Day: March 7, 2025

With the Trade Deadline almost here, the New York Rangers announced they have extended defenseman Urho Vaakanainen for two more seasons with an average annual value of $1.55M. The signing, along with the acquisition of Carson Soucy from Vancouver yesterday, means the Rangers now have five of their six defensemen locked up for next season.

A former first round pick of the Boston Bruins (2017 – 18th overall), the 26 year old had struggled to cement a starting spot before joining the Rangers in the trade that sent Jacob Trouba to Anaheim. This season is only the second time in which he’s played over 30 games (5 with Anaheim and 30 with the Rangers), after setting a career high of 68 last season.

Rangers General Manager Chris Drury continued his remaking of the Rangers roster with a pair of trades that sent veteran Reilly Smith back to Vegas, and acquired defenseman Carson Soucy from the Vancouver Canucks and prospect center Brendan Brisson from the Vegas Golden Knights.

Both moves serve Drury’s goal of remaking the roster, acquiring a couple of depressed assets at a lower cost, and getting some value out of a player who wasn’t going to return next season.