Blue-Liner Fox Leading Rangers From the Back

In November, the Rangers made sure to lock in their star defenseman Adam Fox for the long term with a record-setting contract extension.

The investment is paying off handsomely this postseason, as the 24-year-old blue-liner has developed a prolific scoring streak. Fox added a goal and assist to help the Rangers top the Hurricanes 4-1 on Tuesday and even their second-round series 2-2.

Fox has been the Rangers’ playoff talisman from the back end with his four goals and nine assists, the most for a defenseman — topping the Avalanche’s Cale Makar by a point.

• He signed a seven-year, $66.5M extension — the largest in league history for a defenseman exiting his entry-level deal (3 YRs, $5.3M).
• Beginning with the 2022-23 season, he will carry a cap hit of $9.5M – T4 among NHL blue-liners.
• Fox’s 11 goals and 63 assists in the regular season put him fourth in scoring for defensemen.

New York has stormed back into the series — and the reigning Norris winner could shorten his odds to add to his trophy case the longer he helps keep the Rangers’ Stanley Cup hopes alive. 

But Fox is still a long shot to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for postseason MVP — he’s currently tied for 15th at +5000, far behind favorite Makar (+450).

The Rangers head back to Carolina on Thursday for Game 5 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) with the fifth-best odds (+1300) to win their first title since 1994.