Trading for Adam Fox was one of Jeff Gorton’s best moves
We all know about Cale Makar, and Quinn Hughes, but what people are forgetting to mention is that Rangers defenseman Adam Fox is also having himself a spectacular rookie campaign. While Fox doesn’t have the offensive numbers that Hughes (47 points) and Makar (45 points) possess, he still has 31 points while averaging 2 plus minutes less than his counterparts. Fox, while he does not have the same skating ability as Hughes, or doesn’t have the sheer size and speed of Makar, has the hockey IQ of a defenseman who has played in the league for 10 years.
Catching the Fox
The Rangers acquired the Harvard product from the Carolina Hurricanes on April 30th of last year for the price of two 2nd round picks (2019 and 2020). Fox has been worth that price, and more. Night in and night out Fox has made plays in his own end that make us fans feel like we’re watching a veteran defenseman. His ability to evade pressure in his own zone, wheel out of trouble, and create a breakout has been excellent, to say the least. In the offensive zone, Fox has the ability to create plays, make fantastic tape-to-tape passes, and can finish in and around the net if the opportunity presents itself.
While Fox isn’t the greatest skater, his ability to cycle back and create space for himself is shown when he has the puck in his own end. For all that is good with Adam Fox, his greatest asset is the thing between his ears. He seems to never make a mistake while he’s on the ice, and I credit that to his hockey IQ, it’s no surprise he’s a Harvard product.
Partner on defense
Since being paired with Ryan Lindgren, he and Fox have been arguably the Rangers best pair. No they do not play against top players most of the time (a job that has been done so marvelously by Jacob Trouba), but they have certainly been a great pair for the rebuilding Rangers.
I had been calling for the Rangers to acquire Adam Fox for quite some time now. Growing up on Long Island, there isn’t much hockey going around, so when a great player is out there, his name spreads rapidly. When Fox was playing for the Long Island Gulls, I caught wind of his name and how he was going to be the “next big thing”, and he has certainly lived up to that reputation. The Rangers were smart to make him part of this rebuild and future for years to come.
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