The Rangers, off a complete team effort in their 5-1 opening night win over Buffalo, took a step back in their loss Saturday to the Blue Jackets. Missing Ryan Lindgren, who sat with an upper-body injury (rumored to be to his hand), the bottom two defensive pairs were shuffled. Erik Gustafsson was moved up to play with Adam Fox, while Zac Jones was inserted in the lineup next to Braden Schneider.
Those changes certainly did not help the team in the defeat. Coach Peter Laviolette said after the game that the absence of Lindgren was not why the team lost the game. That may well be the case, but it certainly did not help — evidence by their performance and overall team record when Lindgren plays and sits. Vince Mercogliano noted that the Rangers have played 116 games without Lindgren since his 2019 debut and only won 47 of them (47-52-17). Meanwhile, they’re 149-82-27 when he does play. This is a pretty stark difference.
Lindgren, acquired as a “throw-in” part of the Rick Nash deal with Boston, has become a stalwart in the lineup since joining the squad. The chemistry between him and Fox is palpable; Fox has noted how comfortable he feels next to Lindgren. In the final year of the three-year, $9 million deal he signed with New York following the expiration of his entry-level contract, Lindgren will a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after the season. Much debate has ensued amongst the Rangers faithful as to whether Lindgren — due to his style of play and propensity for injury — should be re-signed in general and if so, for how long,
In my opinion, he is this team’s Dan Girardi. Girardi played a similar style as Lindgren, sacrificing his body for the team. His six-year, $5.5 mil AAV contract signed in February 2014 proved to be a bit too long and a bit too expensive for New York, who acquired him in June 2017. If I am Chris Drury, I look to sign Lindgren to a four-year deal with a $5 mil or so AAV, maybe a fifth year with the cap rising. Beyond that, Drury likely has to walk away.
Yesterday, Jones — to use a Saturday Night Live reference with the season premier last night — was a “not ready for prime time player”. Jones was unable to get inside position on the Blue Jackets’ forwards, allowing several good scoring chances and was on ice for a pair of goals against. Beyond that, Jones just did not look ready while Schneider struggled as well. Schneider was brilliant after his promotion in 2022, but he regressed last season in his first full year in the NHL. For New York to take a step forward, they need the Schneider we saw down the stretch after his call up, cognizant that defensemen growth is not linear.
If there was one main positive, Will Cuylle scored his first NHL goal and was the best forward on the ice. Cuylle earned a roster spot with his play in training camp and has shown his first games that he belongs. Blake Wheeler was benched for a few shifts, while Artemi Panarin doubled shift on the third line with Cuylle and Vincent Trocheck showing Laviolette’s faith in the rookie. Other than that, not much to take home in a good way from the defeat.
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