The New York Rangers will loan Lias Andersson to the SHL’s HV71 hockey club in an attempt to rebuild trust with the Swedish player.
It appears that the New York Rangers have not given up on Lias Andersson. The Rangers announced on Sunday that the organization has agreed to loan Andersson to HV71, a team in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Andersson played 17 games earlier this season with the Blueshirts. He was sent down to the AHL and appeared in 13 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack before deciding to demand a trade and walk away from the club.
President John Davidson doesn’t want to give up on the young player, and this agreement seems to be an effort to bridge the gap in resolving a tender situation. Last week, Andersson was seen skating with the team at one of their practices. Speculation began to swirl that a deal of some kind might be in the pipeline.
The Rangers’ first-round pick in 2017 is quite comfortable with HV71. He played for HV71 for three seasons and helped the team win the SHL Championship in 2016-17.
Andersson will wear No. 23 for HV71, which is the same number he wore when he won the SHL championship.
The news of the agreement comes at a time when trade talks will begin ramping up.
Andersson could still be included in a deal, but the odds of that have declined with his arrival in the SHL. This could be the last opportunity Andersson gets to remain a member of the Rangers organization.