The Seattle Kraken bolstered their blueline on Tuesday, signing free agent defenseman Ryan Lindgren to a four-year contract with a $4.5M AAV.
Lindgren, 27, set career highs in assists (18) and points (22) and tied his personal best in goals (4) in 72 regular-season games last season. He recorded 19 points in 54 games with the Rangers before he was traded to the Avalanche on March 1.
The six-foot, 194-pound defenseman is a penalty-killing specialist. He’s recorded 14 goals and 88 assists in 405 career regular-season games with Colorado and New York. “Lindgren is a tough defensive defenseman who leaves it all on the ice,” says scout Jason Bukala at Sportsnet.com.
“Lindgren averaged 19-20 minutes per game for the past three seasons, with almost all of his ice time coming at even strength and the penalty kill. He’s a consistent competitor who contributed secondary offense. Most impressive, especially given his role, is the fact that Lindgren is a healthy (+99)
“He matches up against top-six opponents, provides mid-range physical push back and has no issues getting in the lane to block shots. He has been one of the Rangers’ leading shot blockers. What comes with that style of play, however, is a question of durability as the games get tougher late in the season and into the playoffs.”
Rangers site BlueSeatBlog.com added this: “Lindgren is an absolute warrior. He must have been forged with Valyrian steel, as I can think of no other who has put his body on the line so many times and is still able to lace them up for 90% of the season. Yet for some reason, a faction of this fan base doesn’t seem to appreciate him.
“I don’t if know if its because he’s never been an analytics darling, or if there just isn’t enough offense on his stick, but it still surprises me every summer when some fans pine for his removal.”