Why NY Rangers' Adam Fox Can Be Norris Trophy Contender This Season

Will New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox be in the mix for the Norris Trophy this season?

Apr 15, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) controls the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers are getting set for training camp next week, and the team will have a lot of new faces to get acclimated into the lineup. 

Coming off a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers were a busy team this summer trying to improve. With a good amount of draft capital and cap space, the team added a lot of talent this offseason. 

Even though they very well could have elected to go into a rebuild following the tough campaign, the team has instead tried to retool. Now, while there is still a focus on building for the future, they are going to be trying to contend this coming season as well. 

One of the reasons for the struggles of the team last year, besides the talent not quite being up to par, was some key players missing time. One in particular who missed a good chunk of the season was star defenseman Adam Fox. When healthy, he is one of the best in the game, and his missing so much time negatively impacted the Rangers. 

Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report recently released early rankings for the Norris Trophy award, and Rangers’ Adam Fox came in just outside of the Top 5. 

A Healthy Fox Will Be in the Mix 

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) skates against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Seeing Fox coming in just outside the top five is a fair placement, but when healthy, he is going to be in the mix for this award. It was back in the 2020-21 season that he was the winner of the Norris Trophy, and New York would love to see him get back to that caliber of play. 

That season, he totaled 47 points with five goals and 42 assists in 55 games played. With a +19 rating on the ice, the Rangers were a very good team when he was playing. 

While the injuries certainly derailed his season a bit last year, he was a really effective player when he was on the ice. In 55 games, he totaled 53 points with nine goals and 44 assists. 

As a near point-per-game player, Fox has the upside to be the best offensive player at the position this coming year. The Rangers are going to be a better team than last year, and adding a scorer like Pavel Dorofeyev could give Fox an elite weapon to pass the puck to.  

Being just outside of the top five is fair for now after missing so much time, but Fox could very well be in the mix for the Norris Trophy if he stays healthy.