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Adam Fox, New York Rangers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Rangers Must Find Right Partner for Adam Fox

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Anthony Russo | Last updated Feb 6, 2025 8:25 AM ET

The New York Rangers have gotten better by adding J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks – but it’s not the biggest issue surrounding the team.

Over the past two seasons, Ryan Lindgren has been in noticeable decline, and it’s hurting Adam Fox. From 2023-25, the pairing has posted an expected goals for percentage of 47.20 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick. Compare that to the defending Stanley Cup champion, Florida Panthers, whose top pairing with Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling has an xGF percentage of 56.27 over that span. Lindgren on the top pairing won’t cut it anymore. It’s not capable of leading a contending team to the Stanley Cup – and it was a big reason why the Rangers fell short in the 2023-24 postseason.

Plus, as Birthplace of Hockey recently noted, multiple injuries in the past year alone have likely taken a toll and multiple other players have underperformed (like Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad), leading to the Rangers’ demise in the standings this season.

Learning From Ryan McDonagh

While Lindgren has played some solid hockey for the Rangers since his NHL debut in 2021, his recent play has not only been poor, but it’s dragging Fox down in the process as well. In many ways, it serves as a reminder of Ryan McDonagh, who played mostly with Dan Girardi, whose play kept getting worse after signing a six-year contract extension to remain a Ranger in 2014.

Unfortunately, until the Rangers fully came to grips with Girardi’s decline – it was too late. Months after buying out the shot-blocking defenseman, the Blueshirts had no choice but to rebuild. Most of the core at the time was not salvageable and signing Kevin Shattenkirk, who would have been a great move for the Rangers a couple of seasons before they actually brought him in, was not going to be enough.

Rangers Must Trade Lindgren at Deadline Regardless

That’ll be an important lesson for the Rangers to learn. Fox is still only 26 and should have several more years of elite play left in him. With the Blueshirts sitting multiple games out of a playoff spot and Lindgren scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July, the time is perfect to move on from him.

Hockey Insider Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff has Lindgren ranked sixth on his trade bait list and as the top rental defenseman available. Given what the demand is in the market, the Rangers might be able to get haul. You would think the offer regardless would start with a first-round pick. Lindgren has appeared in 40 postseason games in his career. Teams across the league will almost certainly value that – and president and general manager Chris Drury should use that to his advantage.

Finding the Right Top-Pair Defenseman

After parting ways with Lindgren, Drury must find the right defenseman who can play with Fox. Maybe that’s in the trade market and the Rangers decide to take a flyer on a young defenseman like Bowen Byram, who Seravalli has ranked fourth on his trade board. While the 2019 fourth-overall pick hasn’t lived up to the hype, he’s certainly not short of talent on the blue line, and it might be worth the risk depending on what the cost is to acquire him. But it could be a risky move.

Or maybe between now and sometime between the 2025 NHL Draft, more of a sure-bet top-four defenseman will become available like McDonagh or Mikhail Sergachev did last year.

But the Blueshirts shouldn’t force themselves into getting a player they don’t like. Maybe the best fit is exploring the market in free agency. If Vancouver Canucks’ recently acquired Marcus Pettersson gets to free agency, the Rangers should consider making a run at him. Among defensemen who have appeared in at least 40 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, Pettersson ranks as the team’s top defenseman in xGF percentage at 55.27 percent. He would be a fantastic add, but the term of the deal could bite the Rangers down the line, considering he’ll be 29 years old by July.

Regardless, the Rangers need to move on from Lindgren. It was a good run, but the defenseman has played his course in New York. It’s time to get a legitimate top-four defenseman who can play with Fox, whether it costs the Rangers assets or not. The blue line is by far the biggest outstanding issue. Nothing will change until the defense does.