The New York Rangers are about to celebrate their 100th season. Now, at the halfway point of this decade, we can look at five players who have impacted the team the most. Here are the top five Rangers of the 2020s so far.
#5: Adam Fox
Adam Fox was drafted by the Calgary Flames and traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, but the only place he wanted to play was for his childhood team. The Hurricanes traded his rights to the Rangers in April 2019 for two second-round picks, and they have not looked back. From the moment he made his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season, Fox has been by far the best defenseman on the team. In 431 regular-season games, he has 63 goals and 306 assists. He ranks fifth in points by a defenseman since he entered the league, and he is only 27.
It did not take long for the league to recognize his talent. He won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman for the 2021 Covid-shortened season, his second in the NHL. He has helped the Rangers reach the Conference Final twice, scoring five goals and 39 points in 46 career playoff games. While the team has been mostly successful during his time in New York, Fox can reach another level to help the Rangers become Cup contenders.
#4: Igor Shesterkin
The Rangers have had solid goaltending since 2000. They went from Mike Richter to Henrik Lundqvist, and when it was time for “The King” to give up the crown, Igor Shesterkin took his place as the new “Prince” of New York. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft and dominated in both the Kontinental Hockey League and American Hockey League before getting called up to the Rangers in January 2020.
From the moment he arrived, he was one of the most dominant goalies in the league. He has a career regular-season record of 162-88-22 with a 2.52 goals-against average (GAA) and a .917 save percentage (SV%). His best season was in 2021-22, when he went 36-13-4 with a 2.07 GAA and .935 SV%, which was good enough to win him the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender and be nominated for the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
Shesterkin has especially proven his worth in the playoffs. In his three playoff runs, he has yet to have a SV% below .927, and he is the main reason the Rangers have two Conference Final appearances over the past four seasons. He has a career playoff record of 23-20-0 with a 2.41 GAA and .928 SV%. He will…
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