NEW YORK – It would be impossible to definitively say that Adam Edstrom made the New York Rangers opening night roster on Tuesday night. But it sure felt that way. The 23-year-old forward scored a goal and registered four shots on goal in 16:48 worth of ice time in the Blueshirts’ 5-4 win over the Devils in their home preseason finale, and appeared to cement his claim to one of at least two seemingly available roster spots with Jimmy Vesey injured and Artemi Panarin’s status to be determined after being unable to finish a second straight game with a lower-body injury. “He’s been good,” said Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette. “I’ve said that from the start; his skating, his size, the way he came to camp in shape…he’s playing fast, he’s playing physical, he’s playing pretty good defense, done a pretty good job on the penalty kill and he’s added offensively. He’s checked a lot of boxes.” At six-foot-seven and 234 pounds, the big Swede moves well for his size and provides a unique profile as someone who can play in all situations. After an 11-game taste of the National Hockey League last year in his first full professional season in North America, Edstrom was hopeful that he’d have an opportunity to crack the big club this season, but also knew there would be plenty of eyes on him as he was fighting for a spot. Fine by him. “I mean, I feel like at the end of the day, it’s just hockey and I’ve done this for such a long time, that I know what I need to do to prepare and know that I have to go out there and play my best every day,” Edstrom said. “I’ve kind of learned through the years as a pro, back in Sweden and over here as well, so in my head it’s just another hockey game and I’ve got to play my best every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s camp or mid-season, you’ve always got to produce and play your best, and that’s what I’m trying to do.” Edstrom scored two goals in those 11 NHL games last year, but spent most of his 2023-24 season in Hartford, where he posted a 11-5–16 line in 40 American Hockey League contests with the Wolf Pack.  But, it was his time in Manhattan where he really learned what it was going to take in this year’s training camp to make him a permanent fixture in the Big Apple. “(That helped) for sure,” he said. “I came in with a lot more confidence here. I’ve been around these guys a good amount of days last year, around the team and the coaches. I feel like I went into an environment where I knew a lot of guys. I got a taste for NHL hockey last year, so I knew what they all expected from me.”