Rook Edstrom holds his own
TORONTO — Adam Edstrom had to tiptoe around the Canadian media brigade that was crowded around linemate and fellow rookie Matt Rempe to get to his locker Saturday morning.
It was far from the first time — and far from the last time — Rempe drew that kind of crowd since his cannonball into the NHL two weeks ago. Through all those waves made by Rempe, however, Edstrom has been able to quietly settle into his first stint in the big league.
“I’m here to play hockey, and every- thing around can be a bit overwhelming, so it’s kind of nice that he gets a lot of the attention and I’m kind of floating in the background,” the 6-foot-7 forward told The Post while watching Rempe’s interview scrum from the other side of the room. “But I’m happy for him, and I know he enjoys it. So it’s good.”
Edstrom earned his first Rangers call-up and made his NHL debut just over two whole months before Rempe-mania. After he was sent back down to Hartford, the 23-year-old got hurt three games into his AHL return and didn’t play again until Feb. 10.
Edstrom was back in the Rangers lineup two days later, before Rempe joined the fun six days later.
The transition to the NHL has largely been what Edstrom expected, he said, noting that he anticipated the uptick in skill and pace. Ice time has been limited for the Rangers’ fourth line of Edstrom, Rempe and Barclay Goodrow, but the trio has effectively generated some offensive-zone time with an unyielding forecheck.
“I’ve always been a defensive-minded player, but up here, it’s like an extra level,” said the Swede, who has two goals in nine games so far this season. “Everything starts with defense up here. That’s something that I put a lot of pride into to play a strong defense game and I feel like I’ve done that so far. “Other than that, I’m just trying to play my game. Play the body whenever I the chance and just use my size and my speed for an advantage.”
➤ The two headlining heavyweights of Saturday’s game, the Rangers’ Matt Rempe and the Maple Leafs’ Ryan Reaves, didn’t get on the ice at the same time until later in the first period. It was anticlimactic when Reaves appeared to say something to Rempe as the 21-year-old paid him no mind and skated away.
They came together again toward the end of the third period, but this time, Rempe accepted after looking over at the Rangers bench.
It was an evenly-matched bout in which both bruisers landed their fair share of blows.