Rangers sign Urho Vaakanainen to two-year, $3.1 million contract
After making a pair of moves Thursday, the New York Rangers turned their attention to signing Urho Vaakanainen to a two-year, $3.1 million contract Friday, shortly before the NHL Trade Deadline arrived at 3 p.m. ET.
The 26-year-old could have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after this season. Instead, the Rangers locked him into a nice price point for a trusted third-pair defenseman.
Vaakanainen has played well in that role since he was acquired in an early December trade with the Anaheim Ducks for former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba. With the Rangers, Vaakainen has two goals — he only had one in 141 NHL games prior to landing on Broadway — and nine points, averaging 15:59 TOI in 30 games.
He’s also ninth on the Rangers for players who’ve appeared in at least 20 games averaging 3.25 blocked shots per 60 minutes.
Since Adam Fox sustained an upper-body injury five games ago, Vaakanainen took on a bigger role 5v5 and displayed his versatility by playing on both the left and right side. Last season with the Ducks, Vaakanainen played a top-four role and averaged 17:29 TOI.
A first-round pick (No. 18 overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, Vaakanainen has been somewhat of a late bloomer. He played an NHL career-high 68 games with the Ducks last season, when he recorded a career-best 14 points (one goals, 13 assists).
He’s been a solid fit with the Rangers, where he even notched the first three-point game (one goal, two assists) of his career when they defeated the New York Islanders 5-1 on Feb. 25.
Related: Rangers trade grades after acquiring Carson Soucy from Canucks
Rangers revamped defense corps this season
Vaakanainen is the second defenseman acquired by the Rangers this season who went on to sign a new contract. Will Borgen, who was picked up from the Seattle Kraken in the Kaapo Kakko trade shortly after Vaakanainen arrived in New York, agreed to a five-year, $20.5 million contract. Borgen would’ve been an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
The Rangers traded for four defensemen during the season. Along with Vaakanainen and Borgen, New York also added Calvin de Haan last week from the Colorado Avalanche and Carson Soucy on Thursday in a deal with the Colorado Avalanche.
The two most recent moves created a glut of left-shot defensemen on the roster. Five of New York’s seven healthy defensemen (Fox, a righty, is sidelined) shoot left-handed.
It’s still to be determined how it all shakes out when Fox returns. For now, Zac Jones switched to his off side, and Vaakanainen did so previously.
Soucy is meeting the Rangers in Ottawa for their game Saturday against the Senators. Coach Peter Laviolette said he expects Soucy to be in the lineup even though he didn’t practice with his new team Friday.
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