DENVER — Ryan Lindgren has surprised himself with his recent recovery period.
Just a week and a half ago, the 26-year-old defenseman was genuinely scared and prepared for the worst when he crashed into the boards tangled with the Islanders’ Jean-Gabriel Pageau and awkwardly threw his foot out.
Tests revealed the injuries were not as severe as initially feared.
Still, no one expected Lindgren to return to action for the Rangers just 11 days later on Thursday night against the Avalanche at Ball Arena.
“At that moment, it was obviously scary,” Lindgren said, adding that he recovered much faster than he expected. “I thought it was going to be very serious. I was very lucky to hear that the news came back and that it would only be for a short period of time. I’m very lucky.”
Lindgren’s return from such an injury so quickly is not surprising, but it’s downright surprising.
Lindgren said there was an understanding there was no need to rush his return to action, but it quickly became clear that he would be ready much sooner than expected.
He returned to skating after just over a week of treatment following the injury and was targeting the injury in the weight room.
Lindgren said he was feeling well and there was no point in sitting any longer.
Head coach Peter Laviolette agreed.
“When the players are ready to play, we’re going to play,” Laviolette said. “To me, when a player is cleared and deemed healthy by everyone, at that point you’re essentially hurting that player’s health. That doesn’t make sense to me either. He’s out for a bit. When he’s ready to come back, and Jacob [Trouba] You are also allowed to play and you are ready to go. That’s how we approach it.
“And at that point, they want to play. They want to go out and play. We’re not going to put anybody at risk, but in the same sense, our players need to play, too. They want to play and we want them to be in the game.”
Lindgren said the situation is similar to last season, when the Minnesota native missed 17 of the final 23 games of the regular season with a shoulder injury.
He was only able to step up his game in five games until the Rangers’ first series against the Devils began.
Lindgren should score 10 points this time, which he said will be huge in his return to the game.
With Lindgren returning to his usual spot to the left of Adam Fox, the pairing of Quandre Miller and Braden Schneider remained in place, while Zach Jones skated with Chad Ruwedel.
The Rangers are currently down just two of their top six defensemen, with Trouba and Erik Gustafsson still missing.
Trouba participated in Thursday’s morning skate wearing his regular jersey and appears to be close to returning to the lineup.
Meanwhile, Gustafsson hasn’t skated with the team since taking an elbow to the head from the Panthers’ Sam Reinhart.
However, Lindgren continued to play the role of the Terminator for the Rangers, who managed to go 3-1 without him. he always comes back. He sometimes comes back sooner than anyone imagined.
“I’m pretty sure that guy is made of rubber,” Miller said.
Jimmy Vesey added: Unfortunately, the way he plays is seriously underwhelming. When he’s in our lineup, he’s a huge asset to our team. Block shots, play physically, and protect in front of the net. I’m happy to have him back, but there are no surprises with him.”
