Four defensive pairs have played at least 2,500 minutes at five-on-five over the last three NHL seasons. The Rangers tandems of Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller-Jacob Trouba are two of them (the Hurricanes’ Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce and the Kings’ Drew Doughty-Mikey Anderson are the others). Neither Rangers pair was intact during the team’s opening on-ice training camp session on Friday.
New head coach Peter Laviolette suggested on Wednesday that he would likely experiment on the back end during the preseason.
He just about promised.
“I’m inclined to try something new at camp. I know that there’s been success there and I know it’s a good pairing but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be that way through every practice and that doesn’t mean they’re going to be that way in the exhibition games,” Laviolette said. “It’s an opportunity for me, coming in new, knowing there was some success there.
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t try something different and see how that looks.”
Thus, it was no surprise at all when Miller skated with Fox and Lindgren paired with Trouba, while Erik Gustafsson and Braden Schneider comprised the third tandem.
“I understand, and I don’t disagree with the philosophy of having a good anchoring defensive defenseman and maybe somebody who pushes a little more offense,” Laviolette said on Friday. “I think that’s a smart way to go about it, but I also think there are times where maybe you’ve got your top line in the offensive zone and you want to put out two guys who think a little bit more offense.
“Conversely, you might be in the defensive zone and might want a couple of guys who think a little bit more about defense. I’m just bringing it to camp just to see it for a day. I wouldn’t put anything down in pen. I would just let it play out, but I just wanted to see what it looks like.
“[Miller and Fox] are going to get a look. They’re going to play some games together.”
The Rangers also rolled out line combinations that could presage the Oct. 12 opening night lineup in Buffalo.
Alexis Lafreniere was on the right with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Artemi Panarin was on the left with Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler.
Vincent Trocheck skated between Barclay Goodrow and Kaapo Kakko. Jimmy Vesey, Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick formed the fourth line.
Panarin and Chytil have played on the same line sparingly over their shared four years with the Rangers. They started on the same unit six times last year and twice the year before.
But they have been startlingly successful — as least per the scoreboard — when hitched. According to NaturalStatTrick, the duo has been on for 29 goals for and 12 against — an astounding 70.7 goals for percentage.
Mark that down as an experiment.
But it’s the potential change on the blue line that is most intriguing.
Laviolette’s system encourages defensemen to get up on the play. It is a central tenet of his philosophy.
Pairing Miller and Fox — who have been together for only 274:03 over their three seasons in New York, on for 12 goals for and 12 against — would create a potentially dynamic tandem. And uniting Lindgren and Trouba would potentially create a hammer-and-tong pair.
The Rangers might reap untold rewards if Laviolette does switch it up. But they run a risk, too. There is a saying — perhaps invented by Fred Shero, maybe by Toe Blake, maybe by Lester Patrick — that says, “Don’t fix it if it’s not broken.”
Lindgren-Fox is not broken.
Indeed, the tandem had a 61.1 goals for percentage last season (44/28) that was third in the league behind the Golden Knights’ Alex Martinez-Alex Pietrangelo pair (61.64) and the Devils’ Dougie Hamilton-Jonas Siegenthaler tandem (61.62).
Fox and Lindgren have played a career 3,370:49 as a pair at five-on-five since they were first united by former head coach David Quinn on Oct. 29, 2019. They have been on for 160 goals for and 110 against. That equates to a 59.25 goals for percentage.
That’s pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Laviolette can always go back to Fox and Lindgren on a moment’s notice. Their chemistry is not going to evaporate over the next three weeks. The more versatile the top four is, the better it is for everyone. The coach is experimenting. Again: fresh eyes. And he is providing some reason to actually watch the preseason.
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