Ryan Lindgren returns to Rangers’ lineup with an assist after lengthy absence

Ryan Lindgren doesn’t know if he can pinpoint one reason why his return from a shoulder injury took longer than expected. 

It was a tough recovery, he said, and part of his delay stemmed from not being able to maintain the level of physicality that has grown to define the 25-year-old’s skill set.

Lindgren wanted to play how he knew he should play, to not “hold back at all.” 

After an 11-game absence, Lindgren returned and skated 16:13 in the Rangers’ 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday, where he exited briefly in the second period but returned and assisted on Kaapo Kakko’s goal in the third.

“It just maybe took a little longer,” Lindgren said. “Obviously, you want to get back out there as soon as you can, but you just want to be smart. Feeling good now.” 

Lindgren was called for a holding penalty with 3:10 left in the second, but he was replaced in the penalty box by Vladimir Tarasenko — skating down the tunnel instead. Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said postgame that Lindgren will have “little things like that, little shooting pain.”

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“They said not to worry about it, but I worry about it,” Gallant said. “But he was fine.”

Lindgren originally injured his shoulder against Washington on Feb. 25, when a hit from T.J. Oshie redirected him into the half boards and forced an early exit.

It appeared at times that he might be nearing a return — especially since the Blueshirts didn’t place him on long-term injured reserve — but participation in morning skates and practice didn’t translate into pregame rushes and the games themselves. 

A career-long absence followed.

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After skating just five games with the Rangers in 2018-19, his first taste of the NHL, Lindgren had never missed more than 10 games across a full regular season.

Head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters before a victory over Washington on March 14 that they didn’t want to rush Lindgren back. 

During his most recent skates, Lindgren, who has played in 58 of the Blueshirts’ 71 games this season, felt that a Tuesday return was feasible, and he noticed his shoulder reacting better when shooting the puck.

He also tested how it held up physically, and while working out in the gym, too. 

“He’s a big part of our group, and we’re happy to have him back,” Gallant said Tuesday afternoon. “No doubt, he’s a big, big part of our group.” 

The Rangers went 8-2-1 without Lindgren, and at times, they even managed to piece together a blue line with four or five defensemen — when K’Andre Miller’s match penalty and eventual three-game suspension for spitting on the Kings’ Drew Doughty eliminated another member from the Blueshirts’ defensive pairings. 

Lindgren’s return means that Ben Harpur will likely be removed from the lineup to serve as the Blueshirts’ seventh defenseman moving forward, or at least until an absence or underwhelming performance prompts Gallant to tweak his pairings.

He rotated in with the other six throughout Tuesday’s morning skate, with Braden Schneider and Niko Mikkola the third unit, and it marked the end of Harpur’s extended minutes — starting with a career-high 28:04 against the Kings on Feb. 26. 

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Harpur gained the coaching staff’s trust and “earned his ice,” Gallant added, providing a proven option if another injury arises. 

“He’s obviously a different type of player,” Gallant said about Harpur. “Harps is a big guy. He defends real well, and he’s big and strong. So I think he did a great job in there.” 

In Harpur’s place, the Rangers will get a key piece they were missing, even as they strung together 17 of 22 possible points the last 11 games.

Forward Kaapo Kakko said Lindgren has been a defenseman that everyone trusts, mostly because “he’s really good with the puck in the D-zone, like really good in front of the net.” 

A player like that “can’t be good for the other team,” Kaako added. Lindgren just needed to make sure he was able to match that reputation before returning, though. 

“You just want to make sure when you get back out there you can play the way you want to play and not hold back at all,” Lindgren said. “I’m there now and feeling good.”

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Providence College forward Brett Berard signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Rangers, and he reported to AHL Hartford for an amateur tryout Tuesday.

The deal, which starts next season, comes after Berard — a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft — compiled 10 goals and 24 points during Providence’s season, and he finished his collegiate career with 33 goals and 72 points across three seasons with the Friars.

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The Rangers will practice Wednesday before traveling to Raleigh and completing their two-game set against the Hurricanes.