Lundkvist ready to make impact after 3-year wait
Three years of waiting were three years in the making for Nils Lundkvist, the highly regarded 2018 first-round, 28th-overall draft selection who is here, under contract, skating in the Rangers development camp and is expected to nail down a spot on the opening roster at right defense.
“It is a big opportunity to be here, and I’m going to do the best I can to improve these weeks and show which player I am and hopefully make the team,” the 21-yearold Swede said after his session on Saturday. “That’s my dream also and what I’m looking forward to.”
Lundkvist, who has honed his elite offensive skill the past three years with Lulea of the SHL, is the final piece of the 2018 Ryan McDonagh-J.T. Miller deadline deal with Tampa Bay — in which Libor Hajek, Brett Howden and Vlad Namestnikov also came New York’s way. So far, this has not been a boffo return for the Blueshirts, but if Lundkvist becomes an impact player, evaluations will change.
The Rangers’ atypical patience with Lundkvist — who certainly had a say in the matter — has benefitted Lundkvist, winner of the Borje Salming Award as the SHL’s best defenseman after posting 32 points (14-18) in 52 games for Lulea before playing a significant role for Team Sweden at the World Championships.
“I feel like it’s been a great couple of years in Sweden and I’ve done what I could back home,” he said. “Playing back home has been the best opportunity to develop, and develop as a person on and off the ice. It’s a big step just coming here and moving overseas. With the COVID situation and the way the season went, I think it was a good decision to stay home.
“I got older, I got bigger and I got stronger. It feels like I’m prepared for this, and hopefully I can do my best. It’s not me who is going to decide whether I’m ready to play but I feel like I’ve done a lot of good things the last two years and hopefully I can improve even more these weeks.”
Lundkvist, who also attended Rangers development camps in 2018 and 2019, will have to adapt his game in making the move from the larger European ice surfaces to the 200x85 North American rink.
“Just being here for five days and skating, it’s a big difference,” said the defenseman, who has some international tournament experience on smaller rinks. “You’ve got a little bit less time to defend, too, but it’s going to be an adjustment.
“It’s more intense, you have to make quicker decisions, it’s more challenging, [there are] more hits. It’s going to be fun to see how I play here.”
Lundkvist is 5-foot-10, 187 pounds. His puck-moving skills and vision grade at the upper levels. But there is the matter of playing defense. Adam Fox, all 5-11 and 181 pounds of him, managed to use his uncanny instincts to win the Norris Trophy. The blueprint is right there in front of the Swede, who mentioned a comfort level in having fellow countryman and presumptive partner Patrik Nemeth in the group.
“When I was drafted I was a little player and maybe struggled with defense but I improved that the last couple of years,” he said. “Getting consistency and not switching so much between good performance and bad performance has been something I improved the last two years.”
Fox and Jacob Trouba will play right side on the top two pairs. The third spot is undoubtedly Lundkvist’s to lose. The competition for a spot is not as much with another righty defenseman in the organization, but with himself.
“I really hope I can bring the same game that I played in Sweden,” said Lundkvist, who will also be given a shot at running the power play second unit. “A solid two-way game with an offensive upside. I feel like I really improved my shot the last two years and also improved my skating.
“I want to be reliable, I want the coach to feel he can put me in in a lot of situations, I got to play a lot in Sweden. Again, a reliable two-way defenseman with an offensive upside.”