Odds are that nine times out of 10 you ask a head coach about an ideal number of healthy players they have on the roster, they're going to say the more the better.
The New York Rangers are no exception. And for most of the season, the Rangers were unfortunately not at full strength. For Adam Edstrom, he actually ended up missing practically the entire back half of the NHL schedule in 2024-25.
Out of an 82 game season, Edstrom played 51 games before he was sidelined with a lower-body injury sustained when he exited the Rangers' loss to the Bruins back in February.
Could Edstrom have changed the season?
A sixth-round pick back in 2019 out of Sweden, Edstrom played most of his career before 2023 with Hartford in the American Hockey League. However, his solid play with the Wolf Pack had earned him a more permanent National Hockey League spot as of late.
For his background — listed at 6’6", 207 pounds at the draft, Edstrom put up 11 goals and five assists in 20 games in the J20 SuperElit (Sweden’s top amateur league) and had one assist in 15 games in the Swedish Hockey League (Sweden’s top professional league) during his draft year.
Edstrom has steadily improved over the past few years, culminating in this most recent season that was unfortunately cut short for him.
Throughout his previously mention 51 games played during the 24-25 campaign, Edstrom scored five goals and four assists for a total of nine points. Prior to his injury Edstrom has been a bright spot for the Blueshirts in the bottom six and played around 9:16 per game. He brought a powerful presence to the ice, and he'd been pretty effective keeping his nose clean while still playing a physical game.
Should he have remained healthy, Edstrom would've continnued making a difference in the bottom six. Though, it is highly unlikely having him at full health alone would've put the Rangers in the postseason hunt.
The good news
The good news is that next year, Blueshirt fans will not have to wonder "what if" in regards to Edstrom coming back healthy. Via the media from breakup day, it was expressed that Edstrom underwent surgery on his season-ending lower-body injury and has resumed skating. He expects to be ready for training camp next season.
New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury also gave Edstrom a $1.95 million ($975,000 AAV) extension for two years.
Hopefully, having him back on the roster will be a real difference maker for the Rangers during the first season under new head coach Mike Sullivan.