Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom looks forward to ‘long career,' with his next stop at Michigan State

New York Times

05-06-2025

Cayden Lindstrom was flying home to Vancouver on Wednesday, ready to enjoy a full offseason of conditioning and buoyed by the knowledge that the worst of his medical issues — fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc. — were finally behind him.
His surgically repaired back has healed and is continuing to strengthen. That much was proven by Lindstrom's late-season return to action with the Western Hockey League's Medicine Hat Tigers, first in the WHL championship series and then in the Memorial Cup, where Medicine Hat lost in the championship game.
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Lindstrom, the Columbus Blue Jackets' No. 4 overall pick last summer, will need to pay attention to a summer workout program designed to avoid putting too much stress on his back. But he is cleared to return to the routine of being a full-time hockey player.
'Playing those games really helped me (determine) where I'm at physically and mentally,' Lindstrom told The Athletic on Wednesday. 'Now I know what I need to work on during the summer. Now I know I can play games and push myself through some of the effects and it won't harm me in any way.
'(My back) is a lot better. It's still going to take some time to fully feel (like) myself again. That's what it's like when you miss a full year of hockey. But the rest of it (the herniated disc in his lower back) is behind me.'
This is, quite obviously, a huge sigh of relief for the Blue Jackets, who expected Lindstrom to miss the entire season after he had surgery in late November. Medicine Hat's long postseason run and Lindstrom's patient relentlessness in rehabilitation, made it possible.
'We were all watching nervously, of course,' Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said, referring to the club's hockey operations staffers.
'It was important for him to play for multiple reasons. But psychologically, after being out so long and putting in all that work, he could get back into a game and find out he can play without having any issues going forward. That's big for him.'
Lindstrom is now able to make plans for the future.
On Wednesday, he confirmed The Athletic's report in April that he has committed to attend Michigan State University in the fall, making the leap from Medicine Hat — and the Canadian junior ranks — to the NCAA, a move that was forbidden by NCAA rules until recently.
The Blue Jackets have known this was a consideration since they drafted him, which explains why they didn't rush to sign Lindstrom to his three-year, entry-level contract. If he had signed a pro contract, he would have been ineligible for college.
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It will be easier for the Jackets to keep a close eye on Lindstrom in East Lansing, Mich., than it was in Medicine Hat. For Lindstrom, 19, the challenge of playing against older players will help get him ready for the rough-and-tumble world of the NHL, where he's projected to play center as a power forward.
'It was a really hard decision to leave Medicine Hat,' Lindstrom said. '(GM and coach) Willy Desjardins, and (assistant coaches) Joe Frazer and Josh Maser were such great supporters for me in my career. It was super hard, but I'm heading to Michigan State. I committed there, and that's where I'll be playing.
'The travel is so much easier (in college). The facilities (in East Lansing) are great. It'll help me recover my body and put me in a position to have a really long career.'
As Lindstrom spoke on Wednesday, he sounded more relaxed and at ease than he had in previous interviews. He's in a better state of mind, it seems, after returning to hockey after more than a year-long absence.
Lindstrom had two goals, two assists and a plus-3 rating in four games during Medicine Hat's series win over Spokane, and was a dominating force early in the tournament. In Game 3, however, he turned into a leg-on-leg hit with Spokane's Saige Weinstein that caused a few skipped heartbeats within the Blue Jackets' front office.
The resulting injury was a charley horse, and Lindstrom was saddled with it the rest of the way. When Medicine Hat flew to Rimouski, Quebec, for the Memorial Cup, he suffered significant swelling in the leg during the flight, and the decision was made to sit him out in Game 1.
He returned for the final three games, but he wasn't 100 percent. The Blue Jackets received daily updates from Lindstrom, and Waddell said they were pleased with how Medicine Hat and Lindstrom handled the situation.
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'It was pretty bad,' Lindstrom said. 'I tried to play through it (in Game 5 of the WHL championship series), but I didn't want to start compensating, because when you start compensating, it leads to other things.
'I want to play more than anything, but there's a risk-reward in that situation that wouldn't benefit me or the team in any way.'
But his back was never the issue, Waddell said. 'He felt good,' he said. 'Back-wise, he's had no complaints at all.'
CAYDEN. LINDSTROM. 1-0 TIGERS 🚨@TigersHockey | @BlueJacketsNHL | #WHLChampionship pic.twitter.com/WFLUXVkTy8
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) May 12, 2025
Lindstrom will spend the next three weeks in Vancouver, he said, then fly to Columbus in advance of the Blue Jackets' development camp. After barely skating last year, Lindstrom will be a full participant this year, Waddell said.
He will stay in Columbus after development camp, then head to Michigan State in early July for a six-week summer camp with many of his new teammates. Then he'll get a week back home in Vancouver before returning to Michigan State for the start of classes in the fall.
Lindstrom is still a long way from the NHL, but he's now back on the road.
'Missing the whole season was tough,' Lindstrom said. 'But this was kinda my goal the whole year. I knew Medicine Hat was going to go far in the playoffs because we had a really good team, a skilled team. It was my goal to push and help the team for the playoffs.
'Don Waddell and (director of hockey operations) Rick Nash and (trainers) Mike Vogt and Dylan Dewey, they all put so much time and effort into me, and that really means a lot to me. They've helped me get better and get started on a long career.'