Grading the Avalanche and Rangers’ Ryan Lindgren Trade

This is a curious trade for the Avalanche. Vesey might help their forward depth, but Lindgren is not the player he used to be. As for the Rangers, it appears they’re ready to begin retooling for 2025-26, and this seems to be a good start.  

Lindgren Is a Shell of What He Once Was

The Avalanche have already gotten some trade work done this season, acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood in separate trades to revamp their goaltending situation. Forward depth, specifically a second-line center, remains a concern. But I’d argue that their defensive depth still is, even after acquiring Lindgren.

Lindgren was once a stabilizing force on the Rangers’ top pair alongside Adam Fox. This is not a knock on Fox because he’s excellent defensively, too, but Lindgren provided a stay-at-home presence, and he used to do it effectively. The key phrasing there is “he used to.”

Lindgren’s game has fallen off a cliff the last couple of seasons, and it’s not necessarily a shock, either. He plays a heavy game that tends to wear down players, and injuries as a result of that play have led to him slowing down. There’s not much to say that he adds positive value when looking at his impacts over the last three seasons:

Lindgren won’t have to play the role he did in New York with the Avalanche since they have Devon Toews, Cale Makar, Sam Girard and Josh Manson (when healthy) in their top four, but I still don’t like this move for the Avalanche. They effectively made their defense worse, even if Lindgren ends up in a bottom-pair role.

As for Vesey, he should help even though he’s regressed this season from where he was a year ago. The Avalanche don’t have the best forward depth, and Vesey should upgrade the fourth line. Still, Lindgren is the centerpiece of this trade, and I’m not a fan of it from the Avalanche’s perspective. Perhaps they see something we don’t have available on public advanced stats sites because this seems like a head-scratcher.

Avalanche Grade: C-

Rangers Get Their Retool Started

Perhaps last night’s 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was the nail in the coffin for Rangers general manager Chris Drury. Even if the Rangers find a way to get into the playoffs this season, they aren’t likely to make a splash. Still, I like what they did in this trade.

De Haan isn’t the defenseman he used to be, but he’s a solid third-pair defender. I’d even argue he’s an upgrade over Lindgren, too. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer and should not cost much more to re-sign than his $800,000 cap hit if that’s something Drury is considering. If the Rangers still want to be competitive this season, he might help.

Parssinen was once a relatively touted prospect, but it hasn’t worked out for him in the NHL yet. However, he’s only 23 years old and has produced at a respectable 24-point pace this season. The Rangers might as well take a flyer on him and see if he can turn into a bottom-six fixture for them beyond this season as they’ve done with Arthur Kaliyev.

The Rangers also get a couple of draft picks in return, so there’s not much to complain about from their perspective. They weren’t going to re-sign Lindgren, so it made sense to get something in return, and they got a couple of pieces that could help them out while they retool for next season.

Rangers Grade: B+