Adam Fox is doing exactly what star defensemen are supposed to do: pile up production, drive the power play, and make his next contract look bigger by the week.
The Rangers have already lived through the downside of life without him. Last season, Fox missed an extended stretch with multiple injuries, and with Igor Shesterkin also out, the season unraveled fast and helped push the team into a retool.
That’s the backdrop for everything happening now. When Fox is in the lineup, the Rangers are a different team.
He showed it again Tuesday in a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, scoring his second goal of the season.
That lifted him to 19 points, a pace that points toward roughly 100 by season’s end. His previous high is 74, set in 2021-22, the year he earned his first All-Star nod.
The offensive burden on this Rangers team is still uneven, which is why head coach Mike Sullivan keeps shuffling the forward lines in search of a spark. A big part of that effort has centered on winger Pavel Dorofeyev, who arrived with serious expectations after the Rangers gave up two first-round picks and handed him a seven-year, $77 million deal to be a leading scorer. The goals haven’t come at the rate the team wanted, so the staff keeps trying to find him the right fit.
Fox, though, has never been the problem. He remains the quarterback of the power play and, in the win over St.
Louis, even skated on both the first and second units. That kind of usage says plenty about how much the Rangers lean on him.
And that’s where the contract conversation starts to loom. Fox becomes eligible for a new deal after the 2027-28 season, and the market for elite defensemen has already been reset. Cale Makar’s eight-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche carries an annual salary of $20.4 million, the highest among defensemen and players overall.
That number won’t stay untouched for long. Quinn Hughes could be the next one to push past it if he reaches free agency at the end of this season, with no deal yet in place with the Minnesota Wild despite interest in staying.
So where does Fox fit? The answer may be right in that same neighborhood.
With the salary cap rising, he has a strong case to be paid like one of the game’s true blue-line stars. The Rangers may not have much choice when the time comes to negotiate.
They already came close to a messy situation last season, when Fox wouldn’t commit to staying before the summer. That changed after the young players called up from the AHL played well and helped the Rangers win down the stretch. Fox spoke more positively about the group heading into the offseason, and the team’s outlook looked better from there.
Now the Rangers are seeing the payoff. Fox is producing at a level that makes him indispensable, and if this pace holds, the next deal could be enormous.
In Other News...
Rangers May Need To Act Fast On Tye Kartye
Tye Kartye has become one of the Rangers most useful surprises since arriving in February, giving the club a steady jolt of production at a price that looks better by the week. In 16 games, he has chipped in 4 goals and 7 assists, and that kind of early return has quickly turned his deal into one of the more cost-effective contracts on the roster.
For a team that has to keep one eye on the salary cap while trying to build around its current core, Kartyes rise creates an interesting decision point. The Rangers can see the value clearly enough now, which is why the conversation is shifting from what he has already provided to how long they can keep him in the fold without complicating the rest of the roster picture. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Finally Delivered The Late Push Fans Had Been Waiting For
The late-game push the Rangers have been searching for finally showed up at Madison Square Garden, where they rallied past the Flyers 3-2 with a third-period surge. After spending much of the night trying to claw back into it, New York got the kind of response it has been missing, and it came against a division opponent in a game that mattered for both momentum and the home-ice feel around the building.
Dylan Garand helped keep the comeback within reach with 23 saves, and the Rangers were able to turn a one-goal deficit into a win by capitalizing when the game opened up late. For a team looking to build on stronger results at home and against Metropolitan Division rivals, this was the sort of finish that can linger a little longer than two points usually do. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Make A Goalie Move As Defensive Injury Problem Grows
The Rangers are juggling their roster again as the injuries on the blue line continue to pile up, prompting a move in goal as well. James Reimer was placed on waivers after appearing in four games this season, a sign the club is trying to keep some flexibility while sorting through a lineup that has been hit from multiple angles.
Sean Durzis situation only adds to the uncertainty. The defenseman was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss more time, leaving him out of the mix for the upcoming road trip after playing 14 games and contributing two goals and five points. [Read more 🡒]