Fox-Lindgren, Miller-Trouba pairings to remain intact for Rangers' opener vs. Sabres

BUFFALO – When he opened his first training camp as coach of the Rangers last month, Peter Laviolette wanted to take a look at some new player combinations. Part of that was trying some different pairings on defense, which meant breaking up the longstanding pairs of Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren, and Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller.

But when the Rangers opened the 2023-24 regular season Thursday in Buffalo against the young, exciting Sabres, Laviolette decided not to fix a defense corps that he didn’t believe was broken. And so, after brief preseason looks with other partners, Fox and Lindgren were back for their fifth season together, and Trouba and Miller were together for their fourth. 

“Defensively in the last two (preseason) games, I thought we played really well,’’ Laviolette said after the Rangers’ morning skate at KeyBank Center. “There was a mistake or two that I would like to have back. But when you're holding teams to under five even strength scoring chances in the last two games, you're doing some good things. And those pairs were set in the last game.’’

Fox was the Norris Trophy runner-up last season after finishing third on the Rangers in scoring with 72 points (12 goals, 60 assists). His partnership with Lindgren goes back to when they were 16 years old and playing together in the U.S. National Team Development Program.

“I don't think I looked too much into it,’’ Lindgren said of the possibility of he and Fox being split up. “I think, obviously, with a new coaching staff, they want to see different things and see what works. You never know, with an injury, or just a little bit of a shake up, what could happen. So I think it's always good to play with different guys and get accustomed to how they play. And so I thought it was good that we all played with each other. And me and Foxy are back, and we're comfortable with each other.’’

The Rangers were required to learn Laviolette’s systems for the defense, offense and special teams, and learn what they needed to do in all three zones. According to Lindgren, players seem to have gotten comfortable with their defensive responsibilities under the new coach.

“Yeah, I think we're feeling good about it,’’ he said. “There’s been a lot of practices (and) a lot of us played a lot of the preseason games. So I think we're comfortable with it … There could be some hiccups, but I think we’ve all got a good grasp on it.’’ 

Laviolette was pleased by how the team played defensively in the last few preseason games, but he was hoping the offense would be a little bit further along than what it showed.

“I would like to see us step on the gas more (on offense),’’ he said. “There's plenty of talent in the room and I do believe we'll score goals. At the end of the day I want to make sure we're playing good defense. If we are going to score goals, we need to defend well. And there's been a lot of emphasis with regard to that … I do think that there's offense in the room. We have to make sure defensively that we're doing the right things in front of our goaltender.’’

Laviolette said he is excited to start a new season with a new team that has high hopes.

“I think anytime you come into a new job, it's a new opportunity,’’ he said. “I'm excited ... in the sense that this is a real good hockey team, an Original Six team in New York City, the New York Rangers." 

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.