I know the comparison is not valid as they are two players with different skill sets, but I am beginning to think of Fox and Ryan McDonaugh in the same way.
When he first came up and in his first few years with us, I thought that RM would not only be an all-time great Ranger but he might be on a HOF track. He was that good (in the mode of all-around, great skating Dmen that seemed to be in vogue at the time).
But his career was somewhat derailed by shoulder injuries (and perhaps being put in a leadership role too quickly). He was never quite the same after his injury. He has had a fine, long, career as a #1 pair D but never quite reached the pinnacle I thought he was capable of.
In his first years here, Fox was definitely on a HOF track. I no longer think so. I am wondering whether the knee injury that hampered him in the playoffs last year has become a chronic thing, robbing him of just a bit of speed and quickness and reducing his overall effectiveness.
If he can't regain that bit of speed either through time helping to heal it, surgery, or working at his skating, he will still be a fine D but, at least I think, no longer a future HOFer.
We really don't know what is going on with him except to say that he is not the player he was before whatever the injury he suffered last year. As he approaches that dreaded 30-year-old mark, his skating will probably deteriorate even further in a few years.
It's sad to see. I hope I'm wrong.