As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Jesper Lindgren

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Age: 23

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 176 pounds

2019-20 AHL statistics: 31 games, nine points (one goal, eight assists)

2020-21 HockeyAllsvensken statistics: 22 games, 17 points (zero goals, 17 assists)

Contract: Third year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $775,833. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2021

Acquired: Trade, Aug. 25, 2020

Last season: Penguins scouts were familiar with Jesper Lindgren well before he joined the organization.

After all, he spent the entire 2018-19 campaign playing with Penguins prospects such as defensemen Niclas Almari, goaltender Emil Larmi and forward Valtteri Puustinen for HPK in Finland’s Liiga. That season, Lindgren had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 45 games and helped HPK claim the Kanada-malja as the Liiga champion.

So when general manager Jim Rutherford was sorting through the assets the Toronto Maple Leafs were offering in the multi-player trade the two teams orchestrated this past August — the same one that netted top-six forward Kasperi Kapanen — he received a pretty hardy endorsement of what Lindgren can offer.

While the Maple Leafs selected Lindgren in the fourth round (No. 95 overall) in 2015, he did not open a season in North America until the 2019-20 campaign. As a member of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies, Lindgren first full season on this continent was pockmarked by injuries as well as plenty of healthy scratches.

In fact, the night before the AHL season was halted March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lindgren skated on the right side of the Marlies’ third defensive pairing. Prior to that, he had not dressed since Jan. 24.

This season: Before the trade, on Aug. 12, the Maple Leafs loaned Lindgren to MODO of the HockeyAllsvenken, the second-tier league in Lindgren’s native Sweden. Following the trade, the Penguins opted to honor the loan, realizing Lindgren wasn’t going to develop while waiting for the AHL to resume play.

While MODO has struggled this season – currently in 12th place of a 15-team league with a 7-11-4 record – Lindgren has been one of that squad’s better players. In 22 games, he leads MODO with 17 points, all assists.

The future: Lindgren will remain in Sweden for the time being. He is not part of the roster the Penguins will open training camp with on Sunday.

Should the AHL season start Feb. 5 as hoped, he could be summoned to North America to join that team, but the Penguins seem to realize logistical challenges of bringing over European players and the protocols involved during a pandemic might not be worth the trouble. Should he suit up for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he’ll have to earn playing time while competing with fellow right-handed defensemen such as veteran Zach Trotman and first-year professional Josh Maniscalco.

There’s plenty of intrigue and potential in Lindgren. He’s a sharp passer, an adequate skater and has been playing professionally for a few years. Also, as a right-handed defenseman, he’ll always be in demand.

Given the Penguins’ overall lack of depth in their prospect pool, Lindgren probably has more value to the Penguins than other teams with more options.

Regardless, Lindgren has played very little hockey on this continent for a variety of reasons. If he’s to realize his goal of being an NHL player, he needs to spend an entire campaign in North America at some point.

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