The Rangers added depth to their defensive line on Friday, acquiring former Penguins guard Chad Ruhwedel at the trade deadline and bringing him back on a one-year, two-way contract.
An industry source told The Post that Ruhwedel’s NHL salary will be $775,000, with $450,000 in total guarantees.
The Rangers will have just over $7.3 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, but they have some flexibility as they have four players on two-way contracts on their projected roster.
The Rangers used their 2027 fourth-round pick to acquire Ruhwedel from Pittsburgh in March, and the 34-year-old has appeared in five games for the Blueshirts.
He didn’t record a point on Broadway, but he did play in 47 games with the Penguins last season, recording one goal and three assists.
The Rangers would need to re-sign restricted free agents Braden Schneider and Ryan Lindgren, but if they are able to do that, Ruhwedel would now slot in as the team’s seventh defenseman.
Lindegren was one of 14 players who filed for arbitration last week ahead of the NHL deadline.
Ruhwedel has filled that role regularly in the past, most notably during his eight-year tenure with the Penguins, which included winning the Stanley Cup in 2017.
After Erik Gustafsson signed with the Red Wings in free agency, Zach Jones enters training camp as the front-runner to take the Swede’s third-pairing spot.
However, Ruhwedel is currently likely to start the year on an NHL roster, but he will likely face competition from the likes of Ben Harper, Connor McKee and Matthew Robertson.
Earlier in the offseason, a more serious blue line reshuffle appeared to be in the cards, with a trade being discussed that would have sent captain Jacob Trouba to Detroit ahead of free agency.
But according to The Washington Post’s Larry Brooks, that plan didn’t go through because Trouba wanted to remain in New York with his wife in the hospital.
Keeping Ruhwedel in the team would be another step, albeit a small one, towards stabilising the Rangers’ defence.
