Injury to Rangers' Ryan Lindgren not as serious as originally thought, should be back for playoffs
Rangers teammates help Ryan Lindgren (55) off the ice after he was injured during the second period against the Islanders on Sunday. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
The Rangers were off on Monday following their weekend sweep of back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and the Islanders. But the team got some relatively good news late in the day, when it learned that defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who had been helped off the ice in Sunday’s 5-2 win over the Islanders, escaped major injury.
Lindgren, who left the game with 4:21 remaining in the second period, unable to put weight on his left leg, was not as seriously injured as initially feared, according to a person with knowledge of his evaluation. The person said Lindgren is expected to be out “a few weeks,’’ and will make a full recovery. If that is correct, it’s possible Lindgren would be ready to play when the playoffs begin in a little more than a month.
Lindgren was hurt when he was taken into the end boards by Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who appeared to pin Lindgren’s left knee against the boards before the two players fell to the ice. Lindgren’s knee seemed to twist sideways as he fell, and he remained down for a few moments before being helped off to the dressing room.
“It’s always tough, especially with a warrior like that, who’s played through so many injuries, to see him stay down,’’ Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski said. “It’s usually something where he stays on the ice for a second, and then] he pops right back up, no matter what it is.’’
Lindgren’s injury was reminiscent of the one to Kaapo Kakko in late November, which similarly saw Kakko’s left leg bend awkwardly when he fell after being hit into the boards behind the net against Buffalo. That looked as if it would be a season-ender, but the Rangers announced the next day that it would not be, and Kakko returned after missing 21 games.
Lindgren is probably the team’s best defensive defenseman. He is second on the team in plus/minus (+19) and fourth in blocked shots (88), playing as the partner for No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox. He averages 19 minutes, 13 seconds in ice time per game, has two goals and 11 assists in 66 games (including an assist Sunday), and is on the top defense pair on the penalty kill. His 178:56 in PK time leads the team.
“Obviously, he’s a huge part of our team,’’ defenseman K’Andre Miller said.
With Jacob Trouba sitting out with a lower-body injury of his own, newly acquired Chad Ruhwedel is likely to enter the lineup Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets and make his Rangers debut. The Rangers acquired Ruhwedel from Pittsburgh at the March 8 trade deadline.
Ruhwedel will likely slot in on the third defense pair, next to Zac Jones, while Erik Gustafsson moves up to take Lindgren’s spot. When Trouba comes back, and presuming he returns to his spot next to Miller, Peter Laviolette is going to have to decide whether to keep Gustafsson, a lefthanded shot, next to Fox, a righty, on the second pair. He could instead insert Braden Schneider, who is currently filling in for Trouba next to Miller, in that spot.
Schneider is a more reliable defender than Gustafsson, but he is a righthanded shot, and having two righthanders together might be awkward, since one of them would have to play the left side.
With Lindgren out, the team called up defenseman Brandon Scanlin from Hartford. Scanlin, 24, had eight goals, eight assists and 39 penalty minutes in 57 games for Hartford.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
