Confirmed with Link: Rangers trade Ethan Werek to Phoenix for Oscar Lindberg

[Hunter Gathers]

Curious to know why Werek was dealt. Wonder when we'll find out (will leak at some point).

Kind of bummed. I was a big fan of Werek and thought he'd be a great bottom 6 guy. Granted, I love getting Swedes in our prospect pool and Lindberg is no slouch. But I still would have preferred Werek, all things considered.

 

[Miller Time NYR]

WTF I liked werek but I guess his hand injuries made him a but of a developmental risk

 

[ecemleafs]

so Lindberg is instantly our best faceoff man lol

 

[I Eat Crow]

Very surprised at this. When I tweeted Zipay about Werek once Horak signed and didn't get a response, maybe he knew something was up and declined to comment. This guy's ceiling seems to be similar to that of Werek's however.

 

[Bluenote13]

I like Lindberg for his faceoff ability, very tenacious Center. I know little about this past season, but seems like a hardnose player.

Werek is a Winger, dealing from prospect depth on Wing for a Center is okay, as long as they get a good player.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

The only reason I was ever remotely interested in Werek was because he was the Cherry compensatory pick.

I'm not knocking him, but I feel like he was plunged way down the depth chart after guys like Stepan and Boyle emerged as legitimate NHL centers faster than expected.

I like Swedish forwards. Not as much as Swedish swimsuit models, but they always seem to fall back to their defensive strengths when the offense isnt there.

 

[Boom Boom Geoffrion*]

Don't know much about Lindberg; kinda bummed bout losing Werek though, I liked him.

Is Oscar a project? How long until he's NHL ready?

 

[msv957]

This trade just shows that it is tough to predict the future with prospects.

This is an interesting trade as Lindberg has some grit and good defensive play
being real good on face offs.

 

[Leslie Treff]

There was disagreement among the Rangers staff as to whether to sign Werek or not. He had injury problems, suffered through some tough management issues in Kingston, and had discipline problems. If the decision was not to sign him, Werek would have gone back into the draft and the Rangers would have gotten nothing for him. The trade was a good one considering the possible options.

As for Horak, the Rangers had to wait to sign him because otherwise they would have had to pay the Czech federation for him. By waiting, they avoided this payment.

 

[Ghost of jas]

Bu-but, Jess at Prospect Park called him the best prospect in the Ranger organization (over Stepan, Kreider and McDonagh)...I don't understand.

 

[RempireStateBuilding]

Thank god we have a replacement for Drury now. Here's to hoping he gets the same contract to boot.

 

[tomobson]

Thank god we have a replacement for Drury now. Here's to hoping he gets the same contract to boot.

haha. i was thinking the same thing. drury is just good for face offs at this point.

 

[beastly115]

Looks like a third liner who's a faceoff god:

Maybe they traded for him to tutor our guys on faceoffs?

 

[mrhockey193195]

I really liked Werek, pretty surprised by this.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

There was disagreement among the Rangers staff as to whether to sign Werek or not. He had injury problems, suffered through some tough management issues in Kingston, and had discipline problems. If the decision was not to sign him, Werek would have gone back into the draft and the Rangers would have gotten nothing for him. The trade was a good one considering the possible options.

As for Horak, the Rangers had to wait to sign him because otherwise they would have had to pay the Czech federation for him. By waiting, they avoided this payment.

Thank Leslie!

I haven't watched Werek much, but I remember watching all the youtube highlights from the Oshawa- Kingston series (mainly to see Thomas' goals), and every game Werek played in (suspended the first 3 games for a dirty hit) he displayed some serious discipline/anger issues. One game he was responsible for taking 4 lazy minor penalties, and after every call he did the typical "what the **** did I do?" motion with his arms and head. Then he would chirp at the officials.

In another game he was absolutely destroyed behind the Oshawa net with a clean hit. He skates immediately to the bench, slams his stick and knocks down an entire rack of sticks.

Was it last year a poster on here had a friend who participated in the Rangers prospect camp? The player said one guy was a complete ******* in the locker room, and some speculated it could be Werek. Maybe we have our answer?

 

[NYRFAN218]

I'm not gonna analyze the trade because I admittedly don't know much about either player but I like what I hear about Lindberg. Making trades with Phoenix always scares me though because it seems like Maloney knows our system and players better than we do.

 

[Lua]

I'm pretty surprised. Kind of upset too. I see a little Dubinsky in Werek.

 

[Crease]

I'm assuming the organization saw the same potential in Werek that fans of this board did. So that makes me excited about Lindberg.

 

[we want cup]

I'm not gonna analyze the trade because I admittedly don't know much about either player but I like what I hear about Lindberg. Making trades with Phoenix always scares me though because it seems like Maloney knows our system and players better than we do.

Werek was drafted in 2009, two years after Maloney left.

 

[NYRFAN218]

Werek was drafted in 2009, two years after Maloney left.

Yeah, that's the good thing about this deal. In every other trade, it was players that Maloney had either helped draft or players that played here while Maloney was still here. We should be good on this one at least.

 

[Clown Fiesta]

Yeah not too upset about this. Liked Werek but was aware of his "issues" .

 

[Leslie Treff]

Was it last year a poster on here had a friend who participated in the Rangers prospect camp? The player said one guy was a complete ******* in the locker room, and some speculated it could be Werek. Maybe we have our answer?

I was at development camp last summer and training camp last fall and my experiences with Werek, as was everyone else's I spoke to, were excellent. Don't think that he is a ****. I also think that he had not gotten injured in training camp last fall, this may have had a different outcome. Sometimes things just don't work out in one organization for a prospect, who then gets another chance elsewhere and thrives.

 

[Roo Returns]

A little bummed because I liked Werek's work ethic and his overall game but if it was a case where they weren't going to sign him, then they got something which is good.

Lindberg has played with Fasth so there is some familiarity there. He looks like a buzzsaw from the few videos we've seen and now between him and Horak, that's gonna help with the faceoffs if they pan out.

Maybe they're trying to eventually have a Swedish checking line of Hagelin-Lindberg-Fasth some day.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

If Lindberg can bring his faceoff prowess and translate it to the NHL this is a fine trade.

 

[FJB]

Slats couldn't add Christensen to get back Korpikowski?