The Rangers and Ryan Lindgren are continuing contract negotiations ahead of the restricted free agent defenseman’s arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday, industry sources told The Post.
The club is believed to be seeking a short-term deal for two to three seasons, while Lindgren, 26, is seeking a four to five season contract, and the Blueshirts are believed to be offering between $4 million and $4.25 million per year, while No. 55 is seeking up to $5 million per year.
Lindegren has just one year left until he is eligible for unrestricted free agency. We’ve heard the team and the left sided defenseman could agree to a one-year deal before arbitration, which would allow the two parties to resume long-term contract negotiations on Jan. 1, per the CBA. If the deal isn’t executed, Lindegren will become a free agent next summer.
Arbitration hearings are adversarial proceedings. Team management has an obligation to clearly identify deficiencies in a player’s play. There is nothing good to be gained from this.
The Rangers haven’t had an arbitration hearing since parting ways with winger Nikolai Zherdev after paying him $3.9 million on a one-year contract in 2009. At the time, the Rangers argued that the player’s contract was worth less than his $3.25 million eligibility period because the 24-year-old Zherdev’s first (and only) season on Broadway ended with him on John Tortorella’s bench, putting the pair in a precarious position to coexist.
Not at all. Lindegren is the consummate teammate and the embodiment of the heart and soul of the Rangers. He is the successor to Dan Girardi and Adam Graves. At 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, he is as physical, competitive and driven as anyone to wear a Blueshirt. He was one of the players acquired on loan in 2018, acquired from the Bruins in a loan deal with Rick Nash.
But management should recognize that Lindgren’s body is already worn down. There are unknowns regarding the upcoming contracts of Igor Shesterkin, K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere, which begin in 2025-26 and will raise their cap hits from $88 million this season to a projected roughly $92 million.
Again, it would be in both parties’ interest to avoid arbitration, where the arbitrator could pick any amount between the team’s and player’s respective submissions. This isn’t baseball. If the Rangers offer, say, $4.15 million and Lindegren’s agent asks for $5.25 million, the award would likely be around $4.65 million.
The decision is guided by the numbers. The gaudy offensive stats help. Lindegren recorded 17 points (3-14) in 76 games last year while averaging 19:21 minutes on ice, but those aren’t the numbers. The Minnesota native has 80 points (10-70) in 333 career NHL games.
But here’s a number that general manager Chris Drury, head coach Peter Laviolette and the umpires (if they ever make it to his desk) should take critical notice of: Since Lindegren paired with Kemosabe Adam Fox in 2019-20, in 4,279 minutes and 42 seconds of ice time, the Rangers have scored 200 goals, allowed 136 and posted a 59.5% points percentage. That’s arguably a more valuable partnership for the Rangers than traditional offensive numbers.
The Blueshirts are thin on the blueline, with Lindegren, Miller and Zach Jones as the top three on the left side and Fox, Braden Schneider and Jacob Trouba on the right. Right-hander Chad Ruhwedel and left-handers Matt Robertson, Brandon Scanlin and Ben Harper appear to be competing for the No. 7 spot. Drew Fortescue, a 19-year-old sophomore from Boston College, is probably the next best prospect.
The club currently has about $8.8 million in cap space remaining with a shadow roster that features 11 forwards, five defensemen and two goalies, including Sam Carrick but not Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom or Johnny Brodzinski.
If the Rangers reach a deal with Lindgren, Drury is expected to take over negotiations with Shesterkin’s camp. Shesterkin is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and is seeking an NHL-record contract for a goaltender.
