On Saturday, March 1 it was reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that the New York Rangers had completed a trade involving defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
The Rangers sent Lindgren, forward Jimmy Vesey and defensive prospect Hank Kempf to the Avalanche for defenseman Calvin de Haan, forward Juuso Parssinen, a conditional second and a conditional fourth round draft pick. The Rangers are retaining 50 percent of Lindgren’s $4.5 million salary, according to Breakaway on SI.com.
Lindgren’s Time in New York
The hard-nosed defenseman started his career in the 2018-19 season with the Rangers. Since then, Lindgren has played in 387 career games and scored 99 points. Lindgren’s style of play was marked by a dedication to playing shut down defense. He blocked shots that few others would block, protected the goal crease and made big hits.
Unfortunately, he was also a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) and rather than losing him in the off-season for nothing, the Rangers decided to move the 27-year-old defenseman for some assets. Lindgren had signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal last summer and because he played as a top-pairing defenseman, things were leaning towards the Minnesota native earning a significant pay raise. Since Ranger GM Chris Drury and Lindgren had not reached a new deal, it was time to move on from the hard-working defenseman.
Lindgren played on two Rangers teams that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and was an integral part of the success of those teams. He has played in 43 career playoff games, during which he has recorded 11 points, 72 blocks and 63 hits.
Rangers Move on from Vesey
Jimmy Vesey’s second stint with the New York Rangers is over, as GM Chris Drury found it wise to include the 31-year-old left wing in a package for draft picks and two serviceable NHLers. Due to injuries, Vesey struggled this season, scoring just six points in 33 games. That being said he was only a -2 on a team that has the eighth-highest team expected goals against rating in the NHL this season.
Ever since he was drafted in the third round at the 2012 draft, Vesey has not found a consistent home in the NHL. His longest stint being with the Rangers from 2016-2019. Despite this, the Massachusetts-native has scored 100 goals and 192 points in 616 career games.
Vesey was a pending UFA and in the final year of a two-year deal with the Rangers, so the Rangers did well to move him for assets.
Former Islanders Comes to the Garden
Calvin de Haan has had himself a nice NHL career. Currently a 33-year-old, de Haan has played in 676 career games, scored 148 points and has averaged 18:28 minutes on ice. He is no stranger to New York either, having played for the New York Islanders from 2011-2018, the organization that drafted him 12th overall in 2009.
De Haan will bring to the Rangers a veteran presence on their blueline, as a player who has played in 38 career playoff games. During those playoff games, de Haan has scored five points but made 83 blocks and 86 hits, showing he is not shy of sacrificing his body for the good of the team.
Who is Juuso Pärssinen?
Pärssinen was drafted in the seventh round of the 2019 draft by the Nashville Predators. Prior to coming to Colorado, he scored 42 points in 104 games over two and a half seasons with the Preds. With the Avalanche this year, he has two goals and four assists (six points) in 22 games.
For country, Parssinen represented Finland at the 2021 World Junior Championship where he won Bronze.
Pärssinen has good size at six-foot-3, 212 pounds and is heavier than any Ranger forward not named Chris Kreider or Matt Rempe. Reports say that Parssinen will slot in as third line center alongside Brennan Othmann and Jonny Brodzinski. His stats do not jump off the page but he is young at 23 years old and we will see if Peter Laviolette and his staff can develop the big Fin into an everyday NHL player.
What this Trade Means for the Rangers
As the Rangers are still just four points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, trading Lindgren comes as a surprise. Lindgren was the heart and soul of the Rangers and he had a great rapport with Adam Fox who he played on a pairing with for the better part of the last six years. However, it was likely that the Rangers would lose Lindgren to free agency this off-season and acquiring two draft picks and two players in return for him and Vesey who was having a forgettable season is a good deal for the Rangers long-term.
Another way of looking at the deal is that Calvin de Haan is a 13-year NHL veteran and now that Zac Jones has been called back into the team, this is an opportunity for Jones to learn from playing alongside such an experienced veteran.
Rangers fans will be sad at seeing Lindgren go– he was here for two deep playoff runs after all– but the second and fourth round draft picks that the Rangers got could pay dividends for them in the future, even if this season doesn’t amount to a deep playoff run.
