The way things are going for the New York Rangers, general manager Chris Drury might have trouble finding a spot in the lineup for one of his trademark annual splashes at the trade deadline.
The Blueshirts’ 5-1-1 burst out of the gate – their 3-1 dud of a loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Oct. 24 being a discussion topic for another time – has been a study in newfound depth, with 14 players having scored at least one goal. That wealth of offensive options has somewhat overshadowed the club’s loaded defense, where a suddenly stacked group of personnel has created an “It ain’t broke, don’t fix it” feel around the blue line, less than 10 games into the 2024-25 season.
Perhaps no development will prove to be a bigger one for these Rangers than the ascension of Victor Mancini, the precocious 22-year-old defenseman whose wholly unexpected making of the roster out of training camp has made the team’s defense bigger, stronger, more balanced and consequently, more stable.
The 6-foot-3, 229-pound Mancini’s size and hockey IQ seem to have been the missing pieces for a unit that needed to become brawnier and meaner, while not having its offensive impact suffer in the process. Though it’s early, the numbers tell quite the story for this unit so far.
Mancini’s Arrival Has Fortified, Brought Balance to Defense Corps
Among Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren (who’s only played two games after returning from injury), two of those players have an expected goal share above 60, and Schneider’s 55.5 the lowest among that group (Lindgren is also at 55.5, but again, he’s played two games). Mancini, oddly enough, is the outlier, with his underlying numbers not so good: a 36.5 expected goal share and the Rangers getting outchanced fairly substantially with him on the ice.
Nevertheless, Mancini is a plus-3 and has shown enough flashes of the game that allowed the fifth-round draft pick in 2022 to defy the odds and earn a spot. While he finds his footing, his presence has created a configuration on the back line that has worked extremely effectively through seven contests.
A right-handed shot, Mancini’s rise into the lineup on the third pair forced fellow righty Schneider to his off side. Rather than hinder him, Schneider has never been better, posting the highest expected goal share of his four-year career and helping the Rangers outchance opponents for the first time in any of his four seasons.
The slide to the left appears to have unlocked something in Schneider’s game, as he’s sporting a sense of comfort and ease with the switch, which has also sparked his offense. The 23-year-old has two goals and an assist and has fired 15 shots on net for his highest such career per-game average.
It seems that the different look Schneider gets from playing the left side, which allows him to cut toward the middle on his forehand rather than his backhand, and the shooting lanes that open from that, have made it possible for him to tap into the offensive skills the Rangers saw him display in junior hockey when they drafted him 19th overall in 2020.
Trouba has been the perfect partner for Schneider, the duo sporting a 57.9 expected goal share while helping the Blueshirts outscore opponents 7-3 in 98:31 together. Trouba has an individual 57.1 expected goal share and looks rejuvenated after an injury-marred and ineffective 2023-24 season and playoffs. He’s a plus-6 after finishing minus-4 last season, and has already blocked 17 shots and delivered 12 hits.
With Mancini (11 blocks, four hits) averaging more than 15 minutes per game, the defense is grittier – and it might be contagious. The 6-5, 215-pound Miller, who coaches have always hoped would add more physicality his game, has piled up 12 blocks and 14 hits. Schneider has only three hits but 10 blocks, while Lindgren, the throwback, is sure to join the party as he gets more games under his belt.
The third crucial change that has allowed the Rangers defense to reach a new level was coach Peter Laviolette’s decision to separate Fox from long-time partner Lindgren and team Fox with Miller, forming the new No. 1 pair. The duo has worked famously, posting a 68.1 expected goal share. The Blueshirts have outchanced opponents 73-40 with them on the ice at 5-on-5.
Laviolette has a good thing going, and to his credit, he knows it.
“We haven’t touched those (pairs) since we had to make those decisions,” the coach said Oct. 24. “They looked really good when we did it.
“There’s no real plan for me to change things right now. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen ever, but right now, I like the way that they’re playing.”
Related: Rangers’ New Depth on Display to Start Season
The decision to put Fox and Miller together represents the kind of deft touch Laviolette has wielded in his season-plus in charge. Though having Lindgren on Fox’s left has certainly been a workable pair for years, breaking up the longtime partnership appears to have been a breath of fresh air and has created a new top defensive duo with a higher ceiling, with Miller’s mobility, puck-moving skills and skating ability complementing Fox’s elite game.
Plus, it allows Lindgren to pair with Mancini on a physical third unit that boasts a mix of experience and youth. Laviolette likes that alignment, as well – in part because he’s aware his former 1A defenseman can now be employed on the bottom pair, a testament to the newfound strength of his ranks on defense.
“That’s a good veteran player playing with a young player, a good pair and a good matchup,” he said.
Rangers’ Defense Looks Playoff-Ready
All of the depth has forced Zac Jones, who took a substantial step forward last season and probably deserves to be playing, to the press box. Laviolette and the front office showed further confidence in Mancini with the Oct. 24 waiving of Chad Ruhwedel, the solid veteran re-signed to ostensibly be the seventh defenseman in the offseason, and sending him to Hartford of the American Hockey League to serve as organizational depth. That despite the fact that Mancini didn’t require waivers to be sent down, with the Blueshirts preferring to take the risk of losing Ruhwedel rather than removing Mancini from the lineup.
One has to wonder whether Mancini will more or less follow Schneider’s path with the Rangers: Schneider was called up for his NHL debut Jan. 13, 2021, scored a goal in a win over the San Jose Sharks and never played another AHL game. Mancini’s first career goal didn’t come in his debut like Schneider’s did, but he scored in his fourth contest and posted three points in those opening four games.
Laviolette will want to get Jones into the mix when possible, but as he’s quickly realized, he appears to have his best personnel on defense locked in right now.
Jones is an offensively-talented but smaller player, and the Rangers’ defense suddenly has the kind of size and snarl that has become a necessity in the playoffs – which the club has often lacked in the recent past. It’s this sextet that represents the best option going forward as this team looks to grow into a more postseason-prepared group.
That means Laviolette and the Rangers should live with the growing pains of Mancini, who despite those looks like someone who doesn’t need to go to the minors, a potential significant dip in play notwithstanding. The Blueshirts’ blue line is bigger, more aggressive, more physical and more versatile with Mancini’s third-pair role creating a beneficial domino effect throughout the defense corps. There’s no clear benefit to breaking up what’s working so well right now.
Fortunately for the Rangers, their coach doesn’t see any need to do so.
