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TARRYTOWN - Adam Fox only missed eight games with his recent upper-body injury, but a lot changed in that time.
The biggest event had nothing to do with hockey. Fox and his wife, Tate, welcomed their first child, a healthy baby girl named Greer. But meanwhile back at the rink, team president Chris Drury continued to reshape the Rangers' roster with trades.
The most notable involved shipping Ryan Lindgren to Colorado, removing not only Fox's longtime defensive partner but also one of his closest friends.
"It’s tough," Fox said following Wednesday's optional practice at the MSG Training Center. "It’s someone I played with pretty much my whole NHL career and knew him before. He's clearly doing well, and I’m not surprised by that. It's kind of weird timing – I was out – so kind of adjusting to it now. But I definitely miss him around the room."
It was another difficult blow for a locker room that's endured more change in the last three months than they had in the previous three years, but the Lindgren trade didn't catch anyone by surprise.
There had been wide speculation about the 27-year-old defenseman's availability, with the Rangers' precarious position in the standings essentially punching his ticket out of town.
"Anyone who's going into (unrestricted free agency), you have sort of a sense," said Fox, who noted spending time with Lindgren when the Blueshirts and Avalanche crossed paths in Minnesota last week. "Some of that's on us, too. If we had a better record and more of a push, I'm sure he'd still be here. But I think there's always that possibility. When he was signed a one-year deal, it's kind of the nature of the business."
Takeaways: Rangers fumble their way out of playoff position
Fox returned to the lineup Saturday missing the Robin to his Batman. And while Lindgren's play had clearly slipped this season, the void left on the Rangers' top pair is seismic.
There's no obvious replacement on the roster or in the pipeline, creating a level of uncertainty that Fox admitted could affect his play.
"A lot of times you think of only lines as forwards and chemistry in that sense, but I think defensemen have to have a lot of chemistry," he said. "Knowing where each other are, I think, and communication is huge. You play 300-something games with one guy, you get almost that second sense of where they're going to be, where your outlets are, the support, the communication. It's definitely a bit of an adjustment when you’re switching D partners."
Head coach Peter Laviolette gave the freshly extended Urho Vaakanainen first crack at it, but it appears that experiment will only last three games.
In 47:37 time on ice together, the Vaakanainen-Fox duo has been outscored, 3-2, while registering an ugly 32.49% xGF, according to Natural Stat Trick. In that span, they've surrendered 11 high-danger scoring chances while only generating four.
The low point came in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames, which looked much worse than the score indicated. Fox was among the primary culprits, getting beat in countless board battles and foot races while struggling to create any offensive push.
Laviolette will surely make changes following an embarrassing performance in which the Rangers were held to only 13 shots on goal, with signs pointing to Vaakanainen getting scratched for Thursday's 7 p.m. home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"I thought it was decent the first two games," Fox said. "And then obviously (Tuesday) was just kind of flush that down and turn the page."
Another new face, Carson Soucy, is expected to step back in after sitting the previous three games.
The 6-foot-5, 208-pounder was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Mar. 6, with the Rangers targeting him for his size, good defensive stick and cost certainty, with one additional year remaining on his contract at a $3.25 million cap hit. But he stumbled out of the gate and got yanked after only four appearances.
"He's working to get up to speed on the system, and I think sometimes when you're thinking a little bit too much, it slows down a little bit," Laviolette said. "So just getting some practices, watching some games, getting an understanding of how we want to do things, I think, will help with that processing speed."
There was some thought that Soucy would get a chance to take Lindgren's spot next to Fox, but that feels ambitious for a player who's been a healthy scratch.
The only logical alternative is reuniting Fox with the Rangers' clear No. 2 defenseman, K'Andre Miller. They still rank tops in the league among D pairs that have logged at least 150 minutes together with a 67.4% xGF, according to moneypuck.com. But other than a stretch early in the season, they've only joined forces in late-game situations for the last number of months.
Laviolette has repeatedly said he prefers a more balanced approach, particularly since Miller has developed a strong rapport with Will Borgen. But given the desperate situation the Rangers are in − one point out of a wild-card spot with 13 games to play − it may be time to break the glass in case of emergency.
In that case, he'd have the option of pairing Soucy and Borgen − a duo that logged over 674 minutes together during their shared time in Seattle.
However it shakes out, the Rangers are going to need more from Fox, who's being asked to step into a critical role while simultaneously working his way back from injury and trying to figure out a new partner.
"You never want to be sitting out, but I think when you're late in the year and we're trying to win every game, I think that's when it gets frustrating," he said. "You're trying to jump right into the flow with everyone who's been playing hard hockey, and the games have been really packed, so you don’t really get any practice time with the guys."
This all comes in the midst of a down year by Fox's lofty standards. His 0.8 points per game average is the lowest since his 2019-20 rookie season, while his all-around game has dropped a level or two, as well.
The 27-year-old was the subject of heavy criticism following a subpar showing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, which many pointed to as evidence that his impact diminishes in a physical, tight-checking environment.
Quite frankly, you could say that about many of the current Rangers, who looked like they were stuck in quicksand Tuesday against the Flames. That's been a disturbing trend this season, with these Blueshirts often folding when adversity hits after years of building a no-quit reputation.
"You’ve got to have that kind of resiliency to not mentally just pack it in," Fox said. "A lot of our success in the past has been just a mindset of being down one goal, two goals, it doesn't matter to us. We're going to find a way to get it done. We've been lacking that... mental fortitude."
When: Thursday, Mar. 20 at 7 p.m.
Where: Madison Square Garden
TV/Radio: MSG 2/1050 AM
Forwards
Top line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Will Cuylle (RW)
Second line ⊳ Alexis Lafrenière (LW) ⋄ J.T. Miller (C) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (RW)
Third line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Sam Carrick (C) ⋄ Juuso Pärssinen (RW)
Fourth line ⊳ Brennan Othmann (LW) ⋄ Jonny Brodzinski (C) ⋄ Brett Berard (RW)
Defensemen
Top pair ⊳ K'Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)
Second pair ⊳ Carson Soucy (L) ⋄ Will Borgen (R)
Third pair ⊳ Zac Jones (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)
Goalies
Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin
Backup ⊳ Jonathan Quick
Healthy scratches: D Calvin de Haan, F Matt Rempe and D Urho Vaakanainen
Injured: F Arthur Kaliyev (upper body)
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers projected lineup: Adam Fox searching to find his game
Continue reading...
The biggest event had nothing to do with hockey. Fox and his wife, Tate, welcomed their first child, a healthy baby girl named Greer. But meanwhile back at the rink, team president Chris Drury continued to reshape the Rangers' roster with trades.
The most notable involved shipping Ryan Lindgren to Colorado, removing not only Fox's longtime defensive partner but also one of his closest friends.
"It’s tough," Fox said following Wednesday's optional practice at the MSG Training Center. "It’s someone I played with pretty much my whole NHL career and knew him before. He's clearly doing well, and I’m not surprised by that. It's kind of weird timing – I was out – so kind of adjusting to it now. But I definitely miss him around the room."
It was another difficult blow for a locker room that's endured more change in the last three months than they had in the previous three years, but the Lindgren trade didn't catch anyone by surprise.
There had been wide speculation about the 27-year-old defenseman's availability, with the Rangers' precarious position in the standings essentially punching his ticket out of town.
"Anyone who's going into (unrestricted free agency), you have sort of a sense," said Fox, who noted spending time with Lindgren when the Blueshirts and Avalanche crossed paths in Minnesota last week. "Some of that's on us, too. If we had a better record and more of a push, I'm sure he'd still be here. But I think there's always that possibility. When he was signed a one-year deal, it's kind of the nature of the business."
Takeaways: Rangers fumble their way out of playoff position
Fox returned to the lineup Saturday missing the Robin to his Batman. And while Lindgren's play had clearly slipped this season, the void left on the Rangers' top pair is seismic.
There's no obvious replacement on the roster or in the pipeline, creating a level of uncertainty that Fox admitted could affect his play.
"A lot of times you think of only lines as forwards and chemistry in that sense, but I think defensemen have to have a lot of chemistry," he said. "Knowing where each other are, I think, and communication is huge. You play 300-something games with one guy, you get almost that second sense of where they're going to be, where your outlets are, the support, the communication. It's definitely a bit of an adjustment when you’re switching D partners."
Head coach Peter Laviolette gave the freshly extended Urho Vaakanainen first crack at it, but it appears that experiment will only last three games.
In 47:37 time on ice together, the Vaakanainen-Fox duo has been outscored, 3-2, while registering an ugly 32.49% xGF, according to Natural Stat Trick. In that span, they've surrendered 11 high-danger scoring chances while only generating four.
The low point came in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames, which looked much worse than the score indicated. Fox was among the primary culprits, getting beat in countless board battles and foot races while struggling to create any offensive push.
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Laviolette will surely make changes following an embarrassing performance in which the Rangers were held to only 13 shots on goal, with signs pointing to Vaakanainen getting scratched for Thursday's 7 p.m. home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"I thought it was decent the first two games," Fox said. "And then obviously (Tuesday) was just kind of flush that down and turn the page."
Another new face, Carson Soucy, is expected to step back in after sitting the previous three games.
The 6-foot-5, 208-pounder was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Mar. 6, with the Rangers targeting him for his size, good defensive stick and cost certainty, with one additional year remaining on his contract at a $3.25 million cap hit. But he stumbled out of the gate and got yanked after only four appearances.
"He's working to get up to speed on the system, and I think sometimes when you're thinking a little bit too much, it slows down a little bit," Laviolette said. "So just getting some practices, watching some games, getting an understanding of how we want to do things, I think, will help with that processing speed."
There was some thought that Soucy would get a chance to take Lindgren's spot next to Fox, but that feels ambitious for a player who's been a healthy scratch.
The only logical alternative is reuniting Fox with the Rangers' clear No. 2 defenseman, K'Andre Miller. They still rank tops in the league among D pairs that have logged at least 150 minutes together with a 67.4% xGF, according to moneypuck.com. But other than a stretch early in the season, they've only joined forces in late-game situations for the last number of months.
Laviolette has repeatedly said he prefers a more balanced approach, particularly since Miller has developed a strong rapport with Will Borgen. But given the desperate situation the Rangers are in − one point out of a wild-card spot with 13 games to play − it may be time to break the glass in case of emergency.
In that case, he'd have the option of pairing Soucy and Borgen − a duo that logged over 674 minutes together during their shared time in Seattle.
You must be registered for see images attach
However it shakes out, the Rangers are going to need more from Fox, who's being asked to step into a critical role while simultaneously working his way back from injury and trying to figure out a new partner.
"You never want to be sitting out, but I think when you're late in the year and we're trying to win every game, I think that's when it gets frustrating," he said. "You're trying to jump right into the flow with everyone who's been playing hard hockey, and the games have been really packed, so you don’t really get any practice time with the guys."
This all comes in the midst of a down year by Fox's lofty standards. His 0.8 points per game average is the lowest since his 2019-20 rookie season, while his all-around game has dropped a level or two, as well.
The 27-year-old was the subject of heavy criticism following a subpar showing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, which many pointed to as evidence that his impact diminishes in a physical, tight-checking environment.
Quite frankly, you could say that about many of the current Rangers, who looked like they were stuck in quicksand Tuesday against the Flames. That's been a disturbing trend this season, with these Blueshirts often folding when adversity hits after years of building a no-quit reputation.
"You’ve got to have that kind of resiliency to not mentally just pack it in," Fox said. "A lot of our success in the past has been just a mindset of being down one goal, two goals, it doesn't matter to us. We're going to find a way to get it done. We've been lacking that... mental fortitude."
NY Rangers (33-30-6) projected lineup: Game 70 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (41-24-3)
When: Thursday, Mar. 20 at 7 p.m.
Where: Madison Square Garden
TV/Radio: MSG 2/1050 AM
Forwards
Top line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Will Cuylle (RW)
Second line ⊳ Alexis Lafrenière (LW) ⋄ J.T. Miller (C) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (RW)
Third line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Sam Carrick (C) ⋄ Juuso Pärssinen (RW)
Fourth line ⊳ Brennan Othmann (LW) ⋄ Jonny Brodzinski (C) ⋄ Brett Berard (RW)
Defensemen
Top pair ⊳ K'Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)
Second pair ⊳ Carson Soucy (L) ⋄ Will Borgen (R)
Third pair ⊳ Zac Jones (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)
Goalies
Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin
Backup ⊳ Jonathan Quick
Healthy scratches: D Calvin de Haan, F Matt Rempe and D Urho Vaakanainen
Injured: F Arthur Kaliyev (upper body)
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers projected lineup: Adam Fox searching to find his game
Continue reading...
