Rangers Agree to Terms with Adam Fox

New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has agreed to terms with Adam Fox on a seven-year contract extension.
"We are thrilled that we have agreed to terms with Adam on a contract extension and that he will continue to play for the team he grew up cheering for," Drury said. "In just over two seasons, Adam has consistently shown why he is a cornerstone for our organization and one of the best players in the NHL. It has been a privilege for us, and our fans, to watch Adam showcase his ability on a nightly basis, and we are glad to have that opportunity for seven more years."
Fox, 23, has skated in 134 career NHL games over parts of three seasons (2019-20 - 2021-22), all with the Rangers, registering 15 goals and 83 assists for 98 points, along with a plus-46 rating and 48 penalty minutes. He won the Norris Trophy in 2020-21 as the "defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position"; he skated in 55 games with the Rangers last season, registering five goals and 42 assists for 47 points, along with a plus-19 rating and 14 penalty minutes. Fox became the fourth Ranger to win the Norris Trophy since it was first presented in 1953-54, joining Doug Harvey (1961-62), Harry Howell (1966-67), and Brian Leetch (1991-92 and 1996-97). In addition, Fox became only the second defenseman in NHL history to win the Norris Trophy in one of his first two seasons in the league, joining Bobby Orr (Orr won the award in his second NHL season in 1967-68). He led NHL defensemen in assists, ranked second in points and power play assists (21), tied for second in power play points (23), ranked third in takeaways (38), and ranked 11th in average ice time (24:42) in 2020-21.

The 5-11, 183-pounder was named the Rangers' Most Valuable Player and was selected as the winner of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award last season. He became the fourth defenseman in franchise history to average at least 0.75 assists per game in a season (min. 10 games played), joining Brian Leetch (four times), Brad Park, and Sergei Zubov, and he became the first Rangers defenseman to do so since Leetch in 1995-96. Fox also became the eighth defenseman in franchise history to average at least 0.85 points per game in a season (min. 10 games played), joining Leetch (nine times), Park (four times), Ron Greschner (four times), Zubov (twice), Reijo Ruotsalainen (twice), James Patrick (twice), and Barry Beck, and he became the first Rangers defenseman to do so since Leetch in 2000-01. On March 25, 2021 at Philadelphia, Fox tied a single-game franchise record by tallying five assists, and his five assists and five points also tied the single-game franchise record for assists and points by a defenseman.
Since entering the NHL in 2019-20, Fox is the only defenseman in the league who has tallied at least 90 points and has posted a plus-45 rating or better; only three other NHL players have registered 90 or more points and a plus-45 rating or better over the span (Artemi Panarin, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand). Fox has skated in nine games with the Rangers thus far in 2021-22, recording two goals and seven assists for nine points, along with a plus-five rating and two penalty minutes. He is tied for second among NHL defensemen in points and is tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in assists this season. In addition, he is the only NHL player averaging at least 17:00 of even strength ice time, 4:00 of power play ice time, and 2:00 of shorthanded ice time per game thus far in 2021-22. Fox's 11 takeaways thus far this season are tied for the fourth-most in the NHL.
The Jericho, New York native was acquired by the Rangers from Carolina on April 30, 2019. Fox was originally selected by Calgary in the third round, 66th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.