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Gustav Rydahl

Gustav Rydahl Returns To SHL

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His North American hockey career is over as quickly as it began, as Gustav Rydahl has officially signed a new contract in the SHL. Reports emerged in March that the 28-year-old would be inking a multi-year deal with Frolunda, and today the club announced a five-year contract.

That effectively ends any chance of him playing in the NHL, after failing to make it with the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche this season. Rydahl signed a one-year, $750K deal last summer to join the Rangers after developing into one of the SHL’s most well-rounded power forwards, but would see only minor league action before being shipped to Colorado at the deadline.

After 52 unspectacular AHL contests, he’ll return to Sweden to continue his strong international career. Rydahl was part of his country’s 2022 Olympic squad, and is a significant addition for Frolunda through 2028.

Given his age, Rydahl was headed to unrestricted free agency, meaning there will be no qualifying offer or rights retained by the Avalanche.

Gustav Rydahl Expected To Return To SHL

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After slowly developing into a star overseas, Gustav Rydahl drew the attention of NHL scouts, and earned a contract with the New York Rangers last spring. The signing was buried in the headlines of the Rangers first-round win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, meaning some fans may not have even noticed his acquisition.

Less than a year later, Rydahl was shipped off at the trade deadline. The 28-year-old forward was sent to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Anton Blidh in one of the day’s more minor moves. He never played a game for the Rangers, and it appears his North American career could be over in the blink of an eye.

Reports out of Sweden indicate that Rydahl will return to the SHL next season, leaving any dreams of an NHL career behind. He won’t be returning to Farjestads, though. Instead, the big center will jump ship and play for rival Frolunda on a long-term contract.

It hasn’t gone according to plan for Rydahl in North America. Through 41 games in the AHL—all but one coming with the Hartford Wolf Pack—he has just seven goals and 15 points. While those numbers would likely increase with more experience here, the 2022 Olympian is expected to return home. A long-term deal with Frolunda at his age would suggest another stint in North America is out of the question.

New York Rangers Acquire Anton Blidh, Wyatt Kalynuk

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The New York Rangers made two more minor moves just before the bell sounded. First, they acquired Anton Blidh from the Colorado Avalanche sending Gustav Rydahl back in return. Then, they acquired Wyatt Kalynuk from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations. All three players are currently in the minor leagues.

Blidh, 27, is the most experienced player in the deals, with 84 NHL games under his belt. Fourteen of those have come this season with Colorado, but the depth forward has been kept completely off the scoresheet. His acquisition is likely just to extend the Rangers forward depth chart ahead of the playoffs, as he is unlikely to play much unless the team suffers several injuries.

You could say the same for Kalynuk, who last saw NHL action during the 201-22 season and has spent this entire year with the Abbotsford Canucks. His acquisition is likely more about giving the Hartford Wolf Pack a bit more expeirence. Kalynuk was once expected to be a regular at the NHL level, after signing with Chicago out of the University of Wisconsin, but after 26 games in a Blackhawks sweater, his time in the league ran out.

Rydahl, meanwhile, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the SHL, where he has won multiple championships and starred for Farjestads. His first taste of North American hockey hasn’t worked out, with just seven goals and 15 points through 40 games, but perhaps the Avalanche can find a little more juice in the 28-year-old center.

New York Rangers Send Gustav Rydahl To AHL

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1/6/23: Rydahl’s stay on the Rangers roster has been brief. The team has announced that the forward has been sent back down to AHL Hartford. Rydahl wasn’t dressed for the Rangers’ 4-1 victory over the Canadiens last night.

1/5/23: The New York Rangers have added some more size and grit to the roster, recalling Gustav Rydahl from the minor leagues. Arthur Staple of The Athletic tweets that he is up for Jonny Brodzinski, whose wife is expecting.

Signed to a one-year, $750K contract out of the SHL last May, Rydahl likely would have made the Rangers lineup out of training camp had he not been one of the few waiver-exempt bubble players. Instead of risking someone else, he was sent to the minor leagues where he has been playing with the Hartford Wolf Pack, racking up nine points and 24 penalty minutes in 24 games.

He won’t make many highlight reels, but the hard-working 26-year-old is a versatile player that found plenty of success in the SHL. His consistent north-south game resulted in 15 goals and 30 points in 44 games for Farjestads BK last season, and he was even better in the postseason when the checking tightened. That’s the kind of play the Rangers are dying to see out of their bottom six, meaning the forward (who can play center and wing) could get a chance to prove himself.

The Rangers will take on the Montreal Canadiens this evening before heading to New Jersey for a game Saturday night.

New York Rangers Sign Gustav Rydahl

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June 13: The team has officially agreed to terms with Rydahl on a one-year contract for 2022-23. However, financial terms were not confirmed.

May 16: Despite clinching their place in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night with a series-clinching overtime goal from Artemi Panarin, the New York Rangers have already begun their offseason work, adding to their forward group for next season. According to CapFriendly, the organization has signed forward Gustav Rydahl to a one-year, one-way contract for the 2022-23 season (link). The contract is worth $750K and will leave Rydahl a UFA after next season.

Unlike many signings this time of year, Rydahl is not a young prospect in the Rangers system; instead, he is a veteran of parts of nine SHL seasons, spending the previous four seasons with Farjestads. Rydahl, who will be 28 at the start of next season, has proven to be a reliable center for his SHL teams, though never being much of a point-producer until 2018-19 when he began to breakout. After accumulating just 20 points over 191 SHL games from 2013-14 through 2017-18, Rydahl had 12 goals and seven assists in 47 games in 2018-19. He would take another step forward in 2019-20, scoring 19 goals to go along with 16 assists in 49 games. The veteran would play in just nine games in 2020-21, tallying two assists, but rebounded strongly this past season, where he had 15 goals and 15 assists in 44 games.

In Rydahl, the Rangers will look for a responsible two-way center who can contribute on offense from time to time. Notably, the Rangers do have some salary-cap considerations this offseason, with Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad both due significant raises and forwards Ryan Strome Andrew Copp, and Frank Vatrano as important pending UFAs. The team has also failed to get consistent, strong production out of bottom-six center Filip Chytil, and while Chytil has not been bad either, they could look to move on from him and his $2.3MM cap hit for next season, replacing it with Rydahl’s $750K hit.

Gustav Rydahl Linked To New York Rangers

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While the New York Rangers continue their quest for playoff success, the front office might be looking ahead to the future. In Sweden, a report has emerged in SportExpressen that connects Gustav Rydahl to the Rangers.

Rydahl, 27, has been flirting with an NHL career for years, but to this point has been limited to playing in the Swedish Hockey League. The undrafted forward had 14 goals and 30 points for Farjestads BK this season, but it was his playoff performance that really stood out.

In 19 postseason contests, Rydahl had six goals and 12 points en route to an SHL championship. He also had 21 penalty minutes, a common theme for the physical forward, who has been known to get involved in plenty of extracurricular activity after the whistle.

It was actually the second title of his career, after winning one as a young player in 2015 with Vaxjo. At that point, the 6’3″ forward was an absolute black hole offensively, but things have changed in recent years. With an appearance at the Olympics also on his resume from earlier this year, and now two straight strong offensive seasons (split by one with only nine games played), it is as good a time as any to try his hand in North America.

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