The Rangers have started trimming the camp roster, and four players are now on waivers with the intention of being assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack: Dennis Cholowski, Justin Dowling, Jusso Parssinen, and Urho Vaakanainen.
The moves come as the club moves closer to its opening night decisions, and not every name on the list carries the same level of surprise. Cholowski and Dowling were the easier calls.
Cholowski has spent most of his career as a player moving between the NHL and AHL, and he was brought in to provide depth on defense in Hartford. Dowling was added before last season for a similar reason up front.
He did dress for two games with the Rangers last season, but his main value has been as a veteran presence for the Wolf Pack.
Parssinen and Vaakanainen were a little more interesting. Both had a path to a spot as an extra skater, but neither made much of a push in the first preseason game. Parssinen has gotten looks with the Rangers before, and at this point it does not seem, especially with the current coaching staff, that there is much appetite to keep him around.
Vaakanainen was in a similar spot. Some thought he might hang on as the seventh defenseman, but the Rangers already have Matthew Robertson, Scott Morrow, and Vincent Iorio positioned ahead of him on the depth chart. They could also be factoring in Alberts Smits, who is set to make his Broadway preseason debut tonight at Madison Square Garden against the New York Islanders.
If all four clear waivers, they should be important pieces for Hartford this season. More roster movement is expected after the Rangers’ second preseason game.
In Other News...
Rangers Opener Brought One Bigger Concern Than The Final Score
The Rangers preseason opener ended with a 3-2 loss to the Devils, but the final score was only part of the concern. New Jersey got the winner late in the third period from Jack Hughes and controlled the shot count 31-18, while the Rangers spent much of the night trying to find their footing in a game that had the feel of an early test more than a finished product.
Adam Sykoras night ended early with a lower-body injury, and there was more unease afterward when Vincent Iorio was also being evaluated postgame. For a team still sorting out its depth and lineup options this time of year, those are the kinds of details that can matter more than a September result, especially with the season still weeks away and the injury picture not yet fully clear. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Suddenly Have A Goalie Decision They Can't Easily Dodge
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Now the issue is no longer just about one preseason outing, but about how New York sorts out its goaltending depth behind Igor Shesterkin. The offseason addition of Joonas Korpisalo complicates the picture, and the Rangers have to decide whether Garand is ready to stay in the fold or whether the risk of putting him on waivers changes the math. Garand, for his part, is focused on controlling what he can and competing, while the organization keeps weighing the present against what it wants that position to look like going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Preseason Debut Puts New Faces Under Immediate Pressure
The Rangers are wasting no time giving their new-look roster a real test in preseason action against the Islanders, and the first lineup of the fall already says plenty about where the pressure points are. Top-six forwards are in the mix, the full defense group is dressed, and Igor Shesterkin is in goal, a clear sign the club wants a close look at how its regular pieces and newcomers fit together before the games start counting.
Several players will get their first crack in a Rangers sweater, including Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, while the rest of the lineup offers an early glimpse at how the coaching staff is sorting through combinations. There are still roster spots up for grabs, especially among the forwards, and the battle for those final openings is already underway with the preseason barely beginning. [Read more 🡒]