The Vegas Golden Knights have inked one of their restricted free agents, signing Oscar Lindberg to a two-year, $3.4MM deal. Lindberg was the Golden Knights’ selection from the New York Rangers, a player the Rangers had to replace earlier today with David Desharnais.
With just a two-year deal, the Golden Knights will carry Lindberg to unrestricted free agency in 2019. That allowed them to keep the cap hit relatively low at $1.7MM, especially for a player who has shown an ability to hold down a checking role and contribute on the scoresheet from time to time.
Lindberg scored 20 points last season in 65 games, playing just under 11 minutes a night for the Rangers. Stuck behind Derek Stepan, Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes at the center ice position, Lindberg didn’t get much of a chance to operate with high end talent but still provided some nice secondary scoring. Though the center ice position is a little crowded in Vegas right now, Lindberg should get a chance to see the ice more often than in New York, and show off the offensive talent he had in the AHL and Sweden.
Vegas has Vadim Shipachyov, Cody Eakin, William Karlsson penciled into the center position already, but there’s a real chance the team moves on from one of them (not Shipachyov) before the season begins. Jonathan Marchessault who also has center experience, could play the wing for the club this year and try to turn in another 30-goal season. Either way, it’s likely that the team spreads the icetime out a bit more and Lindberg should get an opportunity to contribute.