MTPS: The Bloody D-Construction Continues with Ryan Lindgren
Ryan Lindgren has been a warrior, the kind of guy every team wishes they had. But to bid him adieu time has come.
With the trade deadline coming up fast and the Rangers chances of making the playoffs slipping further into the abyss, I’m looking at a bunch of trades that the Rangers could make, should make, and most likely won’t make.
Last time out I traded K’Andre Miller to Utah for a package highlighted by Jack McBain and Cole Beaudoin. That doesn’t mean I’m done trading from the defense though.
Unless you’re one of the sillies who despises Adam Fox, it is inarguable that the worst member of the 2025 Rangers D core is Ryan Lindgren. That’s not to say Lindgren is a bad person or that he hasn’t been one of the ultimate blood-and-guts guys for this team. It's just that, as an actual player right now, he stinks. Years of treating his body like one of those vending machine bounce balls running around the ice crashing into pucks and people have left the 26-year old with the body of a 62-year old. He can’t skate, he can hardly defend, and the little bit of offense his game used to have has evaporated like water in the desert. It’s unfortunate that Lindgren, much like Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Mika Zibanejad, will be remembered more for how poorly it ended than for how good it was when it was going good.
This is not at all to say that Lindgren is without trade value. He actually has a ton. Now, whether that’s a testament to Lindgren or to the fact that even the few really good NHL GMs make questionable decisions is another issue for another day. But regardless of the reason, a veteran defenseman, playoff warrior, and guy with his leadership track record on an expiring, manageable contract, will bring the Rangers back more than you think given his drop in play.
Before we get to the trade proposals, let’s look at some comps.
Joel Edmundson
The massive blueliner doesn’t have the track record of success that Lindgren has had. He doesn’t skate well, doesn’t defend well, although there are times where you’ll get better-than-expected offense out of him. But he’s mostly a 6th/7th guy on a good team.
The Maple Leafs acquired Edmundson at last year’s deadline for 3rd and 5th round picks (this was the second time Edmundson was traded last year—Washington also acquired Edmundson from Montreal for picks in the 3rd and 7th rounds.
Codi Ceci
Okay, this is cheating a bit because Ceci was included as part of a trade package and wasn’t the target of the package himself. That said, Ceci is not good, has really never been good, and I can’t fathom how San Jose was still able to get a first for Mikal Granlund when attaching Ceci to this deal. Earlier this year Edmonton had to attach a 3rd round pick to Ceci just to get his salary off the books.
Dallas acquired Codi Ceci and Mikael Granlund for picks in the 1st and 4th rounds.
David Savard
Now we’re getting a little more into the apples-to-apples category. At the time of his trade out of Columbus, Savard was in much the same situation as Lindgren. He was a respected team leader who had been a steady and reliable part of what had been some solid Columbus teams. His play had started to slip though, and with free agency looming, the Blue Jackets moved him to Tampa Bay, who were looking for depth on their blue line.
Tampa Bay acquired Savard for picks in the 1st and 3rd rounds.
Ben Chiarot
Everything I wrote about Savard applies to Chiarot, too. The only difference is that Montreal was never good.
Florida acquired Chiarot for picks in the 1st and 4th rounds.
So, the comps are kind of all over the place. It really will come down to how much a team values Lindgren’s playoff mettle and how thin their D is. So far, 2024-25 has been a clear seller’s market, with the Rangers getting actual value back for Jacob Trouba, Dallas giving a 1st for Granlund and Ceci, Columbus getting a 1st and a prospect for David Jiricek, and Pittsburgh getting a mid-round 1st (le sigh) plus for Marcus Pettersson.
Lindgren’s market will possibly also be defined by when he’s traded. The Rangers could opt to wait for teams to shoot their shot on some of the other defensemen expected to be available at the deadline. The run Columbus has been on has also weirdly helped the Rangers in that, yes, the Blue Jackets are currently one of the teams the Rangers would like to beat out for the playoffs, but also they may not be looking to move Ivan Provorov at the deadline now. With him off the board, that leaves San Jose's Mario Ferraro as probably the guy most teams would like to snatch up, given his age and that he’s controlled beyond this season. After Ferraro, the left side market thins out with Anaheim's Brian Dumoulin and Vancouver's Carson Soucy as probably the two best available options. Neither guy is really any better than Lindgren. Also, a lot of projected buyers have already sacrificed their second round picks, so if Drury finds a team that thinks Lindgren can move the needle, then it’s not far-fetched to believe you could get a first round pick back for him.
Now that we’ve established a baseline of value, let's identify some interested parties. Unlike K’Andre Miller, Ryan Lindgren’s market is a little easier to define. Rebuilding teams are not going to have any interest in him. He’s a pending UFA and pure rental. The teams that are going to be looking at him are those buyers in playoff contention who are thin on the blue line.
What teams would have interest in Miller? Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, Vegas, and Calgary.
Next question: What do the Rangers want?
