Lindgren was the heart and soul of the defense, but general manager Chris Drury understood what needed to be done — and still does.
The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported last week that the Nashville Predators were still getting calls about Ryan O'Reilly ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Lindgren, 26, was one of the first players acquired when the Rangers started their rebuild in February 2018 — he came over as an unsigned prospect from Boston in the trade that sent Rick Nash to the Bruins — had been a warrior for the Rangers in his seven seasons in the organization.
The Blueshirts traded two of their pending UFAs in one deal, netting Juuso Parssinen, Calvin de Haan and two draft picks in return.