Rangers stud ranked No. 8 in NHL Network’s Top-20 defensemen list

In somewhat of a surprise, Adam Fox was No. 8 on NHL Network’s Top-20 defensemen rankings ahead of the 2024-25 season. The New York Rangers star dropped six spots this year, after being ranked No. 2 on their annual list a year ago.

“And I think part of the reason he slipped, he was injured this year, and he was playing while he was injured,” analyst and former NHL defenseman Steve Konroyd said on NHL Network. “I know he played through the playoffs with an injury, and that is always tough to do, especially when you’re a skill guy like Adam Fox.”

Fox finished right behind Charlie McAvoy (No. 7) of the Boston Bruins and Gustav Forsling (No. 6) of the Florida Panthers in NHL Network’s list of Top-20 defensemen. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar sat atop the rankings, slotting in ahead of Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, who was No. 2.

Rangers players have fared well in NHL Network’s annual positional rankings . Three weeks ago, Igor Shesterkin was named the No. 1 goalie in the NHL. Two weeks ago, Artemi Panarin was named the fifth-best winger in the NHL. Last week, Mika Zibanejad was named the 19th-best center in the NHL.

The native of Jericho, New York, has become a staple and the foundation of the Rangers defense. Since the NHL came out of a pair COVID-19 COVID-19-shortened seasons, Fox has been a consistent 70-pus point player. Last season, he had 73 points in 72 games, and set an NHL career high with 17 goals.

He also tied a career-best with 33 power-play points, including six power-play goals. There is a reason why teams circle Fox when he is out on the ice: He can do so many things with the puck.

Selected No. 66 in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames, Fox made his way to New York via Carolina after a pair of trades. It already is considered to be one of the best trades in Rangers history.

Yes, Fox is that good.

“What I love about him, he’s got he’s got ice in his veins,” Konroyd explained. “He’ll just hang on to the puck and hang on to it and just wait for something to open up. He typically draws a crowd, and when he feels that pressure, he knows somebody is open, he always finds the open guy.”

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Adam Fox remains elite No. 1 defenseman with Rangers

Fox made an immediate impact in his first season. He had 42 points (eight goals and 34 assists) in 70 games in 2019-20, averaging around 19 minutes of ice time. That number has increased, and he is averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time for the Rangers these days.

In his sophomore season of 2020-21, Fox won the Norris Trophy as best defenseman in the NHL, when he finished with 47 points (five goals and 42 assists) in 55 games. He’s the fourth Rangers defenseman to win the Norris, joining Brian Leetch (twice), Harry Howell and Doug Harvey. Fox also joined Bobby Orr to win the Norris Trophy in his second season in the NHL.

His consistent play and production earned him a new seven-year contract worth $66.5 million on Nov. 1, 2021. Fox’s cap hit is among the highest for NHL defensemen at $9.5 million, but in many ways he’s a bargain for all he brings to the Rangers.

His regular-season numbers in 2023-24 were excellent, even despite missing 10 games with a knee injury. But he had only eight assists and did not score a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Rangers ultimately lost in six games to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.

Though Fox was the victim of a knee-on-knee hit by then-Washington Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen in the first round of the playoffs, he didn’t blame his subpar production on reaggravating his knee injury.

Unfortunately for Fox and the Rangers, he was on a tear entering the playoffs with 23 points (seven goals and 16 assists) in the final 18 games of the regular season.

Despite missing time last season, Fox’s consistency on the blue line allowed him to receive 11.8 percent of the vote for the Norris Trophy. Fox has been a top-five finisher in Norris voting the past four years.

And even though he dropped in the network’s rankings, would anyone by shocked if Fox wins the Norris Trophy next season?

“So yeah, you know, he slipped a little bit, but if he won the Norris next year, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit,” Konroyd said.

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