With just a few soundbites, star defenseman Adam Fox has quickly cast doubt upon his future with the New York Rangers.
With tension seemingly growing with general manager Chris Drury and head coach Mike Sullivan after the Team USA braintrust did not bring him on to the eventual gold-medal-winning Olympic squad — and with the Rangers going nowhere at the bottom of the Eastern Conference — Fox did not inspire much confidence that he would want to stick around the Big Apple last week.
“I’m just trying to focus on this year right now and play each game,” Fox said when he was asked about sticking it out in New York through the re-tool that Drury has set in motion. “That’s really all I can do right now… That’s a conversation for when we’re done playing.”
When asked if he wanted to clarify those comments after Monday night’s overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Fox declined.
“We’re just trying to focus on games, myself included,” he said. “There’s a lot going on with the [NHL trade] deadline and everything, but I think all anyone can do right now is take it day-by-day, try to bring a good effort and good attitude, and take it from there.”
According to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, Fox wants to see how Drury handles the final few months of the season before making a decision. The two have already had conversations over the last few weeks.
Drury has been slowly dismantling the Rangers’ previous core over the last two years. A messy divorce with former captain Jacob Trouba saw him jettisoned to Anaheim, where he joined the Ducks. It was the same place they sent long-time forward Chris Kreider during the offseason — and those two are now on a team that currently sits in second place in the Pacific Division.
K’Andre Miller was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, and, most recently, Artemi Panarin was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings for a remarkably underwhelming haul just before the NHL’s Olympic break last month.
Veteran forward Vincent Trocheck fully expects to be traded before the league’s Friday trade deadline, as well.
