New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury is banking on all of the moves he's made this offseason will bring the team back into Stanley Cup playoff contention. He's going to need these moves to pan out, or he'd lose even more trust in the fanbase (which is already at rock-bottom) and the players. The last thing they need is one of their top talents wanting out like, say, Dylan Larkin with the Detroit Red Wings.
While the outlook of the Rangers isn't at it's highest, they still have players on the roster that are highly thought of. Goalie Igor Shesterkin is one, and defenseman Adam Fox is the other. Fox's reputation has taken a hit as of late, from his lackluster showing in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year, to missing the cut to make Team USA in this year's Winter Olympics.
But, Rangers fans know all too well just how important he is to the team. Despite some criticisms in the hockey world.
Adam Fox receives mised reviews in The Athletic's NHL player tier rankings
The Athletic recently published their official player-tier rankings for the upcoming season. Five writers compile the rankings, while consulting with a panel of 20 people in the hockey world before finalizing the lists. For Fox, he ranked in the second-tier, which is designated for top 30 players in the league and first or second-best players on a team. When it comes to Fox, there were split opinions on him, with the main complaints from a former player and a current scout being that his footspeed and playing style are not that good.
The former player said that they don't think Fox "is fast enough" and that the defenseman "doesn't have a great shot." As for the scout, he said that while he believes Fox is a good defenseman, "he doesn’t have that speed and athleticism to crack a shift open the way the [Quinn] Hughes, [Cale] Makar types can."
Of course, Fox is not at the same level athleticism-wise as Makar and Hughes, who can be considered two of the best defensemen in the game today. That's the reason why Makar has the richest contract in NHL history and is the first player ever to have an annual salary over $20 million. Hughes could very well get near what Makar got when he signs his next contract, whenever that will be. Yes, Fox is not on that level, but he is still one of the better defensemen in the game.
That is what another former player said when asked in The Athletic article.
“You see how dynamic and noticeable (Schaefer and Hutson) are, and you look at Fox, and it's just the subtle things that allow him to be so effective and so productive,” a former player said. “The understated elements of his game and the way he thinks the game is maybe better than any defenseman on that list.”
Adam Fox proved just how important he was to Rangers last season
Even though at the national stage, fans may remember Fox struggling in the 4 Nations Face-Off, most notably in Team USA's championship loss to Canada in the Final. But Rangers fans saw how poorly things can go when Fox isn't on the ice.
This past season, Fox dealt with upper body and lower body injuries that limited him to just 55 games. While the defense did take a hit, especially with their lackluster depth on the roster last season, the offense suffered as well. Fox is an offense-generator, and plays the role of quarterback on the Rangers' top power play unit.
The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano pointed out that with Fox on the ice, he helped generate 57 percent of the team's goals on five-on-five. Without Fox on the ice, the number dropped to 47-percent. Scoring chances were at 59.4 percent with Fox, and 47.1 percent without. Simply put, without Fox, the Rangers as a whole suffer.
The Rangers received a scare this past season where Fox appeared to be noncommittal about his future in New York. If Fox wanted out, there was no way they would be able to replace him, whether that's internally, free agency, or the trade block. It put the pressure on Drury to try and make things right. Luckily, that was the case, as the team began to thrive once they relied on their younger players like Gabe Perreault, Adam Sykora, Drew Fortescue, and Jaroslav Chmelar. After the season, Fox said he was looking forward to playing with the team. Crisis averted.
The Rangers entered this offseason knowing they needed to both improve the roster and replenish the prospect pool. While that came at the sacrifice of Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, they did bring in Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi, and Marcus Pettersson. The roster entering training camp looks stronger than it did last season.
But Rangers fans know the team can't waste Fox's prime. The clock is ticking, as Fox is under contract until the conclusion of the 2028-29 season. They will need to ensure Fox is happy, or they'll have to deal with a Larkin-type situation. Let's face it, there is no defenseman that will be available that is as good, or better than, Fox.
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