Adam Fox is earning a substantial salary with the New York Rangers, averaging $9.5 million annually as he enters the third year of a seven-year contract. However, according to an analysis of NHL contracts, this amount is considered a bargain given the significant value he brings to the team.
Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic ranks Fox’s contract as the fourth best in the NHL currently. Using a model he developed, Luszczyszyn projects that the actual value of Fox’s deal over the next five seasons is approximately $15 million per year. “To get all that for only $9.5 million is an obvious steal,” Luszczyszyn wrote. “As the [salary] cap rises over the next five years, Fox’s deal should only become more valuable. Year-in and year-out, he’s proven to be one of the League’s very best two-way defensemen, and that’s worth way more than his current deal.”
At 26 years old, Fox has accumulated 308 points (53 goals, 255 assists) in 357 NHL games and won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in 2020-21. He has finished in the top five of Norris voting for the past four years.
In the 2023-24 season, Fox averaged a point per game, scoring 73 points in 72 games, including a career-high 17 goals, despite missing 10 games due to a knee injury.
“Fox’s 2023-24 campaign really felt like it flew under the radar, mostly as a result of several other defensemen who managed to soar higher,” Luszczyszyn stated. “Make no mistake though, Fox was still at the very top of his game.”
Fox’s exceptional offensive numbers and strong defensive play on the Rangers’ top pairing are what make him so elite.
Rangers deal with Adam Fox one of best contracts in NHL, per report
Credit for this contract goes to the visionary general manager Chris Drury. Just months after his hiring as GM in 2021, Drury secured this extension even though Fox was still in the last season of his entry-level contract.
At the time, the deal represented a significant raise for Fox. However, Drury managed to lock in the early years of Fox’s unrestricted free agency and avoid potentially tough contract negotiations during his restricted free agent years.
According to The Athletic, this contract is already proving to be an excellent one for the Blueshirts.
The report states that only the contracts of Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling, New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, and Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen are considered “better.”
Following Fox, the list ranks Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets D), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers F), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche C), Zach Hyman (Edmonton Oilers F), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks D), and Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild F).
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