Day: July 1, 2026

Rangers GM Chris Drury continued to build organizational depth with two more signings late on day one of free agency, adding Center Glenn Gawdin and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo. Both players have some NHL experience, though they almost certainly will be destined to play down in Hartford. Each signing adds a little more depth to key areas that were at the top of the Rangers wish-list going into the offseason.

The 29 year old Gawdin has not seen the NHL since the 2023-24 season, and has just 13 games to his name, but did manage to put up 51 points in 71 games for the Ontario Reign of the AHL last season, putting him in the middle six for forwards. As a right shot, he also can play Center or Right Wing which gives the Pack a few options as they put their line-up together.

In yet another move on a busy day, Ranger GM Chris Drury has traded defenseman Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2027 2nd round pick and a conditional 2028 3rd round pick. With the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson earlier in the day, the Rangers had too many defensemen, and this allowed them to free up some space and perhaps cement Braden Schneider’s return to the line-up for next season.

Originally acquired from the Seattle Kraken as part of the deal that sent them former 2nd overall pick Kaapo Kakko two seasons ago, Borgen proved to be a little inconsistent as a second pair defender, contributing to team-wide struggles getting the puck up ice and out of their own end. It wasn’t all bad with Borgen, though he was probably most successful when he was largely unnoticed.

After widely having been reported this week to be pursuing young Carolina defenseman Alexander Nikishin, Rangers GM Chris Drury took a bit of a turn, reaching out to the Vancouver Canucks and acquiring Marcus Pettersson in exchange for a top-10 protection 1st round pick in the 2030 draft, the second first round pick he’s parted with this off-season.

The move cost Drury no current assets, and allowed him to shore up a left side defense that struggled last year even with the emergence of Matthew Robertson as a viable NHLer in his first full season. The 30 year old Pettersson reunites with his former bench boss, having been part of the Pittsburgh Penguins under current Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan. At 6-5 174, Pettersson is known more for his puck handling than his physicality, and he’s struggled on a Canucks team that has been in disarray over the past couple of seasons like the Rangers.

In perhaps their biggest move of the day so far, Chris Drury has traded center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Sean Durzi, prospect center Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third round pick. The trade ends a months-long saga that began before last season’s trade deadline when the Rangers indicated they’d be interested in moving on from the affordable center.

After failing to make a deal at the trade deadline, Drury was reportedly still asking for a high price for Trocheck, and there were even reports that the Rangers hoped that Dylan Larkin would be traded first in order to open up the trade market for the next best center available. As it turns out he elected not to wait, and appears to have chosen the deal that most fits his offseason plan of strengthening the center and defensive positions with players that are either already in the NHL or close to it.

With their third transaction of the day, the Rangers signed winger Oliver Bjorkstand to a one year $4.5 million contract, adding a right-handed forward who can play either wing. The 31 year old had 12 goals and 32 points in 80 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, and has 184 goals and 416 points in 704 NHL games.

Drafted by the Blue Jackets in the 3rd round of the 2013 entry draft, the Dane has also played for the Kraken and Lighting, making the Rangers his fourth NHL team. Last season with Tampa was a bit of a down year, particularly on goal scoring where his 12 goals were well below his career average of 21. A middle six forward who averages around 15:30 over his career, he should see time on the second PP unit, though is unlikely to kill penalties.

With their first signing, the Rangers have filled one of their needs, signing 26 year old center Joe Veleno to fill the fourth line center role to replace Sam Carrick after he was traded at last year’s deadline. Veleno comes to the Rangers on a one year deal worth $1.2M, having played 367 games with Detroit, Chicago and most recently Montreal where he recorded 2 goals and 3 assists in 61 games last year.

The 6-1 201lb Montreal native is a low risk signing for Chris Drury, and provides a relatively proven option for the bottom six, including being proficient in the face off dot where he had a 51.6% win rate last season, including a 56.6% in the defensive zone. He averages just under 13 minutes of ice across his career, though he was closer to 12 this past season in Montreal. In addition to his faceoff proficiency, he also provides a penalty killing option for coach Mike Sullivan, giving the team another dimension to his game.

The Rangers got free agency kicked off with a trade, acquiring 32 year old Finnish goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins in exchange for prospect forward Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth round pick. The acquisition provides needed goaltender depth for the organization that faced the prospect of going into the regular season with Igor Shesterkin as their starter, but questions over who’d back him up, or step up should he suffer another injury.

Dylan Garand made a strong debut last season, going 2-0-1 late in the season, and was recently extended for two years, removing the risk of losing him as a Group VI UFA next year. However the organization continues to remain cautious about his prospects, and the addition of Korpisalo does provide some cover. The move also pushes last year mid-season signing Spencer Martin down the depth chart. Martin had projected as the starter of the Wolf Pack after joining the team after beginning the year in the KHL. The veteran struggled with the Rangers, going 1-3-0 in his 6 appearances, posting a below par save percentage of .864 to go with an eye watering 4.13 GAA. By contrast, Garand recorded .948 and 1.61 respectively, though at a point when the team in front of him was playing more effectively.