Hockey

“It's Really Exciting to Be Here Now” – Ryan Lindgren on Leaving New York and His Fresh Start in Colorado

Published: Mar 28, 2025, 11:30 AM
1 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2025, 10:54 AM
Fact checked by:
Sergey Demidov
Ryan Lindgren reflects on leaving the Rangers, joining the Avalanche, and his focus on winning a Stanley Cup in Colorado

Ryan Lindgren reflects on leaving the Rangers, joining the Avalanche, and his focus on winning a Stanley Cup in Colorado (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche have reshaped their team since the start of the season. It started with goaltending, but more moves were needed heading into the NHL Trade Deadline. Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland knew his team needed a second-line center and depth on defense to be a championship team once again. Thus, he acquired Brock Nelson and Ryan Lindgren.

Both players have made an impact on the Avalanche, filling their roles perfectly. Lindgren has slotted in nicely on the Avalanche defense, taking pressure off Cale Makar and Devon Toews and solidifying their top four.

As he told RG exclusively, he was not surprised a trade was coming out of New York, given the circumstances surrounding his status as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

“I think, I mean, I was kind of expecting it a little bit. You just kind of see your name out there with different rumors and all that,” Lindgren told RG. “But I think the day when I did get traded, I definitely wasn’t expecting it that day. It was just kind of a normal practice day. There were still a couple of days until the deadline. Laviolette told me and [Jimmy] Vesey that we had to go meet with [Chris] Drury, and you just kind of figured from there that something was happening. It was definitely tough to get traded from there, but you realize it’s a business, and that’s what they thought was best. And you just got to kind of understand that.”

Lindgren is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He is coming off a one-year deal paying him $4.5 million. His next contract offer will be life-changing in terms of the most money he will get in his career. Knowing he could be traded, Lindgren did not know where he would go.

The one place he did not expect to go was Colorado and have a chance to make another deep run with a team that is in contention year in and year out for the Stanley Cup. But there he went a couple of days before the March 7 Trade Deadline.

“And yeah, when he told us we were going to Colorado, you’re obviously a lot of emotions going on, getting traded from New York, the place I’ve only known and really loved being there.

So saying goodbye to all the guys and all the staff was really tough,” Lindgren said. “But yeah, once I got to Colorado and met all the guys, and then they made some more moves for Brock and Charlie. So, yeah, it’s really exciting to be here now. It’s such a great team, and having a lot of fun.”

Looking Back at New York, Focusing on Colorado

It’s no surprise that he is having fun again playing hockey. He is in a stable situation in Colorado. There has been a lot of dysfunction and drama surrounding the New York Rangers this season. As RG has documented, the Rangers had several players involved in trade talks as their GM decided to change how the team was going to be built after the start of the season.

Lindgren had been a mainstay on the Rangers’ defense corps alongside Adam Fox. That is all he ever knew as a player. But despite all the chaos in New York this season, he did not have a bad thing to say about what happened during his final year there. Lindgren loved being a member of the New York Rangers.

“I can’t say enough about it. I mean, I absolutely loved being there. Just the guys on that team. I got so close to them. It’s such an amazing group from all the guys I got to play with. It really was special,” Lindgren explained. “After missing the playoffs in my first couple of years, and then we had that run with [Gerard] Gallant to the Conference Final that year against Tampa and came up short. We knew we had a really good team. And we were fortunate enough last year to win the President’s Trophy and make another good run before falling to a really good Florida team. But yeah, I really loved and enjoyed everything about New York—the fans, the staff there, the team, and everything about it.”

As Lindgren said, it is a business, and the business side of things says he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. It could be the biggest contract Lindgren gets in his career. However, the goal is winning a Stanley Cup, not his next contract.

“I’m not thinking about that right now,” Lindgren added.

“I want to focus on playing hockey and improving my game to help the team win and reach our ultimate goal.”

And winning is what the Avalanche are doing right now—winners of 10 of 12 games as they climb up the Central Division standings, battling the Dallas Stars for home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Lindgren has three points, including two goals, during his time with the Avalanche.

Lindgren is a warrior and continues to be a crucial piece of a defensive corps on a team that has championship aspirations.

Reporter
Having 10 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Rod Pedersen Show, Raw Mike Richards Show, and more) covering the Devils, the NHL along with College Football, the NFL, and the tennis circuit Jim Biringer has wealth of sports knowledge. As one of Jim's hockey coaches put it he is a "student of the game." During his time as a sports reporter, Biringer has covered some of the biggest events including most recently the 2024 Stanley Cup Final along with several NHL Drafts. He is also the host of the Full Press Hockey Podcast and Final Word on Hockey plus Around Campus - The College Football Podcast.
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Daria Tuboltseva
Daria Tuboltseva
Hockey Reporter

Daria Tuboltseva has worked as a sports journalist since 2014 and has specialized in hockey coverage since 2016. She’s reported from some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Olympic Games (Beijing 2022), the FIFA World Cup (2018), the IIHF World Championships (2016–2019, 2021), the IIHF World Junior Championship (2019), and every Gagarin Cup Final since 2017.

Her work has appeared in leading Russian sports outlets like Championat.com and Sport24, as well as on the official websites of the KHL and the Women’s Hockey League (WHL). Daria has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the sport’s most recognized names, including Alex Ovechkin, Jaromir Jagr, Kirill Kaprizov, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Igor Shesterkin.

Beyond her writing, Daria brings extensive on-camera experience. She hosted NHL Today on Yandex.Efir and has produced powerful long-form projects such as the documentary Lokomotiv Crash and the series Hockey Country, featuring stars like Ovechkin, Malkin, Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy, and Panarin. Her work has taken her to NHL games across North America and international events like the NHL Global Series in Europe.

In addition to her media career, Daria is a certified integrative nutritionist with a focus on sports nutrition. She works one-on-one with KHL players, helping them optimize performance and recovery through tailored nutrition plans. Her ability to blend media expertise with athlete support gives her a unique presence in the professional hockey world.

Daria publishes in both English and Russian and is the creator of the Telegram channel Coolest Game on Earth, where she shares insights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories from the hockey world.

Based in: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Languages: English, Russian

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