All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Uncertain Future of New York Rangers Blueliner
Rumour: Vincent Mergliano of Louhd.com said the Rangers will have to make a decision about the future of defenceman Ryan Lindgren. He signed a one-year deal to avoid arbitration in the off-season.
Analysis: Rangers General Manager Chris Drury and Lindgren signed a $4.5 million contract to avoid an arbitration hearing. This deal was well above the $3.5 million qualifying offer that he got. The agreement gets the young defender signed, but this may have just kicked the can down the road.
The Blueshirts have a number of prominent players that they need to signed on or before July 1, 2025. Drury has to ink goalie Igor Shesterkin before he gets out onto the opening market. He also has to worry about deals for Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller in the coming off-season.
New York has around $1.4 million in projected cap space. This translates into about $6 million in accrued cap space at the deadline. Drury can probably make a more move or two if the Rangers are on the cusp on contention. However, he may be limited on what he can do.
Sticking Points
Larry Brooks of the New York Post said the two sides wanted to do a multiple-year deal of some sort. According to Brooks, the Rangers wanted to do an agreement of two or three years. However, Lindgren wanted to do a contract length of four or five years.
Money also seemed to be an issue between the two parties. Drury and company wanted to give Lindgren around $4 million to $4.25 million. However, Lindgren wanted to receive about $5 million. The two sides did come to a middle ground of $4.5 million.
Brooks does speculate on if Lindgren does have a future with this club. The 26-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
What Next?
One thing the Rangers may try to do to get some coveted space is deal Jacob Trouba. Rumours thought that the team was close to dealing the captain, but that may have to wait until next off-season when he’ll enter the final year of his contract.
Sending Trouba to another team would give Drury some breathing room, but most of that cap savings will have to go to Shesterkin. Some of that money will also have to go to Lafreniere and Miller.
This could leave Lindgren as the odd person out due to some of the big contracts going to other players. The salary cap will go up a bit and that could help. However, the Rangers may find it hard to keep one of their top-four defenders.
