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New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox was ranked 13th by the NHL Network as part of their rundown of the top-20 blueliners. The 28-year-old placed 16th in last year’s rankings, so if you are one who looks at the glass half-full, he moved up three spots. However, if you view the glass as half-empty, the flip-side argument is that Fox is still too low, especially for a first-pair defenseman in New York.
The link below is the Network’s discussion of their ranking for Fox, including both the pros and the cons. Pay close attention to the graphic showing Fox’s place among blueliners in certain key categories. The term often used to describe Fox’s game – and was prominent in the broadcast – is cerebral.
Fox Still One Of The Best
Fox’s ability to see the game, be a step ahead, and anticipate and overcome his “lack” of physical gifts. Those of us who watch him daily know that he is not the fastest nor the strongest blueliner in the league. When he is going right, Fox seems to somehow come out of scrums regularly, but that depends on his health. If he is not 100%, Fox struggles in situations such as those. For New York to excel, the Vladislav Gavrikov-Fox pairing needs to be dominant on both ends of the ice.
Injuries have adversely impacted Fox the past several seasons. Sebastian Aho’s knee-on-knee hit cost Fox part of 2023-2024, then his playoff performance suffered following a similar hit by the Caps’ Nick Jensen. In 2025-26, Fox was mostly healthy, but his reputation took a massive hit due to his poor performance in the 4 Nations, where his lack of foot speed was exposed against elite players. That subpar effort likely cost him a place on the Olympics roster.
Last season, Fox missed 27 out of 30 games between late-November and late-February, his return aided by the Olympics break, due to both upper-body and lower-body injuries. When healthy, he posted nine goals and 44 assists in 55 contests, solid numbers in a per-game average but the fourth straight season his overall production declined. Fox closed the season strong, and in his second season in coach Mike Sullivan’s system, if he can stay healthy – a big if recently – 70 points is within reach.
Personally, I view Fox as a top-10 blueliner, at a minimum. His ranking was adversely affected by his 4 Nations play along with injuries, which hurt him in the 2024 playoff run. If the Rangers did decide to deal Fox, the rest of the teams in the league would be mourning up to acquire him.
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Tagged: New York Rangers, nhl