Heading into the 2025-26 season one of the biggest needs for the New York Rangers is another top-four defenseman to help Adam Fox, a player who had another elite NHL season despite what you may read online. Maybe it is just that the entire season was toxic because of how things played out, maybe it is because Fox is held to an extremely high standard, but the level of hate he's received doesn't make sense for a number of reasons.
Fox is a Norris trophy caliber defender who should be a two-time winner, and while it is normal for fans to voice their displeasure when things don't go well, the tone and frequency in which he's been criticized stands out in a big way.
Fox finished the regular season with 61 points in 74 games which ranked 9th most among defenders, and 40 of those points came at even strength. The distinction here is made because Fox has somehow received the moniker of being a power play merchant, and that area of his game being where he gains most of his value. While he certainly is proficent in that regard, he also happens to be one of the game's top 5v5 rear guards.
During the 2024-25 season Fox posted a 58.19 goals for percentage, a 55.95 Corsi for percentage, and a 55.32 expected goals for percentage. In terms of goals the Rangers surrendered while Fox was on the ice, opponents generated a paltry 2.29 goals per 60 minutes. In that same span, Fox and the Rangers averaged 3.19 goals per 60 minutes, which results in a net positive.
This year's numbers are in line with what Fox has done the past 3 seasons, and overall puts him in good company. Many fans lament that Fox isn't on the same tier of defender as Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar. Part of that is because those two are electric skaters with a game that screams in your face. It is very loud and hard to miss, where Fox is subtle and steady.
That said, when you dig into the numbers, Fox continues to grade out as an elite defender well above the league average range of your typical top pairing defender, and he's been at a level that exceeds the performance of Hughes and Makar.
These numbers are just one way of looking at things, but it is another piece of the puzzle that in conjunction with other available metrics supports that Fox still is a defender in a class above.
Fox is well above the first pair threshold, and in most cases has generated double the output of what you'd expect. The consistency to which he grades out this way speaks to the player he is, this isn't a fluke that you can just cast aside.
In many ways it feels similar to how fans felt about Ryan McDonagh before he was traded, another young American defender who gave their all for the Blueshirts all while being saddled with an anvil of a partner. The difference here is that Fox is unlikely to go anywhere, as he's a Long Island native who grew up a Ranger fan loving Brian Leetch and is thrilled to be playing for this team.
You'd think that passion and desire to play here, and the fact that he's providing an absolute value on a contract that is just $9.5 million a season would mean something, but it doesn't. In any case, Fox has the longest offseason of his Ranger career to date to rest up and get ready for the start up the upcoming season.
He's a player that should benefit nicely from Mike Sullivan being behind the bench, as his system should help make the Rangers a stronger defensive team and that support will put less strain overall on Fox. Fox is a competitive player who was pretty vocal about his disappointment with how things have unfolded, and he has the perfect opportunity to silence his haters this season, and if the team plays up to their potential, he should be a contender for the Norris trophy once again,