Colin Stephenson: Adam Fox says he loves being a Ranger but still doesn't commit to future
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox skates against Chicago in the first period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
When he returned to the lineup after the Olympic break, Adam Fox was asked if, with the Rangers in the beginning of a roster “retool,’’ he’d be willing to waive the no-move clause in his contract. The team’s No. 1 defenseman created something of a stir when he didn’t say no.
On Friday, a month after those comments, Fox tried to dispel any notion that he is looking for an exit from the team this summer.
“Obviously, I love being a Ranger,’’ the Jericho native and lifelong Rangers fan said Friday after the morning skate and before notching an assist in the Blueshirts’ 6-1 win over Chicago at Madison Square Garden. “I’m very, very proud to be a Ranger. And I think it was just one of those things that . . . a retool letter [from general manager Chris Drury to the fans on Jan. 16] is a unique situation that I think a lot of us haven’t been a part of. So I think it’s just one of those things that just [required] clarity.
“I had just missed a long, long stretch of hockey [sidelined for 27 of 30 games], and came back,’’ he said. “I think for me, it was literally just trying to focus on right here, right now. And I think it’s important for me to do that and not have any, really, distractions of other things other than coming in and trying to put a good product on the ice for myself.’’
So with all of that said, Fox was asked the question again Friday: Would he waive his no-move clause to open the possibility of a trade to a team further along in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup than the Rangers are?
“Yeah, I don’t know,’’ he said. “I mean, that hasn’t even been discussed or been a topic of conversation, so if that time ever gets [here], it’s a different conversation. But no, that hasn’t even been discussed.’’
Still not a definitive “no.’’
Does that mean he wants to leave?
No. What he wants to do is win.
“I think you just want to be a part of a winning team,’’ he said when asked what he wants to hear when he sits down with management for his exit meeting. “And I think that’s the biggest thing for any of us. I think the way this year was, and losing . . . it sucks. I think we’ve had a pretty good run of success since I’ve been here. And I think that’s just the biggest thing is you want to be a part of a winning team.’’
It’s been a frustrating season for the 28-year-old. He got off to a good start with three goals and 23 assists in his first 27 games before suffering an apparent shoulder injury in a game against Tampa Bay on Nov. 29 and missing 14 games. He returned with a goal and an assist in a New Year’s Eve game in Washington, then played two more games before suffering a lower-body injury Jan. 5 against Utah that kept him out another 13 games.
During that time, he failed to make the Olympic team, and by the time he came back from his second injury, the Rangers had announced the retool and had traded Artemi Panarin.
With 39 points in 45 games entering Friday, Fox likely will fail to reach 50 points for the first time since the 56-game 2021 season, but he can’t worry about that right now. All he can do is try to finish strong, and after needing a few games to get back up to speed following his return he made an assist on Alexis Lafreniere’s goal on Friday and has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in his last 11 games.
“I think Foxy’s gotten better with every game he plays,’’ coach Mike Sullivan said last week.
With nine games to go after Friday and the Rangers having been officially eliminated from playoff contention with Wednesday’s loss to the Maple Leafs, Fox said he just wants to play well finishing out the season.
“I think my goal and the team’s goal is the same,’’ he said. “Just try and build something that we can feel good about. Obviously, we want to win every game. But if you’re not going to win games, you want to feel good about the game you put on the ice.
“We want to just get the momentum and feel good about things we’re doing in here, and you don’t want to develop bad habits that stick with you,’’ he said. “And so I think that’s kind of the focus for these last few games.’’
Fortescue makes debut. Rookie defenseman Drew Fortescue was set to make his NHL debut against Chicago. With Fortescue, goalie Dylan Garand, who made his debut Sunday against Winnipeg, and Adam Sykora, who made his debut Wednesday in Toronto, the Rangers had three players in the lineup with a combined two games of NHL experience.
“We’ve got them surrounded with veteran players that we think can help them when they’re on the ice,’’ Sullivan said. “But these guys are all good players.”
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
