The New York Rangers firmly rebuffed inquiries from other teams about the trade availability of star defenseman Adam Fox, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on yesterday’s 32 Thoughts Podcast. According to Friedman, there were teams that asked Rangers GM Chris Drury about whether Fox might be able to be acquired, and Drury “told them to get lost.” Some speculated that there might be some lingering hard feelings on Fox’s part after he was left off of the United States’ roster for the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, since Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan and Drury were two key decision-makers for USA hockey, but that speculation seems to have been unfounded.
Fox, 28, remains arguably New York’s best player (it’s either him or superstar goalie Igor Shesterkin) and is easily the team’s most valuable skater. The 2021 Norris Trophy winner scored 53 points last season but was limited to just 55 games played due to injury. He’s under contract through the 2028-29 season at a $9.5MM cap hit. After the Jericho, New York native maneuvered his way to the Rangers during his time as a prospect at Harvard University, it would be a surprise to see him eager to move on from his hometown team.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Friedman also reported that the New York Islanders received interest from other teams in trading for centers Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, but GM Mathieu Darche did not have any interest in making trades to send away either pivot. The combination of Barzal and Horvat gives New York an enviable pairing of top-six centers, and with Brayden Schenn under contract, they even have the flexibility to play Barzal on the wing. With how the cap has risen, Barzal and Horvat’s cap hits of $9.15MM and $8.5MM, respectively, represent too much value for the Islanders to move on from.
- The New Jersey Devils are waiting to hear from the Utah Mammoth as to whether the club will match the offer sheet signed by Barrett Hayton, and it’s unclear at this time what direction the Mammoth might go in. What is clear, though, is how strong of a fit Hayton would be in New Jersey. Shayna Goldman of The Athletic wrote earlier today that Hayton would be the “3C this team has been missing” for the last few years. As of right now, the Devils’ No. 3 center is projected to be Cody Glass, but, as Goldman writes, he has “durability concerns” that Hayton doesn’t carry. The No. 5 overall pick at the 2018 draft, Hayton has played in 149 of 164 possible games across the last two seasons and has scored 30 goals and 71 points in that span of time.
