fox could have won the Calder Trophy. In fact, you could make an argument for an A+ grade. If Ranger fans are to point to one person on this team as a key to future success, it can easily be Adam Fox.
Expectations
The only thing to worry about when it comes to Adam Fox is the sophomore jinx. The fact that he is so intelligent and that he has been blessed with one of the top offenses in the NHL, is pretty much a guarantee that he will improve.
One year of NHL experience will only make Fox better equipped to handle the challenges of the NHL defensively. He will be 23 in February so he is still learning his trade.
Offensively, he will still have Artemi Panarin, Mika ZIbanejad and Chris Kreider to pass to, but add a more mature Kaapo Kakko and vaunted rookie Alexis Lafrenière and Fox is set up to boost his output even more.
NHL opponents will not have any advantage is having seen him for a full season. Fox is unpredictable and is able to adapt on the fly as he showed so many times last season. With the high powered Rangers offense in front of him, Fox will only get better.