Bjorkstrand Focused on Earning Role With Rangers

Oliver Bjorkstrand has joined the New York Rangers with the understanding that the opportunity for a top-six role will not be easily attained. The Danish winger spent the previous season primarily playing on the third and fourth lines for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Prior to his reduced role in Tampa Bay, Bjorkstrand spent nearly a decade establishing himself as a reliable middle-six forward with offensive capabilities that suggested he could contend for a spot in the top two lines of an NHL lineup. It is this potential for a more prominent offensive role that attracted him to the Rangers.

"I gotta grab it," Bjorkstrand told The Post, speaking for the first time in a Rangers jersey during the second exhibition game against the Islanders on Tuesday night. "There’s definitely opportunity in this lineup. But, you know, nothing’s going to be given to you. You might get a shot, but you’ve got to prove that you deserve to be there."

He added that his mindset is to find a way to make a significant impact on the team, whether that means securing a top-six, top-nine, or another meaningful role. "It’s on me to find a way to grab a meaningful role if it’s top six or top nine or whatever it is — whatever that meaningful role is — and run with it and keep that. That’s kind of my mindset. It’s just finding a way to have a big impact on this team."