The Ryan Lindgren injury will at least give him some much needed time off.

As the kids on the Rangers grow, the status quo needs to be revisited from time to time. Much focus has been on the forward lines, but it might be time to swap the NY Rangers defense pairs. The pairs have been largely untouched unless there’s an injury, especially in the top-four. But with K’Andre Miller emerging as a top pair defenseman and Jacob Trouba’s struggles, it might be time to give them a new look.

The major driver behind this conversation isn’t even Trouba. It’s Miller. No disrespect to Ryan Lindgren, who is a top pairing defenseman in his own right, Miller is simply better. He’s the best non-Adam Fox defenseman on the team, and there’s a case for playing him with Fox. That would put Lindgren with Trouba.

The above is from Natural Stat Trick at 5v5, using the last three years of 5v5 play for the quartet. The TOI breakdown matters, as we get to small sample size warnings:

  • Miller/Fox: 216 mins
  • Miller/Trouba: 2,339 mins
  • Lindgren/Fox: 2,312 mins
  • Lindgren/Trouba: 93 mins

There are three takeaways from the above: 1) Miller/Trouba is the worst performing pair of the group. They aren’t bad, but compared to the other possible combinations, they are the worst together, 2) Miller/Fox is by far the best pairing, statistically, and 3) Lindgren/Trouba has better overall shot quantity numbers, with Lindgren/Fox having better shot quality numbers.

There aren’t many wrong answers, statistically, in breaking up the current iteration of the NY Rangers top-four defensemen. All four are fine players, and the Rangers are blessed with three top pairing defensemen in Fox, Lindgren, and Miller.

Play styles matter

Since Jaocb Trouba became a Ranger, it’s been theorized that he would be best off playing with a defense-first partner. A steady, stay at home player who is predictable as a partner. That’s where the theory that Trouba would be best off with Lindgren comes from. In minimal time, Trouba/Lindgren has better numbers than Trouba/Miller.

But this pair works beyond the small sample size numbers. Miller is more of a puck mover and has more nuance to his game than Lindgren. Again, not a slight to Lindgren, just a simple fact about the way these two play the game. Lindgren’s simplistic play on the ice suits Trouba better, giving him a little more freedom to roam for hits/offensive chances, knowing he has Lindgren back there to cover.

As for Miller and Fox, well Fox can play with anyone, and Miller is the best LD on the team. Why not put your top-two together? Especially when your second pair would seemingly get a big boost and be a top pair on a good number of current teams.

As mentioned on this week’s Live From The Blue Seats, the concern would be spreading out the best defensemen on the team. This is what Jon Cooper did in Tampa, ensuring one of Victor Hedman or Ryan McDonagh were on the ice for the overwhelming majority of the game. This risk is alleviated by Lindgren being on the second pair.

The worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work, and Gerard Gallant goes back to what he knows best. But now is the time to try something like this out, especially given the recent struggles of the Miller/Trouba pair. It’s a minor shakeup that could bring significant results.

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