Ryan Lindgren's NHL future could surprise everyone

Ryan Lindgren was traded from the New York Rangers to the Colorado Avalanche at this season's trade deadline. He is now an unrestricted free agent and will be looking for a team that matches his talents. Will he stay in Colorado? Could he be headed to a new state?

This 27-year-old defenseman is from the United States and was born in Minnesota. Lindgren was initially drafted to be a part of the Boston Bruins. He was then traded and moved to the Rangers in 2018, and became a coveted top defenseman for the Blueshirts.

Lindgren was traded to the Avalanche in 2025. The Rangers lost a bold-named player, and fans and the team most definitely miss Lindgren.

Lindgren had the privilege of playing for the Rangers during the initial part of the 2024-25 season until his trade on March 1, 2025. He appeared in 54 games with the Rangers and 18 games with his new team, the Avalanche. During his time with the Blueshirts, Lindgren recorded two goals and 17 assists, finishing with a +1 plus/minus rating. In his games for the Avalanche, he tallied two goals and one assist, ending with a -1 plus/minus rating.

Where will Lindgren choose to call home for the 2025-26 season?

This marks his first opportunity as an unrestricted free agent. If he wants to stay in Colorado,he may need to consider accepting a salary cut. On the other hand, the Columbus Blue Jackets have plenty of salary cap space, and if Ivan Provorov were to leave the Jackets, they would need a backfill. Provorov is an unrestricted free agent just like Lindgren. The Jackets have expressed interest in negotiating with Provorov, since he is an excellent defenseman. Meanwhile, the search for Lindgren’s next team deepens.

Could the Vegas Golden Knights be a viable choice? Players have the urge to go there because, one, they usually make the playoffs, so the odds of being a winner are higher, and two, the state of Nevada doesn’t have any state income tax. Lindgren could have possibly been a Winnipeg Jet. They were looking to acquire him via the trade early in 2025, but currently, they are in dire need of a right-side defenseman, and Lindgren is a left-side defenseman. It seems like Lindgren will not be a Jet.

Are there any other teams in need of a left-side defenseman who also have salary cap space? These teams do need a defenseman, and they also have salary cap space, so if he landed any of these, he wouldn’t suffer a pay cut. 

The Philadelphia Flyers didn’t re-sign three of their defensemen, and those men are now roaming unrestricted free agents. The Flyers have wiggle room of under 20 million in cap space. 

Next team, the Ottawa Senators, lost Jakob Chychrun before last season and are in search of a new defenseman. Do they have cap space? There are multiple reports of cap space for them, but do they have enough to do everything they need to do? The rumor is that they have approximately $15 million. 

Lastly, the Nashville Predators have approximately $20 million in cap space. Their team is also desperate to strengthen their defensive line. 

Or maybe Lindgren has a future being a Predator, time will tell where he decides to go. For now, he is a beloved former Ranger player.