Nils Lundkvist had been a disgruntled Rangers for a long time. He had asked for a trade prior to the start of training camp and with his path to the NHL in doubt, he was sent out to Dallas today, according to reporters from the Athletic. This works for all three parties involved in an oddly specific way, and it’s a major victory for Chris Drury and the Rangers front office after a tricky situation with his trade request.
Lundkvist will be serving as one of the premier right-handed defensemen and powerplay quarterbacks when he hits Dallas. He’ll get a chance to develop into everything he wants to be and he won’t be stuck between quality defensemen and former Norris winners. Lundkvist’s development will finally get the help it needs as he looks to become a very gifted defenseman
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired a conditional first round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft and a conditional fourth round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from Dallas in exchange for defenseman Nils Lundkvist.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 20, 2022
For the Rangers, this is a huge return. New York adds another first-rounder in one of the deepest drafts we have ever seen. While that pick is top 10 protected, it’s unlikely the Stars are in that top 10 without some sort of catastrophic injury issues. On top of that, 2025 4th becomes a 3rd if Lundkvist puts up 55 points or more in his first two seasons with the Dallas Stars. It makes this a lot better for the Rangers.
For Dallas, they finally get their replacement for the big unrestricted free agent who left their defensive unit in the summer as he went to Anaheim when he failed to get his payday. It gets them closer to being a stable playoff team, and it works for them in the coming season. Young right-handed defensemen are really difficult to come across and they got a guy they like. It works for both teams.