The Kraken have signed defenseman Ryan Lindgren to a four-year contract worth $4.5MM per season, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This will mark Lindgren’s second move in just four months. He was previously traded to the Colorado Avalanche at the Trade Deadline alongside Jimmy Vesey, in a deal that landed the New York Rangers forward Juuso Parssinen, defenseman Calvin de Haan, and conditional second and fourth round draft picks. After starting the year with 19 points in 54 games with the Rangers, Lindgren finished the year with three points, a minus-one, and four penalty minutes in 18 games with the Avalanche. He also chipped in three assists and a plus-five to seven postseason games.
It was the postseason appearances that earned Lindgren recognition from around the league. He ranked second on the team in blocked shots (12) and looked like a hardy defensive addition behind Colorado’s all-out offense. That standing wasn’t enough to push the Avalanche beyond the first round, but it seemingly was enough to keep Lindgren top of mind for teams in need of hardy, depth defenders.
Lindgren has been in the league for the last seven seasons, all the while holding down a strong role on the Rangers’ second pairing. He was an active participant in New York’s defensive zone, even racking up as much as 141 blocked shots and 129 hits in a single year during the 2021-22 campaign. He continued to rival the century tally in both stats through the last three seasons, and even managed 128 blocks and 80 hits alongside a career-high 22 points between New York and Colorado this season.
Lindgren will step into Seattle seemingly looking to rival Josh Mahura and Ryker Evans for ice time as the team’s third-pair left-defender. He could also be a candidate to play on his off-hand side opposite of Evans – in an effort to shore up Seattle’s deprived right-side. With a play style that leans heavily against getting involved in the defensive end, Lindgren shouldn’t be much effected by the ask to play on the right-side – though additional moves could make his role for the 2025-26 campaign a bit more defined.