Adam Fox excited for his ‘fun’ Ryan Lindgren reunion in Seattle

SEATTLE — Saturday night will mark just the third time Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren square off against one another as opponents. 

The longtime friends, who met when they were teenagers in the U.S. National Team Development Program, have not lined up on opposite sides of the ice since they were in college during the 2017-18 season. 

Lindgren and the University of Minnesota defeated Fox and Harvard in a back-to-back slate in November. The Gophers first took a 4-2 victory before emerging with a 2-1 win in overtime the following game. 

After reuniting and playing parts of six seasons together in New York, this will be the first time the two duke it out as NHLers since the Rangers traded Lindgren to Colorado in March. 

“It’ll be funny,” Fox told The Post on Friday after practice at Climate Pledge Arena. “I obviously played with him at NTDP and then played him once in college, and that was fun. It’s more a little bit of bragging rights and stuff. It’s been a while since I played against him. But, you know, he’s great. We’ll see him [Friday night], hang out with him. I mean, there will be — knowing Lin — no friendships on the ice [Saturday night]. It’ll be fun. 

“I think we’re all happy for him, we miss him. But, obviously, we’re more focused on the game, but it’ll be fun to play against him.” 

Lindgren hosted a few of his former teammates at his place in Seattle on Friday night. 

The Rangers also will face Kaapo Kakko for the first time since the club’s second-overall pick in 2019 was traded to Seattle in December.

Kakko is expected to make his season debut against his former team of six years. The 24-year-old Finn suffered a broken hand during the preseason. 

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This season is primed to feel like a tour against former Blueshirts, and this is only the start. 

For Fox, however, this one certainly will feel different against his longtime defensive partner. 

“It was awesome,” Fox said of his friendship with Lindgren. “Obviously, it’s pretty rare in hockey with how many different directions and places you could go with it that our paths crossed on two different occasions. It’s amazing. He was a groomsman at my wedding and obviously super close to my family, his family, and lived with him for a few years too. It’s special when you can have friendships like that. 

“Especially the way hockey goes, the business of it, guys are in and out of different teams. To be with someone as long as we were was pretty cool for me.” 

Fox and Lindgren have naturally kept in touch since the latter was traded — along with Jimmy Vesey and prospect Hank Kempf — to the Avalanche in exchange for Juuso Parssinen, Calvin De Haan and two conditional draft picks in 2025. 

Not only did the two live together for 2-3 years of their time in New York, but their apartments were also right next to each other during their rookie season in 2019-20. That’s actually what led the two eventually to live together. 

They also continued to go on their annual golf trip together in the summer. 

Fox said he believes it will feel like nothing’s changed when the former teammates reunite. 

As for his new ‘D’ partner, Vladislav Gavrikov, Fox sounded encouraged by their first 12 games together. 

“I think we’re defending really well,” Fox said. “I think sometimes, especially when you’re at home and you’re kind of on that matchup against other teams’ top lines, defending is the priority. You want to be able — the way offense has been going for us — create a little bit more. But we don’t want to cheat the defensive side. We’ve been getting chances, too. I think any time you’re with a new partner for the first time, I think you’re just trying to develop that chemistry, and it’s a lot of communicating. I think it’s just gotten better as we’ve gotten along.”