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The New York Rangers traded a bottom-six forward for the second time in two days on Saturday, sending Adam Edstrom to the Nashville Predators for a fifth-round pick (No. 148) and minor-league forward Massimo Rizzo.
The deal came one day after the Blueshirts sent Brett Berard to the Montreal Canadiens for minor-league defenseman William Trudeau, who’s 23 but has yet to play an NHL game. Rizzo, a restricted free agent, might never see the ice for the Rangers; they’re reportedly not interested in qualifying him when free agency begins on July 1.
Edstrom played in 35 games for the Rangers in 2025-26, finishing with three goals and five points while averaging 9:28 of ice time. He missed 33 games and spent nearly three months on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
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However, he played just 11 games after being activated off LTIR on March 2. Coach Mike Sullivan was frustrated with Edstrom’s lack of consistency after his long absence and opted to give playing time to rookie callups Jaroslav Chmelar and Adam Sykora, among others, ahead of him.
Sullivan even gave Edstrom a chance to play center, but that didn’t go well considering he hadn’t played the position since his junior days.
Edstrom scored one goal after returning to full health but was a healthy scratch for the Rangers’ final 11 games. He was more effective offensively before the injury, but lacked the ability to finish, missing numerous chances created off strong forechecks by the fourth line. He did average 11.77 hits per 60 minutes and blocked 22 shots.
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It was a second straight season upended by injury for Edstrom, this one even more disappointing than in 2024-25.
The 6-foot-7, 232-pounder has 10 goals and 16 points in 97 NHL games, all with the Rangers, since debuting during the 2023-24 season. In 2024-25, Edstrom was fifth among New York forwards in blocked shots (34) and sixth in hits (94) while setting NHL career highs in goals (five), assists (four) and points (nine).
The Rangers selected Edstrom in the sixth round (No. 161 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft.
Edstrom also has 12 goals and 17 points in 43 AHL games with the Hartford Wolf Pack from 2022-24. Prior to his time in North America, the Karlstad, Sweden, native spent several seasons in the Rögle BK system; he had 23 goals and 48 points in 189 Swedish Hockey League games.
Rangers deal Adam Edstrom to Predators
Rizzo played in 14 AHL games between Providence and Milwaukee this past season, finishing with two goals and five points. The 25-year-old also skated in 29 games for Reading of the ECHL, scoring six goals and finishing with 22 points.
The native of Burnaby, British Columbia, has skated in 60 career AHL games in two seasons with Lehigh Valley, Providence and Milwaukee. His best offensive season came with Lehigh Valley in 2024-25, when he had six goals, 12 points and 18 points.
The Carolina Hurricanes selected Rizzo in the seventh round (No. 216) in the 2019 NHL Draft. The 5-10, 175-pounder played three seasons at the University of Denver, putting up 126 points (39 goals, 87 assists) in 107 games. He was an alternate captain for the Pioneers in 2023-24, one season after he led the team in assists (29) and points (46).
It’s the third trade involving Rizzo in less than four months. The Philadelphia Flyers, who had acquired him from Carolina in August 2023, traded him to the Boston Bruins on March 6. The Bruins sent him to Nashville six days later.
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