New York Rangers’ First Priority This Offseason Should Be Adam Fox – The Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

The New York Rangers have a lot of work to do this offseason after missing the playoffs for the second straight season. However, one player should take priority before anything else is done: Adam Fox.

Without question, the 28-year-old is the best defenseman the organization has had since Brian Leetch. But tensions certainly brewed between the Rangers and Fox during 2025-26, and a conversation needs to be had if that hasn’t taken place already.

How it Started

While it may seem unconscionable, given that Fox leveraged his power to force his way on the Rangers just several years ago, this season has certainly left a stain on the 2021 Norris Trophy winner.

Obviously, all the losing that took place didn’t help. Overall, the team finished last place in the Eastern Conference and third-worst overall this season. It was maybe the worst season for the Rangers this century.

The injuries didn’t help either, as Fox was forced to miss extensive periods of time twice in 2025-26. Fox only appeared in 55 games.

But likely what put Fox over the edge was being held off the US Men’s Olympic roster, which Rangers executive Chris Drury oversaw as an assistant general manager. Clearly, things soured from that point, with Fox expressing his frustration publicly.

The sentiment then worsened once Fox returned to the lineup after the Olympic break, after Team USA and Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan’s “whiskey drinkers and milk drinkers” comment after winning a gold medal, as reported by Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Some looked at it as a personal shot at Fox—and perhaps he took it that way.

Fox notably declined to comment on his future after returning to the lineup in February when given a chance by the media. Instead, that’s a conversation he wanted to put on hold until the offseason.

Reason for Optimism

No doubt, Fox was clearly frustrated—but it’s not time to sound the alarm just yet. Reason one: The Rangers and the American defensemen finished the season strong.

Notably, in the second half of the season, the Blueshirts were competitive against teams near the top of the league in the standings and beat up on bad and mediocre teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, and Calgary Flames. The overall record was 12-10-3 after the Olympic break—not too shabby.

Fox’s presence clearly helped. From March 4 to the end of the Rangers’ season, the Jericho, New York native ranked 22nd in the league in scoring with 22 points in 25 games.

To sum that up, the Rangers started competing more, and Fox contributed. That only helps the situation.

Obviously, the organization has issues and must address the lack of scoring, which ranked 23rd in the league. They need to add at least a key piece or two to return as a true Stanley Cup contender. But at the very least, with a guaranteed top-five pick and a big trade, you can see the Rangers at least having a shot at a turnaround and a successful retool.

But before that happens, Drury needs to have an important conversation with Fox and let him know how much he means to the Rangers and the team’s success. The organization cannot afford to lose one of the best offensive defensemen in the league.

It’s unclear if that conversation has taken place, but the good news is that things may already be trending the right way. Fox told Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic this week that he was encouraged by the way the team played toward the end of the season.

The fact that the 2016 third-round pick came out publicly to cool tensions down is a great sign for Drury. Now it’s up to the front office to put any conversation of playing for another NHL franchise to rest for good this offseason.

Because when Fox didn’t play this season, the Rangers didn’t even look like a professional hockey team.