Mr. Norris is getting paaaaaaid (next season).
Adam Fox, the 23-year-old Norris Trophy-winning defenseman from the Rangers, just signed himself a massive contract with New York for seven more years with an AAV of $9.5 million dollars. This deal won’t kick in till next season but it was a good move for New York to get this done now.
Fox has been a massive part of the Rangers’ defense since he was a rookie back in the 2019-2020 season. That year, Fox played in 70 games, ended with 42 points (8G 34A), and an average of 18:54 per game. He also blocked 92 shots and he averaged a 55.1% Corsi For (56.2% Fenwick). That year the Rangers made playoffs and in those 3 games he played in, he was +2 with 5 hits, 5 blocked shots, and an average of 21:12 per game. To end that campaign, he came in 4th for the Calder voting.
The next season, Fox came back with a bang. Played 55 games with 47 points (5G 42A) and got his minutes bumped up to an average of 24:42 per game. He blocked 102 shots, laid 23 hits, had a Corsi For of 53.1% (53.9% Fenwick), AND he had one faceoff loss. Not to mention, Fox was voted to his first-ever All-Star game. The Rangers did not make the playoffs last season however Fox did go on to win the Norris trophy following his sophomore season at just 22-years-old.
Now, his third season, and his last one on his Entry-Level Contract, has been treating him well so far. Just 9 games in Fox already has 9 points (2G 7A). He has averaged 24:16 per game, blocked 14 shots, 11 takeaways, and averaged a Corsi For of 54.3% (55% Fenwick). He has been absolutely killer for the Rangers and it makes sense the team wanted to get this deal done now. If this early in the season Fox has been raising his price tag with every game, imagine where it would be by the end of the season. Get him signed to this now to prevent the battle later.
By the start of next season, Fox will be 24 and actually 6th among the top paid defensemen. Of course Karlsson and Doughty take 1-2 but Zach Werenski – another will-be-24-year-old – will take 3rd. Then Seth Jones in Chicago (I don’t wanna talk about that) and Charlie McAvoy – who is the same age as Fox but has an additional 108 NHL games – will both be tied with Fox seeing as they all have a $9.5 million cap hit. Fox is one of the best defenders of this generation and he’s going to have wild success for years to come. He’s going to be a huge piece of the Rangers and a player for them to build around moving forward. I’m happy he signed a good deal, he seems like a great guy who has a lot to give and prove still. If Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad doesn’t get the “C”, I’m sure this kid will.
The Rangers have extended a good chunk of their key players but I think they’ll have some financial trouble trying to get more players around those guys. Their current cap hit comes in at $72,666,344 on a 23 man roster. Next year they are currently angled at having a $70,866,469 cap hit on a 16-man roster.
Yet, that’s a problem for later. For now, I’m happy for Fox and Ranger fans. Like I’ve said a million times already, this kid is awesome, the fans love him, his teammates love him – win-win. There’s still a long season to go and a lot the Rangers have to prove but as far as I’m concerned, the future looks bright.
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Featured Image: New York Rangers Twitter
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