As expected New York Rangers have signed prospect Ryan Lindgren to his three-year entry-level contract. When Lindgren was acquired from the Boston Bruins at the deadline, it wasn’t clear whether he would sign this season or return to the University of Minnesota for another year. The Rangers have convinced him, and he’ll begin his professional career after just two seasons with the Golden Gophers.
Lindgren was one of the big prizes of the Rick Nash deal, coming to New York as a potential top-4 defenseman who could jump into their system quickly. Like GM Jeff Gorton said recently, the Rangers had a gap in talent due to their lack of first-round picks the last few years and are trying to fill it with prospects during the early part of their rebuild. Lindgren, selected 49th-overall in 2016, does just that as he leaves Minnesota after failing to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Long-time head coach Don Lucia left the program recently, which could have been an additional factor in Lindgren choosing to turn pro after just two seasons in college.
Though he’s not the biggest body on the ice, Lindgren rarely loses physical battles due to his squat, wide based skating stride. His mobility is excellent, and he can shut down rushes quickly before they even get into the zone. That’s his calling card, as the offense never really did materialize in college like some though it would. Through two seasons, Lindgren recorded just 16 points but was an excellent defender who could be relied on even against the opposition’s best. Though the defensive ability will likely carry him to the NHL quickly, it’s unlikely he will be a real impact player unless his offensive instincts improve.
The Rangers though will take the solid defensive potential, as they’ve had trouble finding players in recent years who they could rely on in their own end. The Brendan Smith experiment failed miserably this season, while the old guard have basically all been shipped out. Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi are now together with the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Marc Staal isn’t a player to build around any longer. Lindgren could be a nice compliment to a more offensive talent like Kevin Shattenkirk, though where he fits into the NHL plan is still clearly undecided. He’ll head to Hartford for now to play on an amateur tryout this season, and show what he can do in professional hockey.
Welcome to the Blueshirts!
Formidable back line of the future…Lindgren, Hajek and Rykov are NHL ready and capable…highly touted prospects. Skjei, Shatty and Staal…and a few others fill out a decent top 8 depth wise. Draft class is deep in Defensemen…if we can grab Bouchard he’s rising among those in the top 10 other than that I like the Tkachuk kid and we need quick, gritty, feisty wingers. Can’t win a cup without sandpaper. Going to need some elbows and sandpaper to protect Chytil and Andersson when the Al Arbour types take runs at these guys next year. I know I would. Gorton dangling a #1 pick perhaps because a lot of teams are thin at the blue line and let’s see what someone will offer. Gorton career is made or broken on what he does with the picks.