John Flanigan
·2 min read
Head coach Peter Laviolette will be making one change to the Rangers’ leadership group heading into the 2023-24 season.
Defenseman Adam Fox will don an ‘A’ on his sweater as the fifth alternate, joiningMika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, and Barclay Goodrow alongside captainJacob Trouba.
“Super happy and excited,” Fox told reporters Sunday. “Obviously it’s a pretty big honor to be added to that group. It was a little bit of a surprise because I thought we had the A’s all set, but it’s nice to have that trust and responsibility.”
The honor is certainly well deserving, as Fox has been a staple on the Rangers’ blue line since debuting with the team during the 2019-20 season.
The 25-year-old, who just continues getting better, is coming off another stellar campaign in which he averaged 24 minutes of ice time and finished with a new career-high 12 goals. He added 60 assists and was a stellar +28 across the 82-game season.
He dished out 28 of those assists with the man advantage and added one goal for a total of 29 power playpoints, which was seventh on the team. He was named to his second career All-Star team and finished as a finalist for the Norris Trophy for the third consecutive year.
Fox figures to remain a steady presence for Laviolette and the Rangers’ defense again this season. Though he’ll have some new responsibilities with the ‘A’ on his chest, he doesn’t plan on changing his approach.
“You’re looked upon as a leader with an A, but it’s not going to change how I handle myself or handle things,” he said. “You may be looked upon a little differently, it’s nice to have that responsibility, but it’s not going to change much with my approach.
“It isn’t taking away from having a letter or not having a letter of what I want to bring day in and day out.”
Though Fox has never worn a letter throughout his college or pro career, he feels he’s ready for the opportunity and added responsibility.
“I’ve been lucky to see a lot of great leaders,” he said. “We have a great leadership group and there are a lot of guys on this team who could wear an A. It’s an honor to be added to that group with a letter.”
