The Rangers have traded forward Ethan Werek to the Phoenix Coyotes for Swedish winger Oscar Lindberg. Werek, 19, was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and had a good but not spectacular third OHL season with Kingston Frontenacs. He scored 24 goals and added 28 assists for 52 points in 47 games, while sporting a -3 +/- rating and 51 PIMs. Lindberg, 19, was drafted in the second round, 57th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Coyotes. He has played the last two years with Skelleftea of the Swedish Elite League, mostly on the third and fourth lines and posted five goals and nine assists in 41 games. In 18 playoff games he scored three goals and registered four assists for his club.
In the Hockey's Future article about the top-20 prospects of the Phoenix Coyotes (Link), they described Lindberg as having "the potential to be a good offensive player". They continued to say that "He has good instincts with the puck and is a smart playmaker on the perimeter" and that he is also "a very solid defensive player who has seemed to excel in a shutdown role so far in his young career". Acquiring Lindberg identifies that this team lacks top-end skill and while Lindberg does not project to be a first line player, he has the ability to be a skilled second liner that has good hands.
Werek, conversely, is a hard-nosed and gritty center who has dealt with injuries that have hampered his development. From the analysis of Werek from Hockey's Future (Link), he is described as "a solid two-way player" who is willing to "do the little things that help teams win". While his stats are good, they are not overly impressive of a player expected to turn pro next year. With his injury history, it is hard to determine how long it will take for him to develop into an NHL player
I personally think that this trade is the turning point in the philosophy of the New York Rangers. Regarded this year as the blue collar, hustling and hard-working team that will grind their opponents down, the team lacked serious scoring talent and finesse. Marian Gaborik is far and away the most skilled player on this team, and there isn't really a close second on the team or in the system. Trading the rough and tumble Werek for the skilled Lindberg could signify the change in philosophy from grit to skill, especially with the 2011 NHL Entry Draft coming up in late June. There are several intriguing names in the upcoming draft that could fall to the Rangers at pick 15, including Finnish sensation Joel Armia, flashy Russian Vladimir Namestnikov or playmaking center Mark Scheifele.
With the core of the Rangers built around Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers have a lot of grit and are lacking in the skill department aside from Gaborik. While some of the prospects taken in the 2011 draft may not make the NHL until after Gaborik is gone, it sets up the Rangers for a really good mix of skill and hard-working grinders that are both essential to be successful in the post-season. Now is the time to take a high risk/high reward first round draft pick with our depth. We already have numerous players developing such as Chris Kreider and Christian Thomas who have the potential to be good second liners and possibly even first line players in the NHL, but we don't have a player in the system that has the possibility of being a superstar.
Oscar Lindberg is just the start to the new philosophy of infusing skill to our lineup of blue collar players. As shown by the teams still in the playoffs such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins, a combination of finesse and determined play is necessary to get far. While Werek was a highly regarded prospect as a third line center, he was not going to have much of an impact above that as he fits the mold of Colorado's Kevin Porter with a similar drive and skill set. This draft will start the idea of infusing talent into the roster, and Gordie Clark is sure to pick a good starting point in this June's draft.
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