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Toronto Maple Leafs: 20 Best NHL Players Without a No-Trade Clause

By Jeff Borsuk

Deputy commissioner and chief legal officer of the NHL Bill Daly speaks at the podium during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
Deputy commissioner and chief legal officer of the NHL Bill Daly speaks at the podium during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 at Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Adam Fox of the New York Rangers speaks with the media at the 2023 NHL Awards player availability at the Bridgestone Arena on June 25, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

#2 – Adam Fox

Adam Fox is a perennial James Norris Memorial Trophy candidate. He won the award given to the NHL’s best defenseman in 2020-21 and was the runner up to Erik Karlsson this past year. He is a game changing player for the New York Rangers.

Some may wonder how he ended up in New York after being drafted 66th overall in 2016 by the Flames. With the window closing on Fox’s rights belonging to the Flames, their general manager Brad Treliving didn’t believe he would be able to sign the prospect out of Harvard. That led him to trade Fox to the Hurricanes along with Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.

The Canes couldn’t get Fox to play for them either. They then sent him to the Big Apple to at least get some value back before he became an unrestricted free agent and could sign with any team of his choosing. The Rangers gave Carolina a second and a third round pick for Fox. It’s safe to say, New York won that exchange.

Fox is incredible on both ends of the ice. His offense helped drive the team and quarterback the Rangers’ powerplay. Last season, he played all 82 games where he registered 12 goals and 60 assists for 72 total points.

Fox’s possession metrics were equally as impressive. While playing at even strength, the 25-year-old from Jericho, New York had a Corsi rating of 55.2. That’s 8 points better relative to his team.

In 2021, Fox signed a seven year, $66.5M contract. He will be earning a salary of $12M this season accompanied by a $9.5M cap hit. That is the largest contract ever handed out to a blue liner in the NHL upon them leaving their entry level agreement. Karlsson remains the highest paid defenseman in the league.

There are no trade restrictions on the Rangers for this or next season. Fox received a no-move clause from Jul 1, 2025 to May 31, 2027. After which, he will have a limited no trade clause until the contract expires.

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