1/6/23: Rydahl’s stay on the Rangers roster has been brief. The team has announced that the forward has been sent back down to AHL Hartford. Rydahl wasn’t dressed for the Rangers’ 4-1 victory over the Canadiens last night.
1/5/23: The New York Rangers have added some more size and grit to the roster, recalling Gustav Rydahl from the minor leagues. Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweets that he is up for Jonny Brodzinski, whose wife is expecting.
Signed to a one-year, $750K contract out of the SHL last May, Rydahl likely would have made the Rangers lineup out of training camp had he not been one of the few waiver-exempt bubble players. Instead of risking someone else, he was sent to the minor leagues where he has been playing with the Hartford Wolf Pack, racking up nine points and 24 penalty minutes in 24 games.
He won’t make many highlight reels, but the hard-working 26-year-old is a versatile player that found plenty of success in the SHL. His consistent north-south game resulted in 15 goals and 30 points in 44 games for Farjestads BK last season, and he was even better in the postseason when the checking tightened. That’s the kind of play the Rangers are dying to see out of their bottom six, meaning the forward (who can play center and wing) could get a chance to prove himself.
The Rangers will take on the Montreal Canadiens this evening before heading to New Jersey for a game Saturday night.