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The Adam Fox disrespect has stopped being funny

Adam Fox is one of the NHL's elite defenders by all available metrics. That didn't stop NHL Network from botching his placement on their top defenders list.
ByTom Urtz Jr.|
New York Rangers v Washington Capitals
New York Rangers v Washington Capitals | Scott Taetsch/GettyImages

NHL Network released their latest power ranking of players, and Adam Fox's spot on their list of top 20 defensemen is an absolute joke. Fox is easily a top three defenseman in a class with Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, and if I gave you three guesses I don't think you'd have been able to nail Fox's actual ranking.

Fox was placed 16th overall on the list, and many fans are rightly calling out how absurd his placement is.

Here's a look at the complete top 20, and so reactions to Fox's placement.

What did Fox do in 2024-25 to deserve a better ranking?

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. He ranked eighth in goals above replacement amongst all defenseman with a GAR of 15.5 per Evolving-Hockey. By traditional stats Fox also had a good year finishing with 10 goals and 51 assists for 61 points in 74 games.

What is notable here is that the Rangers as a team scored fewer goals in 2024-15 than they did in 2023-24, and Fox only finished with five fewer assists than the year prior and 12 fewer points. That's significant when you consider a player like Artemi Panarin went from 120 points in 23-24 to just 89 in 24-25.

It appears the overall down attitude on Fox stems from a poor performance at the 4 Nations Faceoff, which is stupid because Fox had another sensational season.

This ranking is continuation of slight that was highlighted in Norris Trophy balloting

Fox finished 12th in Norris Trophy voting this season, and it didn't make sense at all. The award went to Makar with Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes finishing in second and third, and I wrote about how his overall ranking then was a joke.

From that story:

"Fox posted a +14.5 sG this season, Hughes was worth +12.2 sG, Werenski had a +5.9 sG rating, and Makar finished +4.5 in sG. This is just one metric, but it is abundantly clear that in terms of 5v5 offense, everyone but Makar had a dominant season in this regard. Fox led the way with a performance that was 21% better than league average, Werenski was slightly behind him at +16%, then came Hughes at +13%, and last was Makar who was just 1% better than league average.

In terms of 5v5 defensive impact, Fox was 9% better than league average, Hughes was 8% better, Makar was 4% better, and Werenski was 4% worse than league average. In terms of special teams of offense on the power play and defense on the penalty kill, Fox has a net rating of 4%, Hughes came in at 3%, Werenski came in 2% worse, and Makar was 4% worse."

I recommend clicking back to that story and checking out some charts looking at Fox's overall performance, and how he deserved a much better fate.

Fox should enter the upcoming season with a huge chip on his shoulder considering how the perception of him as a player has dropped. He will be entering a great situation with a new partner in Vladislav Gavrikov, a new coach in Mike Sullivan, and there's no reason why he shouldn't reclaim his rightful place as a true elite defender next season.