The New York Rangers have been strengthening their defensive lineup this offseason, recently re-signing Braden Schneider and Matt Robertson. Next on their agenda is extending the contract of star young defenseman Ryan Lindgren. However, a significant obstacle is preventing a new contract agreement.
Vince Mercogliano of Lohud reports that the primary issue is the contract length:
“The main holdup with Lindgren appears to be term,” Mercogliano notes. “The expectation is that his AAV will land somewhere around his $3.6 million qualifying offer, perhaps going as high as $4 million, but the Rangers’ preference is not to go overboard on the length of the contract.”
The Rangers have frequently used the “bridge deal” approach in recent years, signing forwards Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere to similar contracts. As Mercogliano explains, “New York typically prefers to go short term on second contracts for its young players in order to maintain future salary-cap flexibility.”