The New York Rangers brought Ryan Lindgren back into the lineup two games ago after he missed the first five with an injury. Known for his toughness, Lindgren has usually played on the top defensive pairing with Adam Fox throughout his career. However, head coach Peter Laviolette has now placed him on the bottom pairing, where he’s skating alongside rookie standout Victor Mancini.
With Lindgren now on the bottom line and in a contract year, trade rumors have started to swirl. The Rangers, anticipating a busy trade deadline this season, could benefit from clearing his cap space.
A trade between the Rangers and Utah makes sense
Earlier this week, the Utah Hockey Club announced that defenseman John Marino will be sidelined for three to four months due to a lower back injury. This is a significant blow to Utah, which has had a strong start to its inaugural season. With one of their top defensemen out, could the Hockey Club be interested in Ryan Lindgren if he becomes available?
The Hockey Club currently has over $8 million in cap space, more than enough to accommodate Lindgren’s $4.5 million cap hit. Financially, it’s feasible, but it would depend on the Rangers’ willingness to part ways with Lindgren.
Lindgren is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, joining other key Rangers like Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafreniere, and K’Andre Miller, who are also approaching new contracts. Given the difficulty of re-signing all of these players, Lindgren could be the odd man out. While it’s still early, a potential Lindgren trade — possibly to Utah or another team — appears increasingly plausible.
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