The Rangers endured a chaotic Friday that included former captain Jacob Trouba being sent to the Ducks and goaltender Igor Shesterkin being given a historic extension.
Somehow, in the midst of both trades, they played a game that night, defeating the Penguins 4-2 at Madison Square Garden, and added a new addition to the post-Trouba mess with former Duck Urho Vaakanainen. I turned the page.
Nevertheless, it doesn't seem to make any difference to the 25-year-old, who is on his third NHL team in seven years.
“At first I was shocked, then I was excited,” Vaakanainen, acquired as a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025, said after the Rangers' practice in Tarrytown on Saturday.
“My first thought is amazing. The Rangers are an Original Six team,” he continued. “Obviously it's a big team, so I'm very excited to be here. My first thought was obviously a big shock. You probably don't have high expectations that you're going to get traded, but when I heard it was the Rangers, I was excited.”
This new energy will certainly be welcomed by Rangers. The Rangers went completely downhill after building a cushion at 5-0-1, which was a quick turnaround after the 1-6 deficit the team brought into Friday's game.
Trading Trouba was the first step toward a new start, and head coach Peter Laviolette said Friday's events helped calm the situation for a team that lacked motivation, fighting spirit and leadership. I believe it.
“I think so. It's always a tough day. Jacob is a great teammate and person. He's done a really good job here with the New York Rangers,” the head coach said Saturday. “In a nutshell, this is an emotional day for everyone. I thought we could get through it. I thought we had a pretty good run in the morning, but last night's game It led to
However, it is unclear at this point where the Rangers' new talent will fit into the mix.
Vaakanainen, who boarded a red-eye flight to New York, could be found on the Rangers' ice on Saturday afternoon already familiarizing himself with the system.
However, the Rangers have placed the defender on injury reserve due to an upper-body injury.
He was wearing a green non-contact jersey with number 18 on his back.
Vaakanainen doesn't know when he'll be back, but he feels he's “getting close” now that he's shooting and passing the puck on a regular basis.
Laviolette was also vague about the timeline, saying it's “somewhere” between daily and weekly status.
Asked whether Vaakanainen would remain with the group or move to the team's affiliate, Laviolette said: “We'll figure it out when we get there.” “Right now he's on IR and on the ice, which is good for us.”
Vaakanainen, a Finnish native who was selected by Boston with the 18th overall pick in the 2017 draft, believes he can bring “reliability,” “play hard,” and “stable defense” to the Rangers. There is.
His seven NHL seasons have been plagued by injuries, but he has one goal and 24 assists in 141 games.
Vaakanainen appeared in just five games for the Ducks this season, averaging nearly 14 minutes on the ice.
He had one assist and seven blocks.
Despite coming into a Rangers team that is plagued with injuries and six points behind the Hurricanes in first place in the Metropolitan Division standings, Vaakanainen didn't come into the group completely blind.
He is familiar with Kaapo Kakko, who is also from Finland, and played together at the World Juniors in 2019.
“It's been a while since I played with him, but he's a pretty good player,” Kakko said Saturday. “Good D-man…pretty good player.”
The left-hander has the potential to be an inexpensive addition to the Rangers' $1.1 million cap hit to shake up a stagnant defense.
He is scheduled to become a restricted agent this summer.
But perhaps more importantly, the Rangers were able to escape a toxic situation with Trouba.
