"Absolutely outrageous": Fans stunned by Adam Fox's No. 8 ranking in Top 20 NHL Defensemen list

NHL fans were taken aback by Adam Fox's ranking in the NHL Network's recently released Top 20 Defensemen list.

The New York Rangers defenseman came in at No. 8, which sparked a wave of disappointment among fans on X/Twitter. Many expressed their surprise, arguing that Fox's skills in the blueline warranted a much higher position on the list.

Fox won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league in 2020-21. He finished fourth in the Norris voting last season and accumulated 73 points through 17 goals and 56 assists in 72 games with a plus-21 rating.

One fan reacted to Fox's ranking, tweeting:

"Absolutely outrageous."

Another fan chimed in and posted:

"Hughes Makar and Fox are head and shoulders better than any dman in this league and you f*****g r*****s have him at #8 LMFAOOOOOO."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"2021 - Won Norris Trophy, 2022 - 5th in Norris voting, 2023- 2nd in Norris voting, 2024 - 4th in Norris voting. But sure, #8 makes sense," wrote another.

"8th is crazy low for a guy that has finished 1st, 5th, 2nd and 4th in Norris voting the last 4 years," another fan wrote, expressing their disappointment with the list.

"Makar is 1, then Hughes and Josi can be arguably 2-3, but how is Fox not at least at worst #4?" one surprised fan opined.

"Ratings must have been real low this summer over at NHL network," another fan chimed in.

Adam Fox finished eighth, but who are the top three on the list?

Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar claimed the top position for the second consecutive year on NHL Network's Top 20 Defensemen list. With 90 points, the 25-year-old finished second in scoring (90 points) among defensemen.

Makar has been a formidable presence in the league, having been a Norris Trophy finalist for the past four seasons and winning the prestigious award in 2021-22.

Following Makar is Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, who won the Norris last season. Hughes also led the defensemen in scoring (92 points) through 17 goals and 75 assists.

Meanwhile, Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning, a 2020 Conn Smyth winner as the playoff MVP, took third place. He accumulated 76 points this past season.