2025 Season Previews: Adam Edstrom

The Big Fella is back. Is there another level to his game?

For a dude who stands 6-7 and 241 pounds, Adam Edstrom's ascension to the New York Rangers went mostly under the radar. Once he got here, though, Edstrom showed that, like a Transformer, there was more to him than met the eye. Edstrom's game was more than just the physical play you would expect from a player of his size—he was legitimately one of the fastest players any time he set skate on the ice. Unfortunately, just as we were getting to see all that Edstrom had to offer, the cruelty of the NHL reared its ugly head and injury cut short his season.

Now, as we get ready to drop the puck on 2025 we will get to see if Edstrom can pick up where he left off, if there's still another level to his game, and if a new coaching staff will have the courage to use him in new and dynamic ways that create matchup problems for the rest of the league.

Previous Performance

As mentioned above, Edstrom's first full season in the NHL was a surprising one. His numbers may not jump off the page (5G, 4A, 9:16 ATOI in 51GP), but his style of play certainly did. Additionally, Edstrom's numbers deserve some more context. Edstrom has never been a major offensive performer, with 16 points in 40 games a year ago in Hartford and 19 points in 42 games the year prior in the SHL. The nine points, meager as they may be, are still very impressive when you consider his history, the increased level of competition, and his role.

Deployed strictly on the fourth line, Edstrom brought a matchup dynamic to the ice that was unexpected. Pairing his huge frame with the quickness of a much smaller player, Edstrom joined primarily with Sam Carrick and Matt Rempe to form a high-energy fourth line that gelled well throughout the year.

Expectations

In an offseason that has been rife with questions about how the new coaching staff will deploy the current players on the roster, almost nothing is as clearly certain as the fact that Adam Edstrom will reclaim his role as the 4LW. The open questions surrounding Edstrom are:

• Will he see any time on the PK?
• Will the new coaching staff consider deploying him at his natural Center spot?

Given that the Rangers seem intent on deploying Mika Zibanejad at right wing, at least to start training camp, there are openings at center. Edstrom's size and speed create a potential matchup issue if he's able to evolve in that role. Even if they choose to leave him as strictly a role player on the fourth line, there's still potential there for his production to take another step forward.

Predictions

A reasonable expectation for Edstrom is that he comes back healthy, adds energy to the Rangers in limited minutes, and sees some time on the penalty kill replacing the minutes that were absorbed last year by the likes of Jimmy Vesey and Reilly Smith. With a full season, maybe he lands around 15 to 20 points on the season. It may not sound like much, but when you look at the other things he can bring to the game, it's enough.

Conclusion

Guys like Adam Edstrom are rare in the NHL. You have big guys, and you have guys who can skate, but you don't have many who can be both. Is it possible that Adam Edstrom could become the Rangers' answer to Aliaksei Protas? Sure. Like Protas, Edstrom is a big, physical player with better-than-you-would-expect speed.

Is that what I would predict for him? Absolutely not. That's what you hope for, root for, and dream on, not what you predict.