Adam Edstrom earns spot with Rangers; Tyler Pitlick on waivers
On Tuesday, the New York Rangers placed Tyler Pitlick on waivers, meaning forward Adam Edstrom appears to have secured himself a spot in the lineup.
After just his second game of the season, Edstrom has shown once again that he fits in nicely on the fourth line. After scoring in his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 12th, Edstrom got another crack against the Calgary Flames and made the most of it.
While he may not have found the score sheet, he was on the ice for some key moments in the game and made a serious case to remain with the big club.
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Adam Edstrom earns roster spot
Edstrom was called up prior to the game against Calgary along with Matt Rempe, who has already been sent back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Following his performance against the Flames, head coach Peter Laviolette had nothing but positives to say about the 23-year-old forward.
“I thought he was good,” Laviolette explained. “He’s a big guy that just skates so well. His stick is big, and even in practice yesterday you can just see him moving up and down the ice. He skates with ease.”
Edstrom is a valuable forward that can have a positive impact if he remains in the Rangers lineup for the rest of the year. He is a big-bodied player, strong defensively, can kill penalties, and, as seen in his debut, can score from time to time.
“I like his physicality, I like his awareness,” said Laviolette. “He was a player that played good defense (with Hartford), he killed penalties. Eventually, we’ll start to work him into different scenarios.”
Those words from Laviolette indicated he had plans for Edstrom to stick around on New York’s fourth line as he has impressed in his two appearances this season.
Despite dealing with injuries, Edstrom has played well with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL. In 25 games played, he recorded 10 points (8G-2A), and has a plus/minus of 2. Over the course of two NHL games, he quickly earned the trust of Peter Laviolette, and was given ice time in the final ten minutes of a 1-0 game against a good Calgary team.
“There wasn’t anything in the game that made me feel like he couldn’t play in the last five or six minutes of the game,” Laviolette mentioned. “I thought he did a good job.”
A fresh face in the bottom-six is exactly what the Rangers have been looking for. With Tyler Pitlick being the odd man out, New York could run with Cuylle-Brodzinski-Kakko and Vesey-Edstrom-Goodrow to round out their lineup as they gear up for a playoff push.
Also noteworthy is that Edstrom was able to provide a great performance while still returning to form after being sidelined for nearly two months. This detail certainly did not fly under Laviolette’s radar.
“You have to remember that he was off for a long time,” said Laviolette. “You take a month and a half off and then play one game in the minors, and then come up here, and you’re playing against a team that’s playing really well right now. It’s not an easy game to get into. I thought he played a pretty smart game, a pretty good game.”
Quite the praise from the Rangers bench boss for Edstrom, who logged 9:23 of ice time in the 2-0 win. It’s possible that there is even more to Edstrom’s game that is yet to be seen. As he returns to form following injury, and gets used to playing at the NHL level, Edstrom could become a key component to New York’s line-up down the stretch.
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