Adam Edstrom standing out amid towering Rangers prospects

The median top of the Rangers group has elevated considerably in the previous few years. 

One look across the rink at MSG Coaching Heart in Tarrytown over the past month and it’s unimaginable to not take discover. 

A 6-foot-6, 235-pound defenseman in Ben Harpur, who joined the Rangers in 2022 by means of a PTO with the AHL Wolf Pack, passing the puck as much as the Rangers’ 178th-overall decide in 2023, the 6-7 Dylan Roobroeck.

Left wing Nathan Aspinall, all 6-6 of him, streaking down alongside the boards and taking pictures on 6-7 goalie Talyn Boyko, a fourth-rounder in 2021. 

The Blueshirts could have discovered one thing in these vertically gifted gamers. 

The 6-8 ½ Matt Rempe and the 6-7 Adam Edstrom are proving so. 

Each organizationally grown forwards are within the combine to make the Rangers roster out of coaching camp, with Rempe main the best way as largely a mainstay with the primary group.

Edstrom, however, has made extra noise together with his performances within the rookie video games and the final three exhibition video games. 

“I feel they’re a little bit bit totally different gamers,” head coach Peter Laviolette stated initially of coaching camp. “After they’re subsequent to one another, the scale is the very first thing you discover. They’re each actually, actually huge people. In order that’s the very first thing that you just evaluate. They each can skate nicely. They each can play a bodily sport. It’s totally different, their bodily sport, it’s a little bit bit totally different. 

“The subsequent step for each of these gamers could be to — now that the rookie video games are over, or final season is over — you come into coaching camp, get a summer time of coaching in coaching camp. You get into video games and alternatives to indicate what you do to make an influence, in order that’s what we’ll be in search of.” 

Amid information that Jimmmy Vesey goes to overlook a couple of weeks with a lower-body harm, Edstrom’s probabilities of making the workforce out of coaching camp have gone up. 

Having performed all however one in every of his 11 video games with the Rangers final season on the fourth line, the 23-year-old is without doubt one of the first in line on the depth chart.

Rempe, Jonny Brodzinski and Sam Carrick are additionally vying for a spot on the fourth unit. 

Since Edstrom performed towards the Devils on Monday evening in Newark, the aforementioned three skated collectively in follow earlier within the day. 

Working below the idea that Rempe is making the workforce, the truth that Edstrom is waivers exempt makes him a safer possibility than, say, Brodzinski, for the Rangers to ship right down to Hartford to start out the season. 

If Vesey, or Ryan Lindgren (higher physique), go on injured reserve, nonetheless, they wouldn’t rely towards the 23-man roster and it might grow to be a matter of becoming below the cap. 

If one or each go on long-term injured reserve, the Rangers would then be capable of exceed the $88 million wage cap ceiling. 

Not solely would that require stated participant(s) to overlook a minimal of 10 video games and 24 days of the season, however utilizing LTIR signifies that cap house doesn’t accrue.

The Rangers would presumably choose to keep away from that for trade-deadline functions. 

When requested how he weighs gamers benefitting from AHL taking part in time versus not taking part in as a lot however getting the expertise of day-to-day life as an NHLer, Laviolette stated Sunday that he thinks there’s a profit to taking place and taking part in — particularly originally of a season. 

If Edstrom does begin the 2024-25 marketing campaign with the Wolf Pack, it’s protected to imagine he could be one of many first recollects if the Rangers had been to lose one other ahead.

He’s earned as a lot this coaching camp with two targets coming into Monday evening’s contest. 

“I’m pleased with myself,” Edstrom stated after scoring the game-winner within the 6-4 comeback win over the Islanders. “I really feel like I’ve type of proven a brand new degree of hockey. I really feel like I got here into camp very nicely ready.” 

Edstrom scored his first aim in his NHL debut on Dec. 15, earlier than he was despatched again right down to Hartford, the place he subsequently suffered an upper-body harm and was unavailable for almost two months.

He then bought a run of 10 video games with the Rangers from mid-February into early March, including another aim and bolstering the Rangers forecheck. 

Laviolette has praised Edstrom for coming into camp in nice form, whereas additionally highlighting his skating and heaviness in battles.

Requested what he needs to see from Edstrom to know he is usually a full-time NHLer, the second-year Rangers coach stated he’s in search of consistency from the Swede. 

“I simply general really feel like I’m sooner and extra explosive,” Edstrom stated. “It’s type of like a confidence factor getting into there now. I do know that I can play a little bit bit extra on the sting now.”