Two Rangers In The Top Two In The League In Their Positions: Part One

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Alexender Camilo
October 17, 2023 (5:30 PM)

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Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin are two of the most important players with the Rangers, and ESPN seems to agree with that.

We discussed the top-100 player ranking with the omission of Chris Kreider on the list earlier, so I won't delve in on that.

What we will discuss is Fox and Shesterkin being ranked second in their respective positions in the league, and if they have a case for being the best in the league.

This will be broken up into two articles with the second coming later today.

Let's start with Adam Fox, who was ranked 13th on this list, the highest Ranger, and second highest defenseman, behind Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.

Both players have won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman, and have finished in the top-five repeatedly with that award.

Offensive stats are comparable between the two.

Makar played in 181 out of a possible 220 games the last three seasons, scoring 53 goals and 196 points total. Fox has played in 215 out of a possible 220, scoring 28 goals and 193 points total in three seasons as well.

Defensive stats are also comparable in both their last three seasons. Makar has 224 blocked shots, while Fox has 355. Makar has 209 hits, Fox has 78.

Makar's plus/minus differential is 81, while Fox's is 65.

I guess the one stand out is the Conn Smythe Trophy won by Makar in the Avalanche championship winning season as the team's best player in the playoffs, on their way to winning the Cup.

Adam Fox is no slouch in the playoffs himself. The last two seasons, in 27 playoff games, he has five goals and 31 points total, proving to be a great facilitator and shot creator for the team.

It's a coin toss, you have an argument for either one. But the edge does lean towards Cale Makar.