Rangers Credited With 4th Best Contract in Hockey: ‘Obvious Steal’
New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury received national recognition on July 16 when The Athletic highlighted the NHL’s 10 best “team-friendly” contracts. The Rangers’ 2021 extension of star defenseman Adam Fox ranked fourth overall and was one of Drury’s first major commitments after becoming president and GM in May 2021.
“The summer of big extensions for young defensemen had players falling into two camps: those with great deals and those with awful deals,” explained The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn. “Unsurprisingly, Adam Fox falls into the first camp.”
The Rangers signed Fox to a seven-year extension at $9.5 million per year in November 2021. Now, similar defensemen are earning $11 million per year or more. The Athletic’s model projects Fox’s future impact to be worth around $15 million per year.
“Fox’s 2023-24 campaign flew under the radar due to other standout defensemen,” Luszczyszyn noted. “However, Fox was still at his best, setting a career-high in goals (17) and exceeding a point-per-game rate for the first time. His elite defensive skills make him one of the league’s top defensemen, finishing top-five in Norris voting for the fourth consecutive season.”
Luszczyszyn concluded by calling Fox’s contract an “obvious steal,” predicting its value will only increase as the salary cap rises. “Year after year, he’s proven to be one of the league’s best two-way defensemen, worth far more than his current deal.”
Adam Fox’s 2023-24 Season: Efficiency Over Volume
In the Rangers’ President’s Trophy-winning season, Fox transitioned from a frequent shooter to a more efficient offensive facilitator. Although he shot less overall, his shooting percentage rose to a career-high 12.4%, compared to 7.25% over the past two years and 4.9% when he won the Norris. Fox’s 73 points were just one shy of his career-best, despite playing six fewer games.
Notably, Fox scored six power play goals in 2023-24, surpassing his previous regular season high of two. He also recorded a career-high 44 hits, showing increased physicality.
Fox’s Playoff Performance and Injury Issues
Fox played through a mild MCL strain during the later rounds of the playoffs, as reported by the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. Despite this, he went two consecutive postseasons without a goal, though he tallied eight assists in each of the past two playoff runs.
This trend reflects the Rangers’ core falling short under pressure. To make a deeper playoff run in 2024-25, the Rangers will need Fox, among others, to elevate their performance. Fox had five goals and 18 assists during the Rangers’ 2022 Eastern Conference Finals run but will need to break his postseason goal drought to help the team advance further.
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