The New York Rangers have seen what can happen if they don't have defenseman and alternate captain Adam Fox in their lineup every game. Last season, Fox missed an extended part of the season due to multiple injuries, alongside goalie Igor Shesterkin, and it effectively sunk the Rangers' season, and began their retool.
Fox has proven to be the Rangers' best defenseman, and should still be considered one of the top ones in the league, even if his national stock dropped after the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Fox's true value is offensively, as he is the quarterback of their power play. It was no coincidence that the Rangers' scoring dropped off when he was sidelined last season.
This season, Fox is showing exactly why he is one of the most valuable players on the Rangers. And, it could ultimately cost them when they have to negotiate a new contract extension.
Adam Fox is on pace to have a career-year with Rangers
On Tuesday's 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, Fox scored his second goal of the season. That brings him to 19 total points on the season, putting him on pace to around the 100 point-mark at season's end. The most points he ever posted in a single season was 74 during the 2021-22 campaign, where he made it to the All-Star Game for the first time.
Yes, the Rangers aren't having the best start to the season when it comes to scoring. After all, that's why head coach Mike Sullivan is constantly switching the forward lines around to try to make scoring goals a bit more easy. One of the main catalysts is to try and get winger Pavel Dorofeyev going, as they gave up two first-round picks and committed to a seven-year, $77 million contract for him to be their leading scorer. The goals haven't arrived at the pace the team and fans expected, so they're trying to get him on the right line with the right players.
Fox is not an issue when it comes to the offense. He is the puck facilitator on the power play. In fact, he's even played for the first and second units during the team's win over the Blues. It goes to show just how important of a player he is.
That will ultimately result in him wanting a new contract when he is eligible after the 2027-28 season, especially considering how much top defenseman are receiving lately.
Adam Fox could cash in huge in the near future on new contract extension
The standard was set this offseason when it comes to what the top defenseman in the game should get in terms of annual salary. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche received an eight-year contract extension with an annual salary of $20.4 million. Not only is that the highest annual salary among all defenseman, but also among all players.
The thing is, someone is going to exceed that annual salary soon. It may very well be Quinn Hughes, who is set to hit free agency at the end of this season. He has yet to agree to terms with the Minnesota Wild despite expressing interest in staying, but the door is open for him to hit the open market, where he will undoubtedly get paid big money.
Is Fox a $20 million a year player? Well, he may very well be with the rising salary cap on a yearly basis. The Rangers may have no choice but to commit that money to him once they begin negotiations. The last thing they can do is upset him, or he could request off of the team.
The Rangers were close to facing that reality last season, where Fox wouldn't commit to remaining on the team before the summer. But that all changed after the young players they called up from the AHL showed promise and helped the Rangers win games down the stretch. The future looked brighter, and Fox said he was looking forward to playing with them entering the offseason. Imagine if Fox wasn't on the team this season? The Rangers would be in much worse shape.
While his reputation has taken a hit, there's no denying that he is one of the Rangers' best players. And in the near future, they will have to make sure he doesn't go anywhere else with what should be a lucrative contract.
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