Former NHL Defenseman Jason Demers didn't hold back when he took shots at Adam Fox, whose been a Ranger since the 2019 NHL season. He accused Fox of being soft, and easy to play against in the playoffs.
Jason Demers of the NHL Network wouldn't hold back on Adam Fox who hasn't played up to expectations recently.
He failed to deliver any kind of significant players to Team USA's run during the 4 Nations Face Off, and failed to perform up to expectations last season as well.
Demers would more or less accuse Fox of being easy to play against in key situations for the Rangers.
If you think back to the playoffs, he'd fall off the face of the earth at times and like many Rangers players disappoint.
Demers mentioned that a lot of the players in the NHL he knows in the league love playing against him in the playoffs.
Considering his stats during that time period he's been a non-factor and contributed even less in the tough times than the regular season.
In 46 playoff games with the Rangers he'd only tally 39 points (5 G, 34 A) with his best performance saw him post 23 of those during the 2021-2022 season.
Now, Demers honestly isn't wrong about Fox but there's something to be said about the lineup.
Fox isn't paired with a defenseman who can bring Fox out of his shell, and give him the ability to play his game to the fullest extent.
Demers himself even addressed this before.
«I think it's warranted. I feel like a lot of it has to do with his D partners,» Demers said. «I don't know if there's a guy that can, well [Fox] needs somebody very defensive, and somebody that's probably a lot bigger than he is, you know. I don't know if Ryan Lindgren is the perfect partner for him and allows him to flourish the way he can.»
There's enough blame to go around the lineup for their lackluster year, including Fox himself.
He didn't give us any reason to be confident during the Four Nations Face-Off game either.
But there's a missing piece to that puzzle, and now it seems Demers instead of being honest, is pushing buttons.
Fox has produced 47 points (5 G, 42 A) in 57 games with the Rangers this season. It's difficult to see where the Rangers will land when the postseason comes around, but if they do make it to the playoffs, Fox will have to show up for them.
