Why the Ryan Lindgren trade made sense for the Rangers, and what we're hearing could come next

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Despite a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at home on Friday, the New York Rangers are right on the edge of the East playoff race.

And even four points out, it would be hard to doubt their chances.

Theyve been to two of the past three Eastern Conference finals and they have Igor Shesterkin, the best goalie of any of the eight teams battling for the two wild-card spots.

Advertisement But that did not deter general manager Chris Drury from making an absolutely necessary trade with the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Ryan Lindgren played 19:56 per night this season and was the heart and soul of the defense corps.

With Adam Fox, Lindgrens longtime defense partner, sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, Lindgren would have seemed to be an important piece of whatever the Rangers could accomplish through the end of the season.

Drury, though, understood what needed to be done.

And what still needs to be done.

The Rangers werent signing Lindgren to an extension beyond this season; even though hes only 27, his rugged playing style has worn him down, and there was real concern that over the life of even a four- or five-year deal, Lindgren just wouldnt hold up physically.

It will be a blow to the Rangers to lose Lindgren.

Hes had a rough season, like so many Rangers, but the way he plays similar to the way Jacob Trouba played is not something thats terribly contagious in the current Rangers room.

Drury wants more players with bite; to get there, he had to shed Lindgren, one of the few Rangers who always plays bigger than his size.

If youre worried the Rangers will be worse defensively without Lindgren, Ill respond with a question: How? This team is already 31st in expected goals against at five-on-five and 32nd in xGA on the penalty kill, according to Clear Sight Hockey; so instead of giving up 10 high-danger chances a game, theyll give up 11 now? Big deal.

Either way, one guy, Shesterkin, will determine whether they make the playoffs.

The return is about what the Rangers likely anticipated, which is why Drury didnt have to wait until closer to Fridays deadline to say yes to one of the many offers he had for Lindgren.

It was always going to be a second-round pick, plus.

Advertisement Jimmy Vesey going along in this deal sweetened the pot somewhat, even though Vesey on his own was likely to be one of those Friday, 2:55 p.m.

deals.

Calvin de Haan has been around the block plenty, and hell be able to provide some stability on a completely destabilized D corps.

Jusso Parssinen hasnt really broken through yet, but hes only 24 and could be an interesting project plus hes a young center, which the Rangers have none of in the pipeline.

Its the second-rounder which could be the Rangers pick that they traded to the Arizona Coyotes three years ago to dump Patrik Nemeth that makes the difference here.

The Rangers had zero second-round picks until 2028 before this trade.

Even if they dont make a pick in June, they at least have another asset to work with.

GO DEEPER NHL trade grades: Rangers flip pending UFA Lindgren to Avalanche in sensible deal These were two of the three most obvious assets Drury had to move.

Reilly Smith is the other pending unrestricted free agnet on the roster, and his Ranger days are numbered.

Theres even less reason to hang onto Smith through Friday than there was to do so with Lindgren, since the Rangers do have some young forwards deserving of a look.

League sources said the Rangers have been in on lots of different discussions in recent weeks.

Now that Lindgren and Vesey are off the board and Smith is on the clock, there are a few different paths that Drury could take in the next six days.

There are some larger trade options on the roster like Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad, but its probably not realistic to move either this coming week.

Zibanejad was one of the leading scorers in the league with 13 points in nine February games, so perhaps hes earning his keep.

Kreider went on injured reserve Saturday, so hes not exactly an attractive option for other teams.

KAndre Miller, who is a pending restricted free agent, does not seem to be on the block at all, executives from two other teams said.

Miller has had a poor season, but with Trouba and Lindgren gone and Fox injured, Miller will get a chance to play bigger minutes over the next weeks to see what sort of contract he could get from the Rangers.

Advertisement The Rangers are believed to be interested in being a targeted buyer ahead of Friday, but theyre only looking for players with term, and those are looking like coveted assets this deadline.

Scott Laughton, a player the Rangers were close to acquiring last season ahead of the deadline, is a very popular player this deadline season.

With a year left on his deal at a manageable $3 million cap hit, the Flyers might be willing to move him for the right price, which would likely be a first-round pick.

The Rangers, who have already moved either this years first or next years in the J.T.

Miller trade, arent going to pay that high of a price.

But they are keeping an eye on some potential No.

3 centers who could help beyond this season.

And now, with the second-round pick from the Lindgren deal in hand, Drury has a few days to scour the market and see what he can come up with.

The Sabres Ryan McLeod, a pending RFA, could be of interest.

Same with the Predators Tommy Novak, who has two years left.

But the committed sellers havent really come to the fore yet beyond a small handful of teams, so prices could stay high on the sort of player the Rangers would like to acquire.

The Rangers 50 percent retention on Lindgren leaves them with two salary-retention slots.

They could retain on Smiths contract, which already is down to a $2.5 million cap hit with Pittsburgh having retained 50 percent when the Rangers acquired him, to gain a better draft pick in return.

Without any obvious players to deal after Smith, that last retention slot could go to facilitating a deal between two other teams to add another mid-round pick.

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images).

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