New York Rangers: Did Ryan Lindgren sign too soon?

The New York Rangers announced the signing of Ryan Lindgren on Thursday. Lindgren will forgo his junior and senior years at the University of Minnesota. Did he sign too soon?

On Thursday, the New York Rangers announced prospect Ryan Lindgren signed an entry-level contract with the team. He will forgo the rest of his college career and jump to the AHL for next season.

Lindgren is a 6’0”, 202lb defensive defenseman with a very physical style of play. His nine points in 35 games with the Gophers this season is consistent with his freshman year, but nothing to write home about.

The Rangers are no strangers to signing players before they finish college. Both Chris Kreider and Brady Skjei forwent their senior years at Boston College and the University of Minnesota respectively to sign NHL contracts.

However, Lindgren is just 20 years old and finishing his sophomore year of college. Even with a struggling Rangers defense, Lindgren would have most likely been better off staying at Minnesota for at least another year.

The trend is becoming to rush from college to the pros, but college is meant to be a place for players to take time to develop. If a player leaves after two years, they are most likely not as developed as a player that stayed for even three or the full four years.

Before college, Lindgren played with the US National Team Development Program and on the U.S. National U18 team. While in college he continued to play for Team USA, winning gold and bronze medals in two World Junior Championship appearances.

Playing on an international stage is a good experience for a young player to have. This is especially true with the high level of competition at tournaments like the World Juniors.

Having said that, another year at college is more time that could be spent developing into an NHL-ready player. Why rush into things?

There is also the injury factor. Though he did not miss a large portion of the 2016-17 season, Lindgren missed a considerable amount of time due to a leg injury. That injury required surgery to repair.

The Rangers’ defense has struggled this season. Kevin Shattenkirk was on pace for strong offensive totals but dealt with an injury which eventually required surgery. Ryan McDonagh and Nick Holden were both traded away prior to the deadline.

This and other injuries to Steven Kampfer and Tony DeAngelo created many openings for AHL call-ups. Neal Pionk and John Gilmour have stood out in their debuts with the Rangers and provide a bit of hope for this depleted blue line.

When Shattenkirk and DeAngelo return next season healthy, the defense will be more complete. Adding Pionk and potentially Gilmour to the mix gives the Rangers options to work with.

This means it will be difficult for Lindgren to make the NHL lineup next season. He will most likely spend a majority of his time in the AHL. With the Hartford Wolf Pack, he will not have as prominent a role and won’t have as much room to grow.

Staying in college for a third year would not be much different and may have been a better option. In fact, as an alternate captain at Minnesota, Lindgren could not only continue to develop his skills as a player but also his skills as a leader. Leadership skills are valuable going forward in an NHL career.

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Although it is up for debate, Lindgren believes he is ready to leave college and sign a professional contract. The Rangers signed him, so they believe he is ready as well. Now Lindgren will just have to prove himself and the team right.

There are a lot of unknowns about Lindgren. Next season will be a chance for the Rangers to fill in those blanks and see what they have in this young defenseman.

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