The Rangers are engaged in an accelerated effort to trade Nils Lundkvist after being notified that the 22-year-old Swedish defenseman is unlikely to report to camp in the absence of a deal, The Post has been told by multiple sources.
Lundkvist, the club’s third, first-round selection in the 2018 draft at 28th overall, turned in a lukewarm performance for the Blueshirts in his first North American season before being sent to the AHL Wolf Pack in mid-January after being leapfrogged by 20-year-old Braden Schneider on the right defense depth chart.
The Post has learned that general manager Chris Drury has been working with Lundkvist’s agent, Claude Lemieux, in order to effect a trade to an organization in which the Swede would have a better opportunity to challenge for a top-four spot and role as a power-play quarterback.
At the same time, though, the Blueshirts are seeking a semblance of equal value in return for Lundkvist, the slick, puck-moving, offense-oriented defenseman who is generously listed at 5-10, 187 pounds.
The Rangers are trying to trade Nils Lundkvist.APWhat that might be, however, is anybody’s guess following a season in which Lundkvist had a difficult time adapting to the smaller NHL rinks and the increased speed and tempo of the game. No. 27 recorded four points (1-3) in 25 games for the Rangers, averaging 13:56 of ice per (1:13 on the PP’s second unit), before going 3-12-15 in 35 games for Hartford.
Lundkvist had been named the winner of the 2020-21 Borje Salming Trophy as the best Swedish defenseman of the year while playing for Lulea of the SHL and had been universally and consistently ranked as one of the best NHL club-affiliated prospects before making the jump.
His rookie season did not line up with those assessments, but he would hardly be the first European to need a season to make the adjustment to the forecheck-heavy North American game.
It is just that there is no room at the inn for the foreseeable future for Lundkvist with Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba and the 6-foot-5 Schneider — who plays with the physical edge favored by Gerard Gallant — locked in on the right side in New York.
Of course, an injury or two would change all that. The Blueshirts were remarkably healthy on the back end last season, with the top four of Fox, Trouba, Ryan Lindgren and K’Andre Miller losing a total of six man-games to injury on the year. That good fortune is not a guarantee for this coming season. And there is no organizational depth on the right side to speak of behind the varsity lettermen. That is why Drury does not want to simply discard Lundkvist.
The Blueshirts, though, could certainly use a young, top-nine-type center who might grow with the organization. That is believed to be Drury’s target as they deal with this latest situation involving a young European unhappy with his plight.
Nils Lundkvist during the Rangers’ home opener against the Stars on Oct. 14, 2021.NHLI via Getty ImagesThis scenario is distinct from the experiences with both Lias Andersson and Vitali Kravtsov, each of whom hightailed it back to their respective native lands when unhappy with their treatment within the organization. This is not that.
Lundkvist has no issues with management. He just sees an unyielding roadblock ahead. If one of his greatest attributes is the ability to run the power play, he will not get that opportunity as long as Fox is wearing the uniform. This will mark the first year of Fox’s eight-year contract extension.
Interestingly, Lundkvist would have become an unrestricted free agent this past summer had he remained in Sweden and not signed with the Blueshirts in June of 2021. But he opted to sign an entry-level contract that has two years to go.
It is unclear exactly what kind of leverage Lundkvist would gain by staying home rather than coming to camp. Drury last year did not trade Kravtsov after he returned to Russia instead of accepting an assignment to the AHL when the GM did not receive offers he considered of equal value. After a season in the KHL, Kravtsov will be back at camp competing for a top-nine job on the wing.
But neither the Rangers nor Lundkvist’s camp want things to get that far. That is why the Blueshirts are seeking to grant the Swede’s request, even if they will not rush into it.
