K’Andre Miller and Adam Fox took warmup rushes together Thursday night for the first time since Nov. 25.
When Miller started the game with Will Borgen and Fox took his first shift with Carson Soucy, however, it was apparent that they wouldn’t be deployed as a traditional pairing.
Miller and Fox primarily skated together in offensive-zone situations, logging 7:28 of five-on-five ice time together, per Natural Stat Trick, in the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs at the Garden.
Despite some strong numbers earlier this season, the two were on for two goals against in the loss.
“Just by zones, just by where we’re at,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of his thought process behind the rotation of defensemen. “Offensive zone, defensive zone, opponent. So we moved it around.”
Laviolette had developed a tendency to put Miller and Fox together in urgent late-game situations, after the two put up some of the best numbers together among Rangers’ ‘D’ pairs earlier this season.
With the since-traded Ryan Lindgren on injured reserve to start the season, Miller skated with Fox for the first 10 games before they were broken up for four contests. They were then put back together for the following six games.
Amid what is now a three-game losing streak, Laviolette opted to reunite the duo, but only in certain situations.
In 290:34 of ice time at five-on-five prior to Thursday’s loss, Miller and Fox had outscored opponents 17-10, while also out-attempting them 170-109. They had a significant edge in scoring chances, 195-101, as well as 80-48 in high-danger chances.
For a player like Fox, who is four games back from an eight-game absence with an upper-body injury, there has been an adjustment to not only being back in the lineup but also skating without Lindgren.
“I don’t know if that’s anything to do with partners,” Fox said when asked if switching partners mid-game negatively impacts trying to establish chemistry. “Obviously, you want to have that chemistry with a partner. I don’t think tonight those mistakes were anything to do with the chemistry of the partner.”
The Rangers announced plans to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary during the upcoming 2025-26 season before unveiling their centennial year logo.
“The New York Rangers are one of the premier franchises, not just in the National Hockey League, but in all of professional sports,” Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said in a team release. “Growing up as a Rangers fan — and then having the privilege of playing for the team and working in the front office — I’ve experienced how special it is to wear that iconic jersey and why it means more to have the honor of being associated with the Rangers crest.
“As we approach our Centennial year, we are proud and excited about the opportunity to honor our legacy with our fans.”
The outline of the shield in the centennial logo is the original 1926 Rangers crest, while the dark royal blue is reflective of the color palette from the team’s shields from 1948-1976.
Rangers jersey elements are used as the numbers for the bold 100, highlighted by the classic red and white piping.
With Matt Rempe out sick, Brennan Othmann drew back into the Rangers lineup onto the fourth line next to Juuso Parssinen and Brett Berard. Jonny Brodzinski was then bumped up to the third line with Chris Kreider and Sam Carrick.
Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen was a healthy scratch for the first time since Feb. 7.
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