The New York Rangers are approaching the end of the first month of the 2017-18 NHL season, and things have not gone well. Their lack of depth at center is a concern, but what would things look like if Oscar Lindberg hadn’t been picked by the Vegas Golden Knights in the June expansion draft?
The New York Rangers may be at rock bottom. After a 5-4 loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, they’re still struggling for answers.
Rumors of trades are swirling. Names like Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, and Rick Nash float around. For the first time, it truly feels like head coach Alain Vigneault is on the hot seat.
After only 12 games, the Rangers are already four points out of a playoff spot. It’s not hard to start wondering how things might have gone differently with different moves this summer.
The most glaring issue the Rangers have is at center. While Mika Zibanejad has sparkled in his new role as the top center, the problems are clearly lower in the lineup.
Losing Oscar Lindberg to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft hurt. But how much better would the Rangers be if they’d managed to keep him?
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Vigneault’s utility tool
During Lindberg’s time with the New York Rangers, he saw use in a variety of roles. Like Jesper Fast, Alain Vigneault played Lindberg up and down the lineup. While Zibanejad was injured last year, Lindberg saw some time in the top-six.
On the flip side, Lindberg was (notoriously) a healthy scratch for Game 7 against Tampa Bay in 2015—a game for which Vigneault dressed Tanner Glass.
Lindberg’s versatility is without a doubt a major reason why Vegas selected him several months ago. He’s been a dependable player for a number of years, capable of putting up 20+ points while playing in tough minutes.
According to Corsica Hockey, Lindberg has posted a 47.69% Corsi For since 2015.
Most importantly, however, is his impressive 57.69 Goals For% over that time. This season in Las Vegas, he’s sitting at 66.67% GF.
It’s clear that Lindberg brings a positive impact to any lineup he enters, playing in both defensive and offensive minutes.
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A more stable offense
The New York Rangers recently called up Cristoval “Boo” Nieves to slot in as the fourth-line center after the Adam Cracknell experiment didn’t work. His first game was a good showing, with three assists against the Arizona Coyotes.
But while Nieves might be able to help stabilize the Rangers’ bottom-six, Lindberg would be the ideal solution. Not only would he provide the Rangers with four surefire NHL centers, but his presence would allow Vigneault to give Kevin Hayes more preferential minutes.
Recently, Hayes has been the go-to shutdown center, drawing the toughest matchups. The results have been less than friendly for Hayes, who does his best work in the offensive zone.
Only returning two of four centers from last season has forced players into new roles, and not everyone is acclimating as well as Zibanejad.
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Losing Derek Stepan in trade looks more and more questionable as the days go by, but the Rangers could probably get along fine if they didn’t also lose Lindberg.