It's time to admit the obvious: Chris Drury made a mistake by not placing Lindgren on LTIR and using his $3 million cap hit - less $100k - to acquire another depth player like Sam Lafferty or Nick Bjugstad. Yes, such a move would've meant that Lindgren's regular season was ostensibly over and that the earliest he could've been activated was game one of the playoffs. Given that at the time of the injury the Rangers still had 23 games left on their schedule, that would've meant going the rest of the regular season without their most trusted and reliable defenseman. From what we've seen over just the last seven games, it's obvious how much he means to this team. Adam Fox hasn't been the same without his partner on the left side, and regardless of how you feel about Niko Mikkola, it's clear he has no business being in the top four. At best he's a slight improvement over, dare I say, Patrik Nemeth.
It is inconceivable that Drury didn't know how badly Lindgren was hurt. We all saw the hit he took in Washington. This is a player who rarely misses a shift, let alone a game, and there he was being helped to the locker room, his left shoulder slumped, clearly in pain. Terms like "upper-body injury" and "day to day" may cut it for the beat writers, but for those in the front office, the prognosis had to be far more grim. Why else would he be unable to play during what is undoubtedly the most critical part of the remaining schedule?
And if in fact Lindgren is unable to play, it's only fair to ask why the hell isn't he on LTIR? The NHL created the LTIR specifically to give teams the cap flexibility they needed to avoid being shorthanded. Julien BriseBois of the Tampa Bay Lightning has used it so many times, the league should rename it the BriseBois IR. Why on Earth Drury didn't avail himself of this precious resource is a legitimate question that demands an answer.
Simply put, there was no excuse for Gerard Gallant not to have a full compliment of 18 skaters at his disposal against the L.A. Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. None. The Rangers are the only playoff team in the Eastern Conference to be carrying only 21 players on their active roster while every other team is carrying 23. That difference has severely limited Gallant's ability to rest some of his players down the stretch. And given the gauntlet the Rangers are likely to face in the postseason, that is a burden that could easily have been avoided.
Look, I have defended Chris Drury since he was named President and GM of the Rangers almost two years ago. On the whole he has done good job; his moves at last year's trade deadline got this team to within six wins of its first Stanley Cup since 1994. Managing to land both Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane without having to give up the better of his two first round picks is quite a feather in his cap, if I do say so myself.
But this decision of his to not place Lindgren on LTIR is not only bizarre; it now threatens the success of the entire season. Barring a complete collapse, the Rangers will make the playoffs. The only question is where they will finish: in third or as a wildcard. It's worth noting that if they go just 9-7 in their remaining 16 games, the Penguins and Islanders would have to go 12-4 and 13-1 respectively to catch them. That isn't likely to happen.
The real threat begins on game 83, where the Rangers will go up against teams that are well rested and ready to go. Load management, for all the negative press it has garnered in the NBA, is a necessary evil in sports today. It gives coaches the flexibility they need to prepare their teams for the marathon that is the postseason. It was clear from last season that the Rangers, having been extended a full seven games in each of their first two playoff rounds, ran out of gas against the Lightning.
Should they be fortunate enough to beat both the Devils and Hurricanes this postseason, that fate almost certainly awaits them against the Boston Bruins, a team that is on track to finish with more points than the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. Appearing in two consecutive conference finals might be enough for most teams, but given the talent on this roster, it will be a bitter disappointment, not just for the fans but for a certain owner who, let's face it, has had an itchy trigger finger over his tumultuous tenure.
My point is this all could've been avoided had Drury simply done the right thing and immediately placed Lindgren on LTIR. Now his gamble is coming back to bite him and his team.
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