The New York Rangers were hoping to find a trade destination for Nils Lundkvist ahead of training camp and they managed to do just that on Monday. According to Frank Seravalli, the Rangers are trading Lundkvist to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick.
#NYR are trading D Nils Lundkvist to Dallas in exchange for a 2023 1st round pick.
First to report: @hayyyshayyy.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 19, 2022
The Rangers selected Lundkvist in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft but he's struggled to find sustained playing time in New York. He made a trade request a few days ago and informed the team he would not be reporting to camp as he seeks a change of scenery in order to log more time on the ice.
It didn't take too long for the Rangers to find a trade partner, shipping him to Dallas and getting a solid haul in exchange.
It's somewhat of a shocking return for Lundkvist, and the early consensus is that the Stars wildly overpaid for his services. The 22-year-old defender certainly boasts potential, but to sacrifice a first-round pick for him when he hasn't panned out in New York is a perplexing decision from the Stars.
The 2023 NHL Draft class also figures to be one of the deepest in recent memory. The Stars sacrificed their chance to land a top youngster in that class in order to lock down a player that most teams likely would not have been willing to deal a first-round pick for.
Across 25 games last year, Lundkvist averaged just under 14 minutes of ice time per game. He registered four points, including one goal and three assists.
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