NHL Network disrespects Rangers star Adam Fox with absurd ranking on Top 20 list

Adam Fox's reputation has undeniably taken a hit, despite the numbers he's accumulated, but any rational take artist of fan would reasonably have him among the top 10 of all defenders in the league. My opinion on the matter is well established, and I feel having him within the top 10 is a compromise I'd be willing to make even though top 5 makes more sense. As the headline has already revealed... Fox's latest ranking by NHL Network is absurd, and let's get into it.

NHL Network is at it again with their rage bait

Fox came in at No. 13 this year, which is better than last year's ranking, but still doesn't quite reflect the impact he brings to the Rangers.

This season Fox scored nine goals and tallied 44 assists for 53 points in 55 games. That was good enough for 20th in the league despite appearing in just 55 games. For context, Brock Faber was 21st with 51 points in 80 games, Moritz Seider was 13th with 60 points in 82 games, and Miro Heiskanen was 9th with 63 points in 77 games. Analytically he posted a 56.75 GF%, a 55.47 CF%, and a 58.2 xGF% which is a pretty elite triple slash line.

The defenseman that finished ahead of Fox include Jaccob Slavin, Charlie McAvoy, Evan Bouchard, Moritz Seider, Jake Sanderson, Matthew Schaeffer, Lane Hutson, Miro Heiskanen, Rasmus Dahlin, Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar.

In all honesty, there's really no good way to decipher how the NHL Network came to this conclusion, but my best guess is they have some names that are widely considered to be top defenders in the league within the top five, they then have some interesting young names who are up and coming just outside of the top five, and then once you get beyond that there's an assortment of names who fans are familiar with.

Going in order of names in front of Fox, Slavin just won an Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup, and as one of the league's top defensive defenders I am not surprised to see him held in high esteem. I don't think his defensive ability, and limited offensive output, is enough to put him ahead of Fox.

Charlie McAvoy is a head scratcher at No. 11 because he's just not been very good the past few seasons. I feel like he's the actual player that critics of Fox think he is. For context, McAvoy had a 49.29 CF% and a 48.27 xGF% this season while having a 56.44 GF% per Evolving-Hockey. The year prior, he posted a 49.92 CF%, a 50.77 xGF% and a 52.78 GF%. In that same span of games, Fox had a 57.6 GF%, a 55.74 CF%, and a 56.61 xGF%.

Evan Bouchard is a dynamic offensive defender for the Edmonton Oilers who puts up points. Defensively there's a lot of holes in his game, but he produces enough offense to make up for that. There certainly is room for offensive defenders on this list, but when you consider Fox's overall impact... Bouchard is not better than him at this point.

Moritz Seider is a player who can run hot and cold, but there is no denying his standing as one of the league's up and coming defenders. He was much better for Detroit this past season and from an underlying numbers standpoint it was one of his strongest seasons to date. I can understand his placement on the list, but would like to see him play at this level a little more consistently first.

Jake Sanderson is another name getting some positive PR off Team USA's Olympic gold, and after posting a 56.76 GF%, a 56.27 CF%, and a 56.7 xGF%, it is odd to see him ranked behind some of the other names on this list. That said, would I rather have Sanderson than Fox? Probably not, and that's no shade to Sanderson.

Matthew Schaefer had a very good rookie season, he is a tremendous talent and has a bright future. That said, he's not the seventh-best defender in the league at this point. Statistically he was just about breakeven from an underlying metrics perspective with a 49.48 CF% and 50.7 xGF%, and while that is solid for his circumstance, that's not seventh in the league good after just one season.

Lane Hutson being just one spot ahead of Schaefer was a bit silly, as the Montreal Canadiens' young defender just had a pretty sensational season that includes a 62.08 GF%, a 52.88 CF%, and a 54.62 xGF% per Evolving-Hockey. If he continues this trajectory, he easily can find himself in the top three sooner rather than later.

Miro Heiskanen is a a defender who doesn't get the appreciation he deserves in Dallas, but he's had much stronger seasons in the past. Maybe this is making up for him being underappreciated previously.

The top four and where Fox fits in

Rasmus Dahlin is a name that didn't get as much love in years past because of how poorly the Buffalo Sabres played, but he's getting more attention now that the team is playing up to its potential. This season saw him finish with a 60.34 GF%, a 52.51 CF%, and a 54.27 xGF%. It's an impressive triple slash line and he still has a chance to ascend to an even higher level.

The top three features Zach Werenski, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar. I recently talked about Fox in reference to Hughes and Makar, and you can revisit that here. When the Norris Trophy voting was unveiled, I looked Fox, Dahlin, Werenski, and Makar, so I'd invite you to check that out for my full thoughts so I am not just rehashing that.

My key takeaway then was that Fox's performance last season was in range or better than the top vote getters, and with that established... it makes his finish at No. 13 even that more ridiculous. With all of that said, I think a more realistic ranking for Fox given everything we know would have been within the top 10. If you want to tell me that Makar, Hughes, Werenski, and Dahlin are locked in where they are based on recent Norris voting... fine. If you want to hold Fox's 55 games played against him last year... also fine.

But to say that right now Heiskanen, Hutson, Schaeffer, Sanderson, Seider, and Bouchard are all better than him.. I don't really buy that.

If you were to go off the basic counting statistics, ignoring all the underlying analytics, Fox has the fifth-best points per game average over the last three seasons, the fifth most assists, and the sixth most points. That offensive ability stands out, and when you factor in his defensive contributions, there is no logical reason to have him ranked where he was.

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