U.S. Olympic Roster

[JTM]

Trocheck and Miller made it from the Rangers. In the ultimate fall from grace humiliation, Fox didn't make the team, that's a wow to me, and should be an eye opener to Fox. I'd love to hear the conversation between Sullivan and Fox when he was told he wasn't going to Italy. I don't think Fox deserved to make it, but it is still a tough conversation and a wow IMO. He went from a top pair dman, to not even making the team, sad reflection on where his game is now.

Kreider and Fox were the only two guys who were on the 4 Nations roster to not be on the Olympic roster. Also, left off were Jason Robertson from Dallas, who leads U.S. players in points this season, and a couple other elite goal scorers, Caufield and DeBrincat. Guerin/Sullivan went with more of a big physical team than just skill.

 

[Ranger71]

It also shows how deep the US is on defense. Miller probably wasn't in real jeopardy but he has sucked overall this year.

 

[Stepupstepan]

I highly doubt Us can beat Canada but will see

 

[Stepupstepan]

I mean look at Canada center depth lol their d and goaltending is a question mark but they can probably make it up with their insane forward group. US might have an advantage in goal and defense?

 

[Stepupstepan]

It also shows how deep the US is on defense. Miller probably wasn't in real jeopardy but he has sucked overall this year.

Why was he even picked? Isn’t he injured

 

[Greyvtrayn]

He basically has 6 weeks to recover/rehab.

 

[Ranger71]

I'm surprised Kakko made the Finnish team. Maybe Barkov being out helped him.

 

[PorterPanzer]

Fox barely played for the US in last year's All Star Game/tournament so I'm not surprised.

 

[JTM]

The U.S. advantage in goal is very big, but Canada has such a great forward group, it may not matter. Personally, I would start Swayman in goal if I were Sullivan, I couldn't bring myself to start Hellebuyck, who per the norm I expect to fall apart in big spots.

As for the D, I don't know, I think it's a huge indictment on where Fox's game is, and how absolutely terrible he played in the 4 Nations, that he was left off the team. Seth Jones and Noah Hanifin making it over him is not a good look. If he was playing at his peak, Fox absolutely should have made the team over both. Who knows, maybe Fox will take it as a big slight and use it as motivation to raise his game back to a high level, we can hope, I guess.

As for Kakko, I'm not sure he was even the last forward taken by Finland, they don't have a lot of forward depth.

Without Russia, this tourney should be all U.S. and Canada again, with maybe dark horse for Sweden if they get good goaltending, which they overhauled from the 4 Nations. That seems unlikely though, and I expect the U.S. and Canada to dominate overall.

 

[JTM]

Fox was one of the first players selected for the 4 Nations roster. Now he can't even crack the top eight for the Olympics. We're going to pretend that his 4 Nations tournament performance didn't play a role here?

Understandably, a lot of Team USA and New York Rangers fans aren't ready to let this one go quite yet. Fox is a Norris Trophy-winning, elite defenseman who has been nothing short of exceptional when he has been healthy for the Rangers this season. The idea that Rangers GM Chris Drury and coaches Mike Sullivan and David Quinn were part of the Team USA brain trust and Fox didn't make the team boggles the mind.

Guerin deserves credit for putting his neck on the line when he makes audacious calls like this one. Obviously, if the construction of the D corps leads to gold, no one's breathing a word about Adam Fox during the parade. But if the Americans fall short? Then he becomes the poster boy for a shoddily constructed roster.

 

[Greyvtrayn]

Maybe. No one can deny his value exists almost entirely in PP situations anymore. He is way under-sized and there isn't anything he can do about that.
If he doesn't end up on the roster by injury replacement or otherwise and the US struggles on the PP then you could argue that it was a mistake to leave him off. Outside of that the 8 that have been named so far deserve it ahead of him in my opinion.

 

[JTM]

Right now based on current play, and even how poorly Fox played in the 4 Nations, I agree. But go look at Hanifin and Jones play and their stats, they are not better than Fox when Fox is playing to his talent level IMO. Issue is, we haven't seen that in big spots in a while, so I get leaving him home.

Any way you slice it though, if I were Fox, I would feel slighted and be pissed. Fox went from an early 4 Nations selection, and a top 4 dman, to not even making the Olympic team one-year later. Deserved or not, that's a huge FU. He should use that to fuel him moving forward.

 

[JTM]

Something I will say about Fox, I think he's better than we all give him credit for. His underlying numbers/analytics are always very good.

Fox returned from his month-long injury absence Tuesday, scored a power-play goal and contributed an assist in a loss to the Capitals. He’s been an elite play driver again this season, with a 61.54 percent expected goal share 5v5. The Rangers hold a 24-15 scoring edge 5v5 with Fox on the ice.

He's also averaging a point a game and is a +5, second best on the team.

I wish he would shoot the puck more; I loved his goal the other night. I think that's the biggest knock I have against him; he makes himself so one-dimensional because he refuses to shoot. If he looked to shoot more, I truly believe his game would go to another level, it's been a big issue for a while. I don't understand why all of these head coaches don't see that and get on him to shoot more and threaten to sit him if he doesn't listen.

As always, +/- isn't the end all be all, but both Jones and Hanifin are minus players, Fox is not. I am starting to think he did get a bit of a raw deal by U.S. hockey. Again though, that's okay to me, I hope it makes him hungry to show they made a big mistake, make every team pay for them passing you over Fox.

 

[PorterPanzer]

I believe Fox was a healthy scratch in the last game for the US 4 Nations because as good as he is offensively he's worse defensively. He hasn't scored a goal for the Rangers last 3 post seasons. I'm biased because I wanted Drury to trade Adam years ago when his value was at it's highest to get back a #1C+. and every year after that but with his NTC in place irrelevant now. He's only 27 so hopefully he can stay healthy because his offense is desperately needed.

 

[JTM]

He wasn't scratched, but he was on the ice for McDavid's winning goal and didn't check him the way he should of. He took a lot of flak for that "missed assignment", understandably so.

Fox is who he is, but if you look at his underlying numbers, they are solid to very good almost every season. That's also with a subpar partner until Gavrikov this season (Lindgren was never a legit top pair dman). In some ways he gets taken for granted here is all I'm saying. Clearly, he is not the same player he was when he won the Norris, but he is still very good, I think a solid top pair dman, and that's more than some of us give him credit for most of the time, me included. At soon to be 28, maybe he can raise his game back up again, we'll see.

First and foremost, I would look to deal Zibanejad, that would be my # 1 focus, can you get him to waive his NMC. As for Fox, if I could get a top return for him, I'd wouldn't be averse to trading him, he if waived his NMC, but I wouldn't take less than a big return package if I traded Fox. Conversely, if I got out of Zibanejad's contract, and got a decent to okay return package, I'd take that as a win.