The Rangers have announced that Adam Fox has signed a seven-year contract extension.
The deal is worth $9.5 million per season.
Chris Drury said in a statement, “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. 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 is the reigning Norris Trophy winner.
From the Rangers:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Adam Rotter: The only question is why seven years and not eight, but either way, the Rangers lock up arguably their best player. There was never any question that the Rangers were going to lock up Fox long term and they get it done before he possibly adds a second Norris Trophy to the back of his hockey card.
The $9.5 million per season was around what was expected and maybe that eighth year would have sent the cap hit over $10 million. He’s worth every penny though and now the only question is when they stitch the “C” on his jersey. My guess is that they roll with the six alternate captains for this season and then give Fox the “C” heading in to next season. They could still keep the six alternate captains and just rotate them two at a time, but after punting on naming a captain for this season he is the only one that makes sense.