The Rangers have an injury management problem. We have seen it rear its ugly head at inopportune times, notably in the playoffs last season, and it continued into this season. Ryan Lindgren is yet again the latest focal point for the Rangers injury management issues, with Peter Laviolette noting he’s still struggling with the cage on his helmet. This is the third time the Rangers haven’t managed Lindgren’s injuries properly.
Rangers injury management has been a problem for a few seasons
For those keeping score, the Rangers never put Lindgren on LTIR before the 2023 playoffs, forcing the team to play cap games and lose all momentum–dressing less than a full roster on some nights–to afford Patrick Kane’s contract. The Rangers were unceremoniously ousted from the playoffs in the first round that year, and the Rangers injury management with Lindgren took center stage.
In fact, it may have led to an overhaul of the Rangers training staff.
The following season, Laviolette’s first with the Rangers, they again mismanaged injuries late in the season. Jacob Trouba broke his ankle and returned far too soon. His play, as you all recall, was atrocious in the playoffs. The odd part of the Rangers injury management in this scenario was that Trouba returned to play in somewhat meaningless hockey games. The division was mostly wrapped up, and the Rangers were going for the President’s Trophy. They succeeded, then lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Panthers, by the way, dealt with an injury to their best player in Sasha Barkov, whom they rested for 10 days before he returned, fully healthy. Barkov was a key component in beating the Rangers in six games.
Rangers injury management isn’t the only reason they lost, but it certainly played a big part.
No lessons have been learned
Now Lindgren, yet again, is apparently playing hurt. His upper body injury from the preseason is clearly not healed yet, and it’s impacting his play on the ice. He’s beed bad, very similar to how he started last season as well.
But with the Rangers gunning for a Stanley Cup and off to a hot start before Lindgren returned, there was no reason to rush him back. While the Zac Jones-Victor Mancini pair wasn’t exactly stellar, the Rangers were absolutely crushing opponents at 5v5. Why was Lindgren rushed back? It makes no sense.
If Lindgren is struggling with the cage, then put him back on IR and let him get fully healthy. If this is about trying to showcase him, then so be it. But it’s clear to anyone watching he’s not 100%. Or worse, he is and his game has fallen off a cliff.
This is now two days in a row the focus has been on Lindgren, and while his return has coincided with the Rangers falling off at 5v5, this goes far beyond just him. He’s a by-product of a much larger issue. At some point, the Rangers need to take a step back and not miss the forest for the trees.
The Stanley Cup is the goal. We know this. They know this. Everything done between now and the playoffs should be to put themselves in a position to win the Cup. If that means “sacrificing” a few regular season games–which wouldn’t be a true sacrifice, given how well the team was playing–so he can get healthy and the Rangers can dress a more complete lineup, then that should be the path forward.
Yet again, they are choosing to rush players back from injury instead of focusing on the big picture. Many focus on one player or two as a reason why the Rangers won’t win the Cup (depressing much?). But Rangers injury management may play a much larger role when all is said and done.
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