The New York Rangers offseason is in full swing, so it is time to look back at the disaster that was. What was supposed to be a formal and heartfelt celebration of a successful hockey team and legendary broadcaster Sam Rosen’s final season was an abysmal performance from just about every player on this roster.
One highlight of this team, however, was by the defenseman who should be named the next captain, Adam Fox.
Expectations
After another successful season during the Presidents’ Trophy run of 2023-24, Fox had high expectations for 2024-25. Well, the whole team did really.
The thing with Fox is that, since he is a former Norris Trophy winner, he has been floating around the nomination ballot seemingly every season, and his expectations are already extremely high. For this past season, it was no different.
Performance
Fox was great in 2024-25, but obviously could have been better. He was flirting with a chance to hit an NHL record before scoring his first goal on December 11 against Buffalo. For total point production, he had a slightly down year but remained consistent.
In 74 games, he had 10 goals and 51 assists for 61 points. This is the fourth straight season he hit double digits in goals scored and tallying at least 50 assists on the year. He also led the Rangers in Evolving-Hockey's goals above replacement metric with a GAR of 15.5, and also had a slash line that includes a 58.19 goals for percentage, a 55.95 Corsi for percentage, and a 55.32 expected goals for percentage. All in all, it was another strong season overall, but one in which he would have wished had been better given the high standards associated with him.
Where does he go from here?
Fox has been a leader on this team for years now, and the only thing that can fix this broken locker room is one strong figure. Fox should be the captain of this Rangers team, and his impact would turn this franchise right-side up.
The 2025-26 season will be a big one for the Rangers, with a new head coach and an unknown trajectory. The expectation is that the failures of the past will not resonate in this upcoming campaign, but that is a bitter taste to wash out. Fox is going to be crucial in whatever happens next.
Expect No. 23 to be at the forefront of the defensive unit once again, and possibly back in the Norris Trophy conversation at the end of the season.