Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi are already getting a feel for each other, and the Rangers are hoping that early connection turns into something useful once the season starts.
The two defensemen talked on the phone last week after separate trades sent them to New York earlier this month. Pettersson was in Prague for former teammate Filip Hronek’s wedding when he crossed paths with Durzi’s agent, Allan Walsh, who also represents Hronek. Walsh made a point of praising Durzi, and that led to a brief conversation between the two players about joining the Rangers and the chance to play together.
“It was nice to get a little bit of a head start on that and being able to exchange a few words with each other,” Pettersson said of his phone call with Durzi.
That kind of early rapport could matter because the Rangers are expected to lean on both players right away. Nothing is official yet, but Pettersson and Durzi are likely to form the second defensive pair, with Pettersson on the left side and Durzi on the right. They each met the media Thursday for the first time since arriving.
The moves are part of a broader offseason reset for New York after back-to-back playoff misses. General manager Chris Drury’s biggest swing came when he traded center Vincent Trocheck, who had been on the block for nearly five months, to the Utah Mammoth. In return, the Rangers got Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin and a third-round pick in 2027.
Durzi brings a 6-1, 196-pound frame and a 27-year-old resume that includes five goals and 22 assists in 60 games for Utah last season.
Drury also sent a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2030 to the Vancouver Canucks for Pettersson. That deal brings Pettersson back together with coach Mike Sullivan, who coached him for parts of seven seasons in Pittsburgh before Pettersson moved on to Vancouver for the last two years.
Pettersson said he and Sullivan have a “great relationship” and that the coach’s pace fits the way he plays. The 30-year-old is 6-5, 174 pounds, and he arrives as a defense-first presence after playing all 82 games last season and finishing with three goals and 15 assists in 2025-26.
With Will Borgen now traded to Boston, the Rangers’ right side appears to open the door for Durzi behind Adam Fox, while Pettersson is expected to slot in behind Vladislav Gavrikov on the left.
“Marcus and Sean could be a good pair together,” Drury told reporters on July 2.
The two defensemen may not know exactly how the lineup will shake out, but both were quick to speak well of the other. Pettersson said former Penguins teammate John Marino, who played with Durzi the last two seasons in Utah, had good things to say about both Durzi’s game and his personality. Pettersson also pointed to Durzi’s skating, his ability to move the puck and the bite he brings.
Durzi returned the favor, praising Pettersson and the group he’s joining.
“I know Marcus' game is incredible,” Durzi said. “You look at this D core - it's a solid D core.
It's a lot of great players; it's an exciting D core. I think whatever they have planned for me, I think that's what I'm willing to do.
If I'm lucky enough to play with Marcus, then I think it's an exciting pair.”
Durzi said he was surprised by the trade after helping Utah reach the playoffs last season, though he added that hockey is a business.
Pettersson’s move carried its own wrinkle. He left a Canucks team that missed the playoffs in both of his seasons there and waived a no-movement clause to make the deal happen. He said the trade came together quickly, and that he agreed to it because he grew up idolizing the Rangers as an Original Six team.
Both players sounded upbeat about what they found when they landed in New York. Pettersson said the expectations and the energy around the team are high, and he pointed to watching the Knicks win their third NBA title as part of his sense for what the city can be like. Durzi said the Rangers have a strong blend of veterans and younger players, which makes the group appealing.
For both men, the message was simple.
“It’s win a Stanley Cup,” Durzi said. “That's why we show up every day.”
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