Adam Fox, Rangers Agree to 7-Year Contract Extension; Reportedly Includes $9.5M AAV

The New York Rangers are rewarding star defenseman Adam Fox with a seven-year contract extension, the team announced Monday.

Fox, the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman, will reportedly receive an average annual value of $9.5 million, according to Rangers beat reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano.

Fox is the only player besides NHL legend Bobby Orr to win the Norris Trophy before his third season. He led New York with 42 assists last season and added five goals to rank fifth with 47 points.

Fox has picked up where he left off this season, leading the Rangers with nine points (two goals, seven assists) through the team's first nine games of the year. He scored the go-ahead goal in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken as New York improved to 6-2-1.

A 23-year-old native of Jericho, New York, Fox was selected 66th overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft by the Calgary Flames. He opted to attend college at Harvard University, and his rights were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes before the Rangers acquired him in April 2019.

Fox left college a year early and made his Rangers debut in the 2019 season. He made an immediate impact, tying for second among all NHL rookie defensemen in goals and ranking third in assists and points.

The Rangers locking up Fox with a deal is the latest move to retain one of their big stars. Their 28-year-old center, Mika Zibanejad, was signed to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension prior to the start of this season.

New York has failed to qualify for the playoffs in three of the last four seasons and hopes to change that by keeping players like Fox long-term.