For the second year in a row, Adam Fox’s ranking on NHL Network’s Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list is likely too low. Fox, ranked 16th of 20 a season ago, ticked up three spots to 13th in this year’s edition. He’ll get a chance to potentially prove he deserves to be higher on this list for a Rangers team expected to play a lot of close games this season.
Fox missed 27 games last season, during which the Rangers were 8-16-3 without him. He finished with nine goals and 44 assists for 53 points in 55 games. Fox’s advanced metrics were elite across the board.
The former Norris Trophy winner may not be the best defenseman in the NHL, but it’s difficult to pick 12 defensemen better than him at any given moment. Apparently, though, it was not difficult for NHL Network.
Adam Fox (@NYRangers) comes in at #️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ on NHL Network’s Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list!
📺: #NHLTopPlayers on NHL Network pic.twitter.com/LUr99sv50G
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 9, 2026
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Adam Fox’s Ranking: A Reflection on Wider Discourse
The discourse around Fox reached a fever pitch following the 4 Nations Face-Off. Fox didn’t excel in the limited best-on-best action, and he was on ice for Canada’s event-clinching goal. Fox and Auston Matthews, arguably, took the most blame for the winning goal.
While that’s noteworthy, it shouldn’t undo what an overwhelming mountain of evidence indicates about Adam Fox. The Rangers aren’t just a better team when Fox comes over the boards. They are, arguably, almost always the better team when Fox comes over the boards.
At five-on-five, Fox has never been a minus player. He finished plus-nine during the 2021-22 season at five-on-five. That’s the low-water mark for Fox. The Rangers, notorious for their inability to own the puck at five-on-five during much of Fox’s career, are dominant in basically every metric during his career. Last season was particularly strong, as the Rangers won 63.76 percent of high-danger chances at five-on-five when Fox was on the ice.
Fox has won the Norris, finished as the runner-up once and finished top five in voting two other times. Through it all, his play has not changed. Perception of his play, however, has changed. That has likely led to Adam Fox’s ranking in these exercises falling.
NHL Network’s Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list has a total of:
• 21 total All-Star Game appearances
• 11 All-Rookie team honors
• Seven Norris Trophies
• Seven Olympic Gold Medals
• Four Calder Trophies
• Two Conn Smythe Trophies
• Six Stanley CupsWhat do you think of… pic.twitter.com/lojAgF9y4V
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 10, 2026
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Who Finished Ahead of Fox?
The names at the top are hard to argue against. Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski and even Rasmus Dahlin have all made strong cases for their spots in these rankings.
Miro Heiskanen at number five is, conservatively, the point to start thinking about Fox. Heiskanen, like Fox, has had issues staying on the ice. Unlike Fox, Heiskanen’s high-end offense is not consistent year-to-year. Meanwhile, Lane Hutson’s recent breakout puts him firmly in the conversation. It’s still worth asking if his resume has dwarfed Fox’s. Matthew Schaefer had a remarkable season, but it’s only a single season. And, by the metrics, his defensive impact lagged behind Fox’s. Adam Fox’s ranking falling below Schaefer feels like an obvious miss.
Jaccob Slavin is an elite defensive defenseman. He came in just ahead of Fox at number 12. Yet Slavin’s lack of two-way impact, almost by definition, should lower him on this list. Slavin also missed 43 games last season. If availability is a skill, Slavin has generally excelled. Last year, that wasn’t the case.
These exercises generally don’t need to be taken with deathly seriousness. Still, Adam Fox’s ranking is a reminder that he’s gone from being considered a tier-one defenseman. At one point, many considered him on par with the likes of Makar and Hughes. Now, he’s considered, by many, to be clearly below those players.
The question worth asking is why Fox’s ranking is slipping so far behind other players.
Justification for Adam Fox’s Ranking?
If there’s any justification for Adam Fox’s ranking, it would be based on guys who have excelled at the highest level, meaning best-on-best international play. Many considered Hutson a snub, but he’s never had the chance to prove himself in that setting. Schaefer also hasn’t had that opportunity.
Meanwhile, if anything else matters, the Rangers did reduce Fox’s penalty-kill usage. Last season, Fox played his fewest minutes on the penalty kill since his rookie season. If we’re penalizing Slavin for his lack of offense, then Fox can be penalized for usage. It remains to be seen if the Rangers go back to heavier usage of Fox on the penalty kill this season.
New York Rangers Superstar Adam Fox Snubbed Again by NHL Network