What does the Rangers' Mike Sullivan hire do for Adam Fox's Olympic hopes?

The last time Mike Sullivan coached Adam Fox in a game, it ended with a memorable moment and not a flattering one for the New York Rangers top defenseman.

It was in February in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off, with Sullivan coaching and Fox playing for Team USA.

Fox left forward Mitch Marner open along the boards in Canadas offensive zone, and it led to a chain reaction that cost the U.S.

the game in overtime.

Advertisement Cale Makar got Marner the puck, and U.S.

center Auston Matthews turned toward his Toronto Maple Leafs teammate-turned-international adversary.

That left Connor McDavid free in the slot.

Marner found him and McDavid did the rest.

His shot sailed into the top of the net.

Fox is one of the most decorated defensemen in the NHL, with a Norris Trophy win in 2021 and four top-five finishes in his six years in the league.

But his performance at the tournament, capped by that final play, now makes him a less-than-sure bet to make the 2026 U.S.

Olympic team, with rosters beginning to roll out on June 15 .

He had zero points in four games and a minus-2 rating at 4 Nations.

In the final, Sullivan slashed his ice time to 17:05 the lowest of any American defenseman.

Now Sullivan, hired last week by the Rangers, is Foxs head coach again and is tasked with helping New Yorks defensemen rebound from a 2024-25 season in which several, including Fox, saw their point production and general effectiveness dip.

If Sullivan can help Fox back to Norris-finalist form, it could have a big impact both for the Rangers and for the defensemans 2026 Olympic chances with Team USA.

I look forward to building that relationship with him, Sullivan said at his introductory news conference Thursday .

I dont think theres any doubt that Adam is an elite player in this league, and were going to push him to try to be at his very best.

Last June, Fox was one of the first Americans named to the 4 Nations roster, a prestigious distinction.

He joined Matthews, Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy and Quinn Hughes as the U.S.s First Six selections .

Hes one of the better power-play defensemen in the league, Sullivan said shortly after the announcement, when he was still with the Penguins.

Weve certainly had our challenges trying to defend against him.

Advertisement A lot has changed in a year.

When the U.S.

announces its first Olympians, Fox almost certainly wont be one of them.

Though it came in a small sample size, his 4 Nations struggles namely with keeping up with the pace of play presumably caught the attention of the Team USA brass, led by Wild general manager Bill Guerin.

Fair or not, it could affect his role on Team USA, if he makes the team at all.

Fox is a jack of all trades who thinks the game at a high level and can play in any situation.

Thats what makes him a special player and perennial Norris vote-getter.

Sullivan was quick to point out Thursday that the 27-year-old is still young, too.

He described the defenseman and the other Rangers who were on the U.S.

4 Nations roster J.T.

Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider as fierce competitors, saying he could see they want to win in the worst way.

The field of American defensemen is crowded, though, and many are more prolific than Fox, especially at specific areas of the game.

Sullivan called Fox an elite power-play quarterback, but Quinn Hughes will probably play that role at the Olympics, potentially with fellow 2024-25 Norris finalist Zach Werenski as the defenseman on the second unit.

Jaccob Slavin and Brock Faber formed a standout shutdown pairing at 4 Nations.

Those four, as well as Charlie McAvoy, feel like locks to make the team if healthy.

Colleague Michael Russo, who covered Team USA at 4 Nations, also listed Jake Sanderson as a likely Olympic shoo-in , and hes coming off a strong end-of-season and playoff run with Ottawa.

Ice time for other defensemen will be hard to come by.

Fox, to be blunt, was not good, Russo wrote after 4 Nations.

Hes had a tough year with the Rangers, as well, and the pace of play seemed too fast for the 2021 Norris Trophy winner.

He was on for two goals (against) in the final and could be expendable in the Olympics if Hughes and Werenski are the power-play guys.

Advertisement As Russo alluded to there, speed has never been one of Foxs defining traits.

In fact, this past season, he had the sixth-fewest speed bursts of 20 mph or more per 60 minutes among NHL defensemen who played at least 800 minutes, according to league tracking data .

He also finished in the bottom 25 in 18-plus mph bursts per 60.

Foxs vision and intelligence on the ice usually more than make up for his lack of speed, but 4 Nations was a fast-paced tournament and brought out some struggles.

Theres also plenty of competition for slots behind or alongside Hughes, McAvoy, Slavin, Faber, Werenski and Sanderson.

Assuming the U.S.

elects to bring eight defensemen, the likes of Noah Hanifin, Lane Hutson and Neal Pionk could also fill the final two spots.

Even KAndre Miller could be an appealing option because of his skating ability.

Based on resume, Fox is the most qualified of any bubble defenseman, but Guerin could also look for a particular archetype of player when filling the final spots.

He might, for example, include a young player think Hutson, Alex Vlasic or Zeev Buium as Olympic rosters often do to build future experience.

He could turn to someone known for his skating or defensive ability.

The numbers get tight quickly, though injuries could, of course, open opportunities.

Hughes missed the 4 Nations with an injury and McAvoy was injured during the tournament, with a subsequent infection costing him his season .

As head coach, Sullivan will have input on the roster, as will Rangers president Chris Drury, an assistant GM for Team USA.

That could lead to some awkwardness if Fox doesnt make the Olympic roster, though the final call will come from Guerin.

Fox had a down season for a disappointing Rangers club in 2024-25, but its worth noting that the scale of it has perhaps been a bit overstated, especially at five-on-five.

He actually had more even-strength points this past season (40) than he did in 2023-24 (38), a season in which he finished fourth in Norris voting.

His underlying numbers were still elite, even though coach Peter Laviolette often played him with lesser defensemen so as not to stack one pair.

When Fox played with Miller, they had the best five-on-five expected goal rate (64.72 percent) of any pair in the NHL that played a minimum of 200 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Could Sullivan lean more on that pairing or otherwise put Fox in a better position to succeed and make his Olympic case? Time will tell.

Advertisement I look forward to the opportunity of working with Adam, Sullivan said Thursday.

The coach knows Foxs capabilities.

If he can bring the best out of him, it will pay dividends for the Rangers and give Guerin something to chew on as he makes international roster decisions.

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic , with photos by Len Redkoles / NHLI and Bruce Bennett / Getty Images).

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