Rangers Daily: Lafreniere, Fox appreciation; Quinn Hughes back in Vancouver

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Rangers Daily: Lafreniere, Fox appreciation; Quinn Hughes back in Vancouver

Rangers Daily: Lafreniere, Fox appreciation; Quinn Hughes back in Vancouver — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jim Cerny · Forever Blueshirts

Sun, Oct 25, 2026 ·

5 min read

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Though the New York Rangers offense features a pretty balanced attack, there are two players that stand out through the first 13 games this season — Alexis Lafreniere and Adam Fox .

Lafreniere has finally taken flight in his seventh NHL season to be the driver of offense the Rangers so desperately need up front. The 25-year-old leads the Rangers and is tied for third in the NHL with nine goals. His 15 points are second most on the Rangers — behind Fox's 16 — and his 1.15 points per game average is far and away the best of his career, so far.

Saturday in Ottawa, Lafreniere was a force again. He scored a huge goal in the final minute of the second period to bring the Rangers within 4-3 on the scoreboard, and then very nearly tied the game in the third period, but wired a shot off the post instead. The Rangers ultimately lost 7-4, but it was another impactful and confident performance by Lafreniere, who led New York with seven shots on goal and 10 attempts.

LAF OFF A SICK FEED FROM THE CAPTAIN! pic.twitter.com/mxsmsPNQez

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 25, 2026

On Thursday in Toronto, Lafreniere did tie the game 4-4 with a goal at 14:25 of the third period, though the Rangers lost on a last-minute goal by Troy Stecher. The point here, though, is that Lafreniere's not only scoring goals and producing points at a much higher rate than ever before, but he's embraced being the go-to for the Rangers, a clutch performer.

ANOTHER TIE GAME 👀

Alexis Lafreniere fires one past Bobrovsky to tie it up in the third! #Leafs pic.twitter.com/rhRjtufAOB

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 23, 2026

Some likely think it's about time for Lafreniere to break out, considering he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. But the Rangers simply must be thrilled that he has, because even with his increased production, they're only 15th in the NHL averaging 3.15 goals per game.

Then there's Fox, who tied Jaromir Jagr 's franchise record for quickest to 16 assists in a season, when he recorded two more in Game 13 in Ottawa. Only Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid (25) has more assists than Fox in the NHL.

The night before, Fox assisted on all four Rangers goals, his fourth games with at least four assists in his career, and one shy of his most in a single game. He's only the seventh United States-born defenseman to have that many four-assist games in NHL history.

Adam Fox factored on all three @NYRangers goals so far and tied Gary Suter for the third-most assists by an American defenseman through 500 games played (or fewer). #NHLStats : https://t.co/Q241GyjY0s pic.twitter.com/GxcxdThfv0

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) October 23, 2026

Consistency has been key for Fox, so far. Yes, he had that huge night in Toronto. But equally as important, Fox has at least one point in 10 of 13 games this season. He's currently riding a three-game point streak (seven assists), already his third streak of at least three games with a point this season, and one off his season-high of four consecutive games.

Now, the 2021 Norris Trophy winner just needs to crack the code and score a goal. Though it should be noted that Fox has had numerous point shots through traffic get deflected in by a Rangers teammate already this season. So, he's been plenty effective even without scoring a goal himself.

Fox is often overlooked as a top defenseman in this League, and Lafreniere largely frustrated and underperformed in earlier stages of his career. But each deserves props for what he's done so far in 2026-27.

New York Rangers news and analysis

NHL: New York Rangers at Ottawa Senators — Marc DesRosiers-ImagnCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

John Kreiser has the game story and recap from the Rangers' 7-4 loss to the Senators.

There are a bunch of things to unpack in the key Rangers takeaways after their latest road defeat.

How about 38-year-old James Reimer picking up a 35-save shutout in his debut with the Hartford Wolf Pack, giving the Rangers something to think about with their goalie depth.

NHL news and rumors

NHL: Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames — Sergei Belski-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sportsnet: Quinn Hughes took the high road when discussing his upcoming return to Vancouver and the possibility he'll be booed by Canucks fans, when the Minnesota Wild pay a visit Sunday for the first time since acquiring the All-Star defenseman from the Canucks 10 months ago. Hughes also addressed where contract talks stand with the Wild.

TSN: Connor Hellebuyck had good things to say about Winnipeg Jets fans the day after he was traded to the New Jersey Devils, but stopped short of going into full depth about his feelings so as not to distract from the Jets' outdoor Heritage Classic Game on Sunday, and promised he'll say more down the road.

Sportsnet: Plenty from Elliotte Friedman on his Saturday Headlines segment, including when Hellebuyck could make his Devils debut, how the Carolina Hurricanes feverishly tried to get a third team involved in their trade talks with the Jets, and the Washington Capitals allowed young forward Ivan Miroshnichenko to seek a trade as per his request.

NHL.com: There's a sense of "relief" for the Jets now that the Hellebuyck drama is over, and they're excited to focus solely on their outdoor game Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens.

Daily Faceoff: Two players were claimed off waivers Saturday: the Wild claimed defenseman Daemon Hunt from the Nashville Predators, and the Capitals claimed defenseman Jack. St. Ivany from the Jets.

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