Lindberg Has Been Knighted By Vegas

Zak Chiger Updated: Jun 21, 2017

With the NHL Expansion Draft just hours away, all kinds of leaks are going on. And based on reports from Larry Brooks, Darren Dreger, and Frank Seravalli, it appears that Oscar Lindberg will be leaving the bright lights of New York for the Las Vegas Strip.

Can tell you that Vegas has NOT selected Antti Raanta from Rangers…

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) June 21, 2017

Believe Oscar Lindberg is the guy from NYR. Not sure if that meant NYR made a deal to keep Raanta or not. We shall see. https://t.co/MeirA3y9LU

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 21, 2017

I believe the targeted Ranger is Lindberg. https://t.co/JBgC9cSh3y

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 21, 2017

Can confirm that Oscar Lindberg will be going to Vegas in the expansion draft.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) June 21, 2017

Lindberg will be tough to replace for the Blueshirts. A young two-way centerman with a ton of upside, Lindberg will be very valuable to Vegas. He is a force on the penalty kill and looks like he can be a top-six forward in the near future.

In terms of replacing the young Swede, the Rangers are now in a bit of a pickle. They don’t have a lot of organizational depth down the middle. And now that it appears Lindberg is heading out the door, moving Stepan just became that much harder for Jeff Gorton. Within the farm system, the Rangers have Boo Nieves, who got a good look in training camp before this past season; and Marek Hrivik, who has had a couple cups of tea with the big club. Hrivik has been a good player when he was on Broadway, making smart decisions and playing strong defensively. Hrivik put up 40 points this year for the Pack, and can hopefully bring that scoring touch if he moves up the ladder to MSG.