While the Rangers top line RW spot is the focus of many debates, another position position that may need some changing is on left defense, specifically on the top pair. Ryan Lindgren is the guy right now, but his injury history and contract status may lead to other Rangers LD options down the road, be it this season or next. Playing with Adam Fox is pretty straight forward, and the Rangers may need to plan around Lindgren’s current injury and contract issues.
Fox and Lindgren have been joined at the hip for years now. There’s no denying that Lindgren is one of the toughest players in the NHL; he consistently shows a willingness to put his body on the line every single night for his teammates. He doesn’t shy away from any puck battles and it’s not shocking whenever we see tweets come out that say he has yet another injury in a long line of them. He’s the NHL’s resident cyborg. As Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, he’s probably “more machine now than man.”
This pair was set to begin the season together, but now Lindgren’s suspected concussion throws a wrench into those plans. Lindgren is out week-to-week, and if this is a concussion, it could be longer. We’ve seen it already with Filip Chytil how concussions are tricky. If this was the first time Lindgren had a major injury, maybe we’re not having this conversation. Throw in the contract situation, both as a pending UFA and a reluctance to give him a long term deal, and we start looking at other Rangers LD options.
What sets the Rangers LD options apart from yesterday’s review of their options on the top line is that the internal Rangers LD options are somewhat plentiful, giving us cause for optimism. We’ve already seen Victor Mancini get looks alongside Fox during the preseason. We’ve seen K’Andre Miller play next to Fox at various points during last season. These are two in-house options that can pay immediate dividends.
A fun question is whether Zac Jones could be one of the Rangers LD options to play alongside Fox, but that might be putting all their puck moving eggs in one basket.
Victor Mancini provides flexibility in Rangers LD options
A name that has seemingly come out of nowhere, Mancini has forced himself into this conversation. A 5th round draft pick in 2022 out of Nebraska-Omaha, Mancini played with the Frolunda organization in Sweden and saw time in the J18 Elit league, the J18 Allsvenskan, J20 Superelit, J20 Nationell, and Hockeyettan. He also saw some time with the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL.
For a little more on Mancini, here’s the rundown from Elite Prospects:
“Mancini played left defense on Frolunda’s second pairing. His north-south speed was decent for his size. He was effective when he kept things simple and made quick, short-range plays to stay out of trouble. Mancini’s ability to read the game off the puck was something that stood out. He also made excellent reads and played a very alert game defensively.”
Though Mancini is just 22 years old and hasn’t played a regular season game in the NHL (just 7 with the Hartford Wolf Pack), the skill set is clearly there. He’s going to get a look to start the season as well. Expecting Mancini to put up gaudy offensive numbers isn’t really aligned with his role, but the Rangers don’t need that. With the Rangers LD options they have, Mancini would be expected to be a steady presence on the blue line that plays solid defense.
The best case scenario for the Rangers is that Mancini becomes serviceable next to Fox while Lindgren heals. This provides additional Rangers LD options throughout the season, and if push comes to shove with Lindgren’s contract status, an in-house option to stabilize the blue line if Lindgren is moved for RW help.
K’Andre Miller is still probably their best option
K’Andre Miller is the best non-Fox defenseman on the Rangers, full stop. Miller, who has had his peaks and valleys as he’s developed, always seems to always be on the verge of that next big breakout. He’s got the size and the puck skills, at times looking like he could become on of the best defenseman in the league.
Miller is penciled in as the Rangers 2LD with Braden Schneider, at least on a fully healthy Rangers team. That duo got a lot of time together in the playoffs last year and appeared to be the tough matchup and shutdown pair for Peter Laviolette. Splitting this pair up may be tough, but a Miller-Fox pairing is lights out.
Over the last 3 seasons at 5v5 (227 minutes), the Miller-Fox duo is downright dominant:
- 66.22 CF%
- 66.53 SF%
- 66.38 SCF%
- 61.45 HDCF%
- 65.89 xGF%
A Miller-Fox pair would easily be one of the best in the NHL, but what do the Rangers do with their second pair if this move is made? Is there enough trust in Schneider to carry “rookie” Zac Jones’ expected learning curve? The Rangers LD options for the second pair are easier to swallow, especially if it’s Jones or Mancini playing up in the lineup.
Zac Jones is a wild card
Jones has been knocking at the door of a full time Rangers job for a little over a year now. It’s clear he has skill, he’s a great skater and many even wanted him in the lineup over Jacob Trouba in the playoffs. Jones is a lock to make the Rangers roster this season, and there’s an intriguing case to put him with Fox while Lindgren is on the mend.
Moving Miller up with Fox might create an issue on the second pair should Mancini and/or Chad Ruhwedel struggle out of the gate. Moving Jones up removes that risk, keeping Miller-Schneider intact, which would limit the strength of opposition seen by a Mancini/Ruhwedel-Trouba pairing. This also would allow Mancini a bit of an easier transition to the NHL.
The risk with a Jones-Fox pairing is, as mentioned above, putting their two strongest puck movers on the same pair. This was a key reason why the Rangers lost to Florida, and having a puck mover on each of the three pairs is a clear need. The Rangers LD options actually provide this opportunity without a Jones-Fox pairing.
In my perfect world, Jones is actually at the top of the Rangers LD options for a temporary spot alongside Fox. The benefits far outweigh the lone risk, and any of Jones’ defensive deficiencies can be covered by Fox. This is, admittedly, an unrealistic hope. My preference is to keep Miller-Schneider together, bringing balance to the force middle of the lineup and hopefully removing that Miller-Trouba itch Laviolette may want to scratch.
Rangers LD options outside the organization
Though Lindgren is projected to be back in October, his long term future with the Rangers is in doubt. It’s clear Chris Drury didn’t want to commit term, so don’t kill the messenger. If the in-house Rangers LD options prove to be solid, then there’s a solid chance we see Lindgren moved to address other holes, especially if there are needs up front, as noted yesterday.
But there’s also a scenario where the Rangers make two big splashes. The first is the aforementioned moving Lindgren to address other needs and avoid a contract issue. Then the Rangers can go for another big splash on defense to upgrade to a potential better fit within Peter Laviolette’s system. Also, what kind of review would this be without the fun of hypothetical trade targets?
The list of potential trade targets is small and headlined Shea Theodore and Jakob Chychrun. Both represent significant upgrades that can play the top pair with Fox. Both would be pure rentals, as the Rangers likely wouldn’t be able to commit to contract extensions for either with Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, and Igor Shesterkin due contracts. This likely keeps a spot open for Mancini in 2025-2026, should that be the path they choose.
Of the two, it would come down to trade cost. Theodore comes with a heavier cap hit, but likely also comes with a lesser trade cost. This, of course, assumes Theodore would be made available by a competing Vegas team. Chychrun may not be available either, should Washington again surprise people this season.
The Rangers LD options are actually rather plentiful in the event Lindgren winds up on the trade block or worse, doesn’t get healthy soon. We don’t look at defense as a potential concern this year, but it would be wise for all Rangers LD options to be considered, given Lindgren’s questionable future with the Blueshirts.
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