Coach Peter Laviolette made a change to the New York Rangers‘ blue line pairings late this season, dropping captain Jacob Trouba and promoting Braden Schneider to play alongside K’Andre Miller.
Miller and Schneider, who were a pair when Trouba was sidelined with a broken ankle in March, played together in the final two games of the regular season and in 11 of the Blueshirts’ 16 postseason games, largely passing the test. from sight as one of their best players. Pares D. They are trusted to play together in the biggest games of the Rangers season, could the pairing be something we will see a lot more of next season?
Although many are discouraged by Trouba’s defensive play, the decision to separate Miller and Trouba was far from a no-brainer. Aside from occasional injuries or lineup changes, the duo has been a staple of the Rangers’ D corps since Miller’s rookie season in 2020-21.
In fact, between the regular season and playoffs, Miller and Trouba have logged 4,465.0 minutes together over the past four seasons, the most of any Blueshirts blueline combination in that span.
They led the Rangers defense with 986.5 minutes played in the regular season, largely tasked with facing opponents’ best offensive lines. It’s not an easy task and Miller and Trouba seemed to struggle as the season progressed.
Trouba’s game, in particular, took a sharp decline at the beginning of the year. After posting a plus-nine in the first three months of the season, the 30-year-old defenseman played with a -13 rating starting in January, finishing the year at -4.
Schneider, meanwhile, had arguably the strongest season of his young career, recording an NHL career-high 19 points and playing a nice physical role, finishing second on the team in blocked shots (133) and second among players. defenders in hits (167). He appeared in all 82 regular season games and logged 15:54 minutes per game, the most in his three NHL seasons.
Trouba and Miller were back together for a brief period during the playoffs, with Schneider returning to the final pair with Erik Gustafsson from Game 6 of the second round until Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. However, Laviolette leaned on Miller and Schneider to take the brunt of the Rangers’ early postseason success and returned to the duo when their backs were against the wall in the conference finals.
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The adjustment of moving Braden Schneider to play with K’Andre Miller is paying off for NYR. The Rangers had a 14-7 advantage in shot attempts in their minutes + nearly 74 percent of expected goals per game. @NatStatTrick
—Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 24, 2024
Related: Rangers 2023-24 Report Cards: Rating of Defensemen
Rangers could turn to young defensive pair next season and beyond
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The final metrics don’t jump off the page. After a strong close to the regular season, Schneider and Miller struggled in the Stanley Cup playoffs, particularly against the Florida Panthers, something that feels could be said for every member of the Rangers’ D corps, even Adam Fox.
In 444 minutes together between the regular season and postseason, the pair generated an expected goals percentage of 46.1. It’s certainly not exceptional, but there are reasons to accept the combination over the course of a full season.
Both are already talented players in their own right, and there’s every reason to believe they haven’t reached their peak yet.
Schenider will be 23 next season and Miller will be 25. You forget that they are still very young because Miller is already entering his fifth season and Schneider is entering his fourth.
Each has obvious offensive advantages, although none have spent much time on the power play, as Fox, Trouba and Gustafsson were the most used defenders with man advantage.
Miller especially has shown flashes of elite offensive play, using his exceptional speed and range to score some impressive goals. He posted a career-high 43 points in the NHL in 2022-23 before falling back to 30 points last season. Consistency in offensive play is something he has yet to demonstrate, but the talent is undeniable.
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NYR highlights one day until the pain goes away; Day 15
K’Andre Miller stumbles and STILL converts on breakaway to give Rangers the lead pic.twitter.com/6pi9WS0KmQ
-p-RangersMuse (@nyrangersmuse) May 16, 2023
Schneider may not have as much offensive talent, but he has still shown the ability to move the puck and find the back of the net occasionally, scoring five goals last season.
Miller and Schneider could be quite a dynamic duo on offense, but it’s what they can do together on defense that makes them so enticing. They are mobile and play with a physical advantage, a valuable combination for your defensive partner.
If Trouba returns next season, he will be 31 years old and coming off one of the worst defensive seasons of his career. He ranked in the 16th percentile for his defensive play, worse than any Rangers defenseman besides Ryan Lindgren.
While an ankle injury may be partially to blame for his lackluster play in the postseason, his defensive play had already begun to decline midway through the season. His physical presence still has value, but it might be time to move him away from the top defensive matchup in each game.
There needs to be at least one conversation this offseason if the Rangers want to buy out Trouba or consider taking the salary and trading him. The Rangers captain has two years left on his contract at $8 million each, although he is more likely to return and play fewer minutes.
The Rangers won’t lose much in size with Miller (six-foot-five) and Schneider (six-foot-three), and replacing Trouba with Schneider makes the backend faster and more athletic. There’s a reason Schneider is called “Baby Trouba.”
Miller has already proven himself up to the task, playing against top lines consistently and ranking in the 77th percentile defensively. Schneider, meanwhile, showed his ability to take on a larger role this year and finished the regular season at 6.9 goals above replacement, outperforming every Rangers defenseman except Fox.
Schneider is a restricted free agent on July 1, but should quickly close a bridge deal to return. Lindgren is also an RFA, but with a less certain future as injury concerns may give general manager Chris Drury some qualms about re-signing the 26-year-old defenseman to a long-term contract, as Lindgren can be a UFA in the end. of the 2024-25 season. Gustafsson will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and, he is expected to see a cap increase of $825,000, he will likely find a new home next season.
With all that up in the air, it’s not exactly easy to map out what the Rangers’ pairings will look like next season. That being said, it looks like the Miller-Schneider pairing may be one we see in the coming years on Broadway.
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