Lias Andersson has had an up and down season for the New York Rangers and now he is heading back to the AHL.
The New York Rangers have assigned forward Lias Andersson to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
#NYR make it official, Andersson to the Wolf Pack https://t.co/aCL3XuHPvR
— Dom Renna (@drennaESNY) December 28, 2018
Andersson has skated in 21 games with the Rangers this season and has just four points, one goal, and three assists, in limited playing time. The former number seventh overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Andersson has yet to live up to his hype.
The demotion does not come as a surprise considering the Rangers are getting healthier with Kevin Shattenkirk, Cody McLeod, and Jesper Fast inching closer to returning from their respective injuries. With Boo Nieves playing well, someone had to come out and head coach David Quinn and general manager Jeff Gorton decided it should be the 20-year-old.
If anything, sending Andersson back to Hartford is perfect for his development considering he’s only averaged 10:23 of ice time on the Rangers fourth line. Him being back in Hartford allows him to play top line minutes and develop properly. The only thing the Rangers might be regretting now is letting him play more than 10 games losing his a year on his deal.
Andersson started the year in Hartford after Brett Howden beat him for the Rangers final roster spot in training camp. In 14 games with the Wolf Pack this season, Lias has dominated scoring eight goals and four assists, 12 points. Now he’ll get the chance to regain some confidence and not ride the bench in the third period anymore.
All things considered, this is only going to benefit him and the Rangers in the long run.
