Adam Fox’s quote is a disaster and could spell the end for Chris Drury if James Dolan has any access to a working brain. While I argued plenty about how the Rangers must act to prevent Fox from wanting to leave, I did not acknowledge the possibility that Fox asks out. If Fox demands a trade, the Rangers future changes from a retool to a rebuild like the franchise has never seen before.
The concept of tanking is foreign to an organization like the Rangers, but without Fox, the Rangers would have access to one franchise player: an all-world goalie playing in front of a team that isn’t even the second best in the Tri-State area. And there’s no guarantee he stays if/when Fox requests a trade. The Rangers future is tied to that sole decision.
Consider me someone who can’t even fathom how a good general manager would go about replacing Fox with the rest of the work that needs to be done to the roster. Now imagine Chris Drury being the GM tasked with that. And the possibility of the domino effect that is Shesterkin asking out once Fox is moved. The Rangers future looks bleak as this becomes a stronger possibility.
Adam Fox is the glue that keeps the Rangers together. With him, there’s a defenseman that can help move the puck into the offensive zone. There’s a defenseman that can keep the pucks from peppering Igor Shesterkin for 60 minutes a game. Without him, there’s a team that at best is bound to give up 40-45 shots a night.
Fox’s play doesn’t even speak to his presence on the team. Fox is the one player that essentially forced his way onto the team. Fox needed to be a Ranger. Should he want to go, it will be impossible for the Rangers to recover from such a hit to their reputation. The Rangers future, at that point, will depend on skipping the free agent shortcuts and focus on drafting and developing. Not exactly their strength, historically.
But maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe a wake up call is what this organization needs after the last two seasons. But losing a franchise legend (which yes, I believe Fox is one), is never a good thing. Losing one when you don’t want to lose one is an even worse thing. The trifecta is losing a franchise legend less than a year after losing another legend in Chris Kreider.
As mentioned, Fox leaving could spark discussions of trading Igor Shesterkin, which would truly put the nail in the coffin of the immediate Rangers future. Shesterkin would be a man alone in Rangersland, essentially in a different league than the rest of the team.
I do not want Adam Fox to leave the Rangers. I hope he stays for his whole career. But if Adam Fox demands out, we’re all going to have to face it. It’s tanking time.
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