The New York Rangers have a new bench boss in Mike Sullivan. The former Pittsburgh Penguins coach has a history of success, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in the Steel City. Now, he’s traded in the yellow and black for the iconic Blueshirts on Broadway. He will be tasked with getting more out of this roster than previous coaches, especially from their Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, Adam Fox. Fox has been one of the best Rangers for several seasons, and he must play a bigger role under Sullivan for the team to be a contender.
Fox has become synonymous with the Rangers’ success. When he is at his best, the team is a different beast compared to when he is a passenger. He’s done this without a dominant partner throughout his NHL career, but Sullivan will try to get more from Fox without the extra support. The new coach has a history of working with great offensive defensemen, so Fox’s role will be critical to the team’s future success.
Sullivan’s Defenseman History
In Pittsburgh, Sullivan worked with Kris Letang. Letang is not as flashy a name as Fox, but he has been among the best offensive defensemen in the NHL during his career. Sullivan managed to help Letang overcome his defensive deficiencies. Fox is vastly superior in his zone to Letang, giving Sullivan a nice base from which to work.
In his final two seasons in Pittsburgh, Sullivan also worked with Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is a three-time Norris Trophy winner who was one of the best defensemen in the NHL during his peak years. But he was a shell of his former self when he joined the Penguins, but Sullivan managed to get production out of the declining Swede. We’ll soon see if his experience with elite defensemen will transfer to the Rangers.
What Will Change for Fox?
In Pittsburgh, Sullivan’s game plan for Letang and Karlsson was simple: Shoot. According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, Karlsson had 397 shot attempts, 227 of which were unblocked, but only 145 hit the target. Letang had 293 attempts, 184 unblocked, but only 130 were on goal. Fox’s shot rates at 5-on-5 are nowhere close to this. Fox had 239 attempted shots, 144 unblocked, and only 89 were on goal. Sullivan will certainly make sure Fox is shooting the puck more frequently.
Fox missed time this season, and it was a down year. He’ll be better next season, but that doesn’t mean he’ll shoot more. His career high in shots, in any game situation, is 159 in 2022-23. To put this into perspective, Letang hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season and had less than 150 shots since 2008-09. Fox has passed 150 shots twice in his career. He will be asked to shoot more because he can pierce through traffic.
In the defensive zone, things aren’t going to change much for Fox. The forwards in front of him will adapt to the 1-2-2 aggressive forecheck under Sullivan, so some of the gaps might be different. Overall, though, it’s hardly anything Fox hasn’t seen. In transition, Sullivan prefers a North-South approach to the East-West game plan the Rangers adore, but we’ll see where that leads. Fox’s skating will make him an asset either way, and it’s possible Sullivan didn’t think the supporting cast for his stars in Pittsburgh could play an East-West game.
Everything might not be fixed in year one, because Fox must adjust to having a new partner and likely a new system. But the Rangers will still lean on their defenseman. He’s one of the organization’s best skaters, and his role under Sullivan might be the key to returning the Rangers to the top of the NHL standings. It’s been a trying 2024-25 season for the Blueshirts, but a new campaign with Sullivan could bring rejuvenated hopes and aspirations.
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