The New York Rangers fanbase got a clearer picture of what general manager Chris Drury's "retool" was at the official start of the offseason. Drury declared they would not be rebuilding the roster, as they looked to trade away some veteran players to replenish their prospect pipeline, while also adding immediate contributors.
The main domino to fall was center Vincent Trocheck, who after months of being on the trade block, was dealt to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Sean Durzi, forward prospect Cole Beaudoin, and a 2027 third-round pick. Besides Trocheck, there weren't any major players also put on the block or being feasibly shopped by the Rangers. But that didn't stop teams from calling New York about star defenseman Adam Fox.
During the final episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman revealed that teams were calling the Rangers about Fox. Friedman said the Rangers replied by telling interested teams to "get lost."
"I think teams asked Drury about Adam Fox, and I think he basically told them to get lost," said Friedman. "You know, I think I like their defense a lot more."
Chris Drury turned down teams calling about Adam Fox trade
While Fox undoubtedly would have gotten the Rangers a huge haul, they would be a much worse team without him.
It's no secret that there was plenty of discussion about Fox's future with the Rangers this season. There was the talk of this after Fox was left off United States' men's hockey team in the Winter Olympics, a team where Drury was assistant general manager and Mike Sullivan was head coach. Then, during the season, Fox would not commit to his future with the team, citing wanting to see the team's plans for the offseason. Things looked dire for the Rangers and Fox.
Even though the Rangers finished in last place in the Eastern Conference, they did pay with promise down the final stretch, especially with some of their younger players in the lineup. At the end of the season, Fox openly said he was "encouraged" by the promising signs on the team.
The Rangers were without Fox on two separate occasions due to injuries this past season. While that hurt them defensively, it also hurt them offensively, especially considering he is the point man on the Rangers' top power play unit. In 55 games, Fox recorded nine goals, 44 assists, a plus-5 plus/minus rating, 74 blocked shots, 36 takeaways, and 24 hits.
Fox is part of the Rangers' plans this season, and this recent information from Friedman proves just that. He will be a top pairing defenseman on a much-improved defense with Durzi, Vladislav Gavrikov, Marcus Pettersson, and, potentially, Alberts Smits.
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