A look at who the final defensive pairing could be

As preseason approaches for the New York Rangers, a question remains unanswered. Who will be the final two players on the third and last defensive pairing? There are plenty of players that come to mind, but of course, there can only be two. This piece dives into some options the Rangers have for it.

Obviously, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller will most likely be the top two pairings going into this season. Fox and Lindgren worked insanely great together last season and Trouba and Miller had some good looks as well.

The question that remains is, who should or could be the final defensive pairing for the Rangers this season?

A veteran presence

The Rangers signed veteran defenseman Patrik Nemeth on July 28th to a three-year deal with a cap hit of $2.5 million. Obviously, Nemeth was signed for a reason. The team wants him to be a new veteran presence on defense since the rest of the blueline is made up of mostly youngsters. Nemeth will more than likely make the team out of preseason. He was in the lineup almost every game last season.

A rookie candidate

21-year-old Nils Lundkvist is a player that the Rangers scouts and management have been watching closely since he was drafted by the team in 2018. He is being watched even closer now with training camp taking place. Lundkvist has been compared to Adam Fox as of late. That’s not bad, right? It is looking promising that he will make the team out of preseason. Perfect if it happens, since he is right-handed. He could very well end up being that right-handed guy on defense.

Another rookie candidate

Braden Schneider was drafted by the Rangers 19th overall in 2020. He is only 20 years old, but has looked promising at development camp. If he has a decent preseason, he could be another ideal option on the final pairing for the team to start the season. He is also right-handed, like Lundkvist, so this could end up being a tough choice for the coaching staff. Schneider is also young, so would this benefit the Rangers or hurt them?

Last promising option

Virginia native Zac Jones got in some games with the Rangers already last season. He looked like a decent player, but as a full-timer on the team, would he get better or still be decent? That is the question about Jones that is up in the air for the Rangers going into preseason and the regular season. He is 20 years old and left-handed. As mentioned, Jones already has some NHL experience under his belt, so could this be the right choice for the Rangers going forward?

That intriguing question: who will the Rangers choose as their final defensive pairing to start the season? Training camp and preseason will definitely decide that. Lundkvist, Nemeth, Schneider, and Jones are all smart options, but there can obviously only be two to start out the season. Lundkvist seems to be the most talked about guy lately. He seems to have the best chance of making the team, aside from Nemeth, who will probably be on Lundkvist’s left side. The two seem like they will work well together and Lundkvist can learn a lot from the veteran.