New York Rangers Ryan Lindgren absence explained in his season debut

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Ryan Hall
October 23, 2024 (10:46)

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It was revealed during the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens game that Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren required jaw surgery which kept him on injury reserve till today.

The news was broken by head coach Peter Laviolette who explained to reporters that Lindgren would be on the third pairing with Vince Mancini as the team is not interested and thrusting him back into the top 4 until he gets up to speed as he had missed all his preseason and the first six games of the year.

Laviolette mentioned that Lindgren has been progressing well and is looking to jump back into the lineup as quickly as possible.

"He's a heart and soul guy," Peter Laviolette said Tuesday. "He plays hard every shift. He gives it everything he has. You remove a guy like that from your lineup and you're going to feel it. It'll be good to get him back."

It was nearly a month ago when Lindgren suffered an upper body injury that was
later revealed to be a broken jaw and required surgery to repair. During the summer he managed to sign a one-year deal with the Rangers worth $4.5 million per season which would allow him to enter unrestricted free agency next summer.

Last season he had played 76 games, scoring three goals of 14 assists for 17 points and was a + 22 with 36 penalty minutes. Laviolette put trust in him as he gave him 19 minutes and 21 seconds of average ice time. If the Rangers are to be successful again this season, they will need Lindgren to be at the top of his game. It will likely take a little time for Lindgren to get back to full capacity.

The Rangers next game will be at home against the reigning Stanley Cup champions the Florida Panthers as game time will be on October 24th at 7:00 PM eastern.