We all know that the Rangers have accumulated an abundance of young and promising pieces since they embarked on the Great Reconstruction, which culminated in the 2018 commercial deadline. However, it is still impossible to say whether the team is ahead, behind or on schedule because , let’s face it, the look of the final image remains not only unfinished, but also a bit of a puzzle.
But we know for sure that the Rangers wouldn’t be anywhere near where they are today were it not for the general manager Jeff Gorton brought in from Boston on February 25, 2018, Rick Nash property rental business that he managed to increase four and nine months later.
The forbidden reconstruction by letter featured exchanges from Ryan McDonagh, Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes and JT, Miller among the top players sent off Broadway, but the reward Nash received represents the grand prize in this process.
Ryan Lindgren came from the Bruins during his second season at the University of Minnesota, following his selection for the second round in 2016. A choice for the first round was included, as were Matt Beleskey and a disadvantaged Ryan Spooner. OK, it looks good, but maybe not that special.
But Gorton took the first rounder for the Bruins and the second rounder for the Devils (obtained by the deadline for Michael Grabner) to Ottawa to move from 26th to 22nd overall, in order to select K’Andre Miller. And in November 2018, after a series of disconnected performances by Spooner, who never invested in David Quinn’s show, Gorton sent the striker to Edmonton in exchange for Ryan Strome.
So, in essence, Lindgren, Miller and Strome, all of whom were key ingredients at the Friday’s Garden party of a 6-2 victory over the Bruins in front of approximately 1,800 fans who almost made it sound like it was June 14, 1994 , all over again, in exchange for Nash and his contract expiring.
Very very very good.
The Blueshirts were even better than that, playing smart, arrogant and with controlled fury against a Boston team that lost four of the last five. They did not retreat and they did not retreat. On the contrary, the Rangers rose and owned the battle areas. They owned the neutral zone. Simple and hard-hitting moves across the roster allowed talent to thrive.
“Nobody was giving up tonight,” said Lindgren, who had four hits and a pair of assists on this plus-three night. “They are a physical team. They like to gape after the whistle and, you know, do things like that. We were not backing down. We were giving it back.
“And we were smart with our physicality too. We were not taking stupid penalties. It was a great team effort and we came to play tonight. “
One of the four hits credited out of the Rangers’ credited total of 32 (17 in the first period) came with about 40 seconds remaining in the first period, when Lindgren dropped his shoulder and the bang on David Pastrnak, sending the Boston winger to the ice. while he tried to load the right boards through the neutral zone. Oops. Excuse me. Blocking on the way. Pastrnak should have checked Waze.
“I mean, you saw him coming down the wall, and I knew he was going to try to get the red [line] and throw it away, ”said No. 55.“ So I tried to finish my hit and the fans loved it. So I felt good. “
Lindgren was considered a marginal possibility when Boston GM Don Sweeney sent him to the Rangers. The reading about him was “great leadership qualities”. He looked like a “great personality”, a report on the first meeting. Shortly after the deal, Lindgren left school after his sophomore year and joined the AHL Wolf Pack in an amateur test. He spent most of 2018-19 at AHL before stepping on the scene at the beginning of last season.
He formed a perfect union with Adam Fox, with whom he was a teammate and often a defense partner in the 2015 US Under-17 team and the 2016 Under-18 team, and the 2017 Under-20 team and 2018 at the Junior Worlds. Lindgren is as difficult to play as any Rangers defender since Jeff Beukeboom, but his game is more than that.
“My relationship with Ryan goes back to the national show and I was very familiar with him as a player and with many of the intangible aspects that he brought to the game,” said Quinn. “I thought he had a chance to be an NHL player, but this is a guy who struggled to be a good NHL player in a short period of time.
“What I give him a lot of credit for is that he has adapted. He leaned over, he’s faster, his hands are better. Your skating has improved, as has your conditioning. He’s a great addition to Foxy, but I think it would be a great addition to anyone. “
From there, greetings to Gorton. For there on the ice were Lindgren, Miller and Strome. Lettermen, by any other names.