Lias Andersson is not the prototypical player taken with the seventh-overall pick in the draft. At least, he’s not that prototype anymore.
That conclusion became clear — at least to those outside the organization — soon after the Rangers took the young Swede with that lofty selection in 2017, the pick coming back as part of the deal that sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the Coyotes. Andersson, now 20 years old, wasn’t a physical specimen, coming in around 6-foot and 190 pounds. He didn’t dazzle with his offensive skills and never dropped jaws with his speed.