The Colorado Avalanche have made a significant move ahead of the NHL trade deadline by acquiring defenseman Ryan Lindgren and winger Jimmy Vesey from the New York Rangers.
In exchange, the Avalanche sent a second- and fourth-round pick, young forward Juuso Parssinen, and veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan to New York. They also received the rights to unsigned prospect Hank Kempf.
The Rangers will retain half of Lindgren’s salary as part of the deal, though this detail was not publicly announced.
In return, New York will receive the better of their own or Carolina’s second-round pick, as well as the better of Carolina’s or Vancouver’s fourth-round pick in this year’s draft.
With the trade deadline approaching Friday, further player movement is expected. Nashville scratched pending free agent winger Gustav Nyquist on Saturday due to trade-related reasons.
In late January, the Avalanche traded top-line forward Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes, receiving young player Martin Necas in return. It seems that general manager Chris MacFarland may not be finished making moves ahead of the trade deadline.
The New York Rangers, who will be without their top defenseman Adam Fox for an extended period due to an upper-body injury, are currently four points behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Trading Lindgren and Vesey doesn’t signal the end of their season, but the team didn’t want to risk losing them for nothing this summer.
The Rangers had been interested in 24-year-old forward Juuso Parssinen for a while. Parssinen could help fill the role left by fellow Finnish player Kaapo Kakko, who was traded to Seattle in December.
Lindgren, 27, has had a challenging season, but his addition gives Colorado much-needed left-handed depth on defense as they aim for another deep playoff run this spring. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Vesey, who had limited playing time in New York with under 10 minutes a game, could find a bigger role with the Avalanche, who are fighting for position in the highly competitive Central Division.
