The Colorado Avalanche traded for the best friend of one of its top centers.
No, not that one.
Sidney Crosby did not step onto the ice Sunday at Family Sports Center. Ryan Lindgren did, though, and how he fits with the Avs will be a fascinating situation to monitor between now and the end of this season.
Lindgren and Casey Mittelstadt are very close, dating back to their days at the University of Minnesota.
“He’s one of my best friends, maybe my best friend, honestly,” Mittelstadt said. “It’s something you talk about getting to do, but you never really expect it to happen. It’s very exciting, and I think what he can bring to the team might be very beneficial as well.”
They play a lot of golf together in the summer. Mittelstadt said they see each other about five days per week during the offseason.
Now, just like Nathan MacKinnon and Crosby last month at the 4 Nations Face-Off, they finally get to play together. The Avs traded Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen and two 2025 draft picks Saturday to the New York Rangers for Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey.
“He’s going to play hard,” Mittelstadt said of Lindgren. “His offensive game is probably a little bit underrated. He can move the puck and make plays in the offensive zone. On top of that, he’ll block any shot. He’ll do anything for the team. He’s a warrior. I’ll always be happy to have him on my side.
“I think his attitude and his competitiveness can help us as well.”
Colorado had a clear need on defense. When healthy, the Avs have five regulars on the blue line, but the sixth spot has been a rotating group. With Lindgren, and once Josh Manson returns, the top six is pretty clear, though Oliver Kylington might be able to push Sam Malinski now that he’s also back from injury.
Where Lindgren fits on the depth chart, and how he performs in what will likely be a different role than in New York, could be a case study for future player evaluation. Lindgren has spent most of his 5-on-5 ice time next to Adam Fox on New York’s top pairing, over the past several seasons.
The analytics do not paint a rosy picture for him, but the Avs have had success with acquiring players and helping them improve in different ways.
“Analytics is tricky. We might not value the same things they value,” coach Jared Bednar said. “Our model is likely different. We may deploy him differently. We have (Devon Toews) and Cale (Makar). It was him and Fox. So he might see less time against some of the top guys in the league. He might see more in certain situations. He might see less time overall. But we look at what we think are the strengths of his game, and we’re excited about the physicality, the net-front presence, all the defending metrics.
“We feel like, if we get an understanding of his game, get him clear on our system, deploy him the right way, we feel like those numbers will be moving in the right direction.”
Lindgren has another friend on his new team as well — Vesey, after they’ve played together for the past two-plus seasons in New York. The Avs have spent a lot of time (and assets) reshaping their forward depth over the past two seasons.
Of Colorado’s seven forwards who aren’t on one of the top two lines right now, six are in their first or second season with the team. Logan O’Connor, who was an undrafted free agent, is the only one who counts as a homegrown player.
The Avs traded for Parssinen in late November, then flipped him after 22 games in this deal. Bednar mentioned that both forwards probably needed a change of scenery. Vesey was a regular and a glue guy for the Rangers the past two seasons, but this year he has dealt with an injury and being squeezed out of the lineup.
“Such a smart player,” Lindgren said of Vesey. “He works so hard. He’s very skilled, great on the penalty kill. Great guy, great locker room guy. The guys here will love them. As a defenseman, he’s someone who really helps us out, takes a lot of pride in the D-zone.”
Bednar called Vesey a Swiss army knife. Vesey said he’s excited for a fresh start, given how this season has gone.
In a season of turbulence, the Avs continue to remake their roster. Lindgren and Vesey are likely to help improve the club in the short term, and there’s still time (and room below the salary cap ceiling) for general manager Chris MacFarland to make further alterations.
“I think both guys have the ability to help us,” Bednar said. “You’re getting two veteran guys who with lots of experience playing in big games. They both have played well in some of those situations.
“We feel good about the trade.”
FOOTNOTE: Manson completed part of the Avs’ practice Sunday. Manson hasn’t played since Feb. 4 because of a lower-body injury. Bednar said Tuesday against Pittsburgh is unlikely, but he hopes that Manson can return at some point during the current homestand.