Lias Andersson wants out.
The Rangers confirmed to The Post on Saturday that Andersson formally requested a trade and is no longer with the club. Andersson, whom the Rangers took with the No. 7 pick in 2017, skated in just 66 games over parts of three seasons in New York.
General manager Jeff Gorton is expected to use the holiday roster freeze, which ends Dec. 27, to shop Andersson around the league.
Despite starting this season on the opening-night roster, which he earned through strong performances in the preseason and training camp, Andersson didn’t adapt well to the fourth-line role he was given. He recorded just one assist through 17 games this season while averaging 9:33 of ice time.
The 21-year-old center was sent down to Hartford, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, on Nov. 17. The demotion came the day after he recorded less than four minutes of ice time in a 4-3 loss against the Panthers. The hope was that Andersson would get first-line minutes and develop consistency in his game, but it seems the young Swede wasn’t on board with the plan.
In 2017-18, his first season with the club, Andersson skated in seven games for the Rangers after receiving the call up on March 26. The following season, which Andersson split between New York and Hartford, was when his relationship with the organization began to falter. A combination of several healthy scratches and the inability to hold on to an NHL roster spot cast a shadow over his second season.
There was no question Andersson beat out Filip Chytil during this year’s training camp and preseason, which was why Chytil was initially sent down to the AHL to start the season while Andersson played in the first 17 games. Chytil benefited from his time in Hartford and was recalled on Oct. 28 and has been with the club ever since.
Coach David Quinn was questioned for his decisions to put Andersson on the fourth line and cap his ice time this season, but Andersson never really did anything to earn a top-six spot. Since joining the Wolf Pack over a month ago, he had recorded five points (four goals, one assist) in 13 games.
Andersson finished with nine career points (three goals, six assists) for the Rangers.
Kaapo Kakko had a maintenance day Saturday after blocking three shots in the Rangers’ loss to Toronto the night before.
The 18-year-old winger is questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the Ducks at Madison Square Garden, with Quinn categorizing him as “day-to-day.” If Kakko is unavailable, Quinn said Brett Howden will likely slot in as a wing on the third line.
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