New York have placed four players on waivers today per puckpedia.com. It marks the first indication of cuts to the 48 man roster that the Rangers are currently carrying in Training Camp. The four include forwards Justin Dowling and Jusso Parssinen along with defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and Dennis Cholowski.
It’s likely the Rangers will also send additional players down either today, or after tonight’s game at some point. With just two more preseason games remaining after the Islanders match-up, Mike Sullivan will be looking to whittle down his roster. Some prospects will remain for Game 3 to offset the limitations on veterans who can only play two games.
FINNS FINISHED?
Of the four the only mild surprise is Vaakanainen. He has played 80 games for the Rangers over the past two seasons, including 34 last year. Acquired December 2024 in exchange for Jacob Trouba, Vaakanainen has struggled to keep a spot in the starting line-up.
Last season he was surpassed by Matthew Robertson on the left side and got almost all his games as a result of injuries to other defensemen. With 221 games of experience and only 27, it’s possible he gets claimed tomorrow. If he passes through successfully, he’ll join Hartford to start the year. With the Rangers newfound depth on the blueline, Vaakanainen may find it difficult to get a call-up, though he provides an option that can play either side. An added benefit is the ability to bury $1.225M of his $1.55M cap hit in the minors.
The demotion of center Parssinen is less surprising. After being acquired from the Avalanche in March of 2025, he’s bounced between the Rangers and Hartford. It’s unlikely that the former 7th round pick will get claimed, and he will join his compatriot in the AHL.
Both players are in their final year of their respective contracts, and would not be expected to be resigned unless they can turn their careers around this season.
FORMER DEVILS HEADING DOWN
Both Dowling and Cholowski played the one preseason game, last night against their former team the Devils. Neither player was expected to be considered on the NHL roster and will be joining the Wolf Pack to provide some veteran leadership.
As a development league, the AHL limits game rosters to six veterans. While there is no overall roster limit, the Wolf Pack are likely to hit the veteran limit in most games this season, which will cause some of these guys to have to sit out games.
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