Lefty Holden defense steady

DENVER — Whenever Nick Holden’s name is brought up, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault can’t help but to bring up the phone call he received from Holden’s former coach with the Avalanche, the legendary goalie Patrick Roy.

The Blueshirts obtained Holden this summer from Colorado in exchange for a fourthround pick, and Roy made it clear they were receiving a good player. Roy, of course, left the team soon thereafter, but the 29-year-old Holden has shown versatility as a lefthanded defenseman able to play both sides and has been a steadying presence in the Rangers’ top-four.

“The feedback that we got from our scouts, feedback that I got from their former coach, was that we were getting a real trustworthy defenseman that could move up from your third pair to your first pair, depending on how he was playing and how the other guys were playing,” Vigneault said Thursday, with his team getting a travel day Friday before their New Year’s Eve matchup with Holden’s former team in Denver. “He would be a real trustworthy defenseman. I think that’s what we’ve seen from Nick.”

Holden has been a good complement while playing on the right side with Marc Staal. Coming off a season when the Rangers had some struggles on the back end, Holden has earned the 20:05 of average ice time he is getting per game, second among the team’s defensemen behind only captain Ryan McDonagh.

“Very competitive,” Vigneault said. “Can chip in offensively, can play against some good, skilled, a lot of speed [guys]. He’s done a real strong job for us so far.”

Now, as he circles back to where he played for the previous three seasons, it has become clear Holden’s game has grown, and the Rangers are the beneficiaries.