This is entirely speculation and spitballing. At no point has Adam Fox requested a trade, and there is nothing legitimate that says an Adam Fox trade is on the horizon. Everything being spoken about is just hearsay, no matter how much spin is put on it. There is no Adam Fox trade in the works. However since it’s being discussed, and given where the Rangers are as a team, Fox would be a piece that jumpstarts a retool if the Rangers and Chris Drury went that direction.

There is no Adam Fox trade in the works

This cannot be stressed enough: The Rangers are not exploring an Adam Fox trade. The only reason why this is coming up is because of his Olympic snub. Chris Drury, Mike Sullivan, and David Quinn were all a part of the selection process for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. They were unable to convince Bill Guerin that perhaps he should put a top-three defenseman in the world on Team USA. All accounts state this was Guerin’s decision, and no amount of convincing from Drury, Sully, or Quinn was going to change his mind.

Guerin’s mind was made up long before the selection process started.

But now we have three key figures with the Rangers on the selection committee leaving off one of their own. Naturally, Adam Fox trade rumors will start from that because people want to assume Fox is disgruntled and will request a trade. That seems unlikely as the Rangers are Fox’s childhood team.

There will not be a link provided regarding the source of the “Fox is disgruntled’ discussion because it comes with no fact-based evidence to support it. But it’s out there, because of course it is.

But what would a trade look like?

Since an Adam Fox trade is still a topic, we may as well go down the rabbit hole to see what the Rangers could possibly get. Good thing another elite, top-three defenseman was just traded. Quinn Hughes was traded to Minnesota for Marco Rossi (young top-6 C), Zeev Buium (rookie, high ceiling defenseman), Liam Ohgren (legit prospect), and a 2026 1st round pick. Hughes, with one more year at $7.85 million, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027. An extension could not be negotiated yet.

Fox and Hughes are very similar players. Fox is more well rounded, but Hughes has better scoring numbers and is the faster skater. Note: faster, not better. The other factors that go into skating–agility, edgework, walking the line, etc–are roughly even between the two. The only other “major” difference between the two is handedness, as Hughes is a lefty and Fox a righty.

The starting point on any Adam Fox trade is the Quinn Hughes return: A young top-six center, a high ceiling NHL ready player, a top prospect, and a 1st round pick. There’s a strong argument that Fox, who isn’t a UFA until 2029 and is a right-handed shot, could fetch more because of those two variables. But for the sake of this exercise, let’s stick with the Hughes return on any Adam Fox trade scenarios we discuss.

Which teams line up for Fox?

Every single NHL team, save for the Minnesota Wild because of Guerin, will line up for Fox. Fox’s $9.5 million cap hit for this season and the next three years is an absolute bargain given what he brings to the ice. The question isn’t about which teams will line up for an Adam Fox trade, but which teams can actually pull off an Adam Fox trade.

It’s safe to assume the Rangers would want to send him to the Western Conference, so that’s a good place to start. Funny enough, Utah seems like a good place to start as a young, fast team that has the cap space and assets to make it work. Every team has a need for a player like Fox, so there’s no need to manufacture a reason why Utah would be interested. As good as Sean Durzi is, Fox is better.

Assuming an Adam Fox trade brings in the same return as the Quinn Hughes trade, the equivalent from Utah would be Barrett Hayton, Danil But, Dmitriy Simashev, and a 2026 1st round pick.

The LA Kings are another team that could use a big upgrade on defense, especially on the right side. Drew Doughty is 36 and Cody Ceci is Cody Ceci. With rumors that LA is willing to dangle Brandt Clarke, the Kings would be an interesting place for Fox.

For LA, the cost would be Clarke, Quinton Byfield, a top prospect (Francesco Pinelli?), and a 2026 1st round pick. Though this would strip LA of any real center depth.

Anaheim is the last team I can see making a move for Fox, as there is a need on RD and Anaheim plays a style that would fit Fox well. The Hughes comparable for Anaheim is Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, a pick one of Sasha Pastujov or Lucas Pettersson, and of course a 2026 1st round pick.

This isn’t going to happen

Again, none of this is going to happen. An Adam Fox trade isn’t something we should be anticipating. But in playing this out, trading Fox would certainly jump start the Rangers’ retool if they go that route. Make no mistake, Fox would be the best player in any trade where he’s involved, so it’s not a slam dunk decision.

In another universe where Chris Drury is presented all three options, Anaheim’s is probably the strongest offer with Utah not far behind.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: