The Colorado Avalanche have made another splash ahead of the NHL trade deadline by acquiring defenseman Ryan Lindgren and forward Jimmy Vesey from the New York Rangers
Rangers trade Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the AvalancheBy STEPHEN WHYNOAP Hockey WriterThe Associated Press
The Colorado Avalanche have made another splash ahead of the NHL trade deadline by acquiring defenseman Ryan Lindgren and winger Jimmy Vesey from the New York Rangers.
They sent a second- and a fourth-round pick, young forward Juuso Parssinen and veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan to New York for a pair of pending unrestricted free agents and the rights to unsigned prospect Hank Kempf.
The Rangers are retaining half of Lindgren’s salary, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the salary retention was not announced as part of the trade.
The Rangers will receive the better of their own or Carolina’s pick in the second round and the better of Carolina’s or Vancouver’s in the fourth round of the draft later this year, the person said.
More player movement is coming before the deadline Friday. Nashville scratched pending free agent winger Gustav Nyquist on Saturday for trade-related reasons.
The Avalanche traded top-line forward Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes in late January, getting a younger player back in return in Martin Necas. It’s possible general Chris MacFarland is not done making moves before the deadline.
New York, which will be without No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox for some time because of an upper-body injury, is four points back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Moving on from Lindgren and Vesey does not mean the Rangers are giving up on the season but did not want to lose them for nothing this summer.
They had been interested in Parssinen, 24, for some time. He could fill the depth role vacated by fellow Finn Kaapo Kakko, who was traded to Seattle in December.
Lindgren, 27, has struggled this season, but he gives Colorado some left-handed-shooting depth on the blue line in an attempt to make another long playoff run this spring. Vesey, 31, did not get as much playing time as he would have liked in New York, skating under 10 minutes a game, and could get a bigger opportunity with the Avalanche, who are jockeying for position in the ultra competitive Central Division.
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