The Rangers have added another name to a defense group that already has its top end pretty well mapped out, and Vincent Iorio now enters the picture as someone worth watching.
Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson look set for the biggest defensive jobs, while Braden Schneider feels like the safest bet behind them. After Friday’s signing, Iorio joins the mix for whatever remains at the bottom of the depth chart.
That doesn’t make him a lock to stay in New York. In fact, his contract setup points toward Hartford. But there is still a path for him to stick around and make a case for himself, even if it’s not the most likely outcome.
The Rangers already took a look at Iorio last season after claiming him off waivers from San Jose. He appeared in six games with the varsity squad, averaged 13:05 a night, finished with no points and a neutral rating of zero. The underlying numbers weren’t kind, though six games is hardly enough to draw a final verdict.
What makes the move interesting is that the Rangers clearly think there may be something there. Iorio is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and he was a second-round pick in 2021. That’s enough pedigree to suggest the front office believes it can get more out of him than Washington did.
He’ll turn 24 in November, so time is no longer on his side. Still, the Rangers have seen a similar path before. Matthew Robertson made the roster out of training camp at 24 and then posted six goals, 12 assists and 18 points in 72 games after a long AHL stretch that hadn’t exactly screamed breakout.
Robertson’s background makes him a useful comparison because he, too, was a second-round pick. The Rangers may also be betting that more time with Mike Sullivan can help unlock something. Sullivan has had success stories with defensemen before, including Chad Ruhwedel, who unexpectedly played some strong hockey under him, along with Pettersson, who became a capable top-four defender in Pittsburgh, and Ryan Shea, another young player who found his footing there.
None of that guarantees Iorio turns into a real contributor. But the profile is close enough to Schneider’s that the Rangers may have seen another version of that player and decided it was worth adding before a potential trade changes the picture.
On the right side, the competition is pretty thin beyond Iorio and Scott Morrow. The left side has more options, with Robertson already there, Urho Vaakanainen in the mix as a possible veteran depth piece, Drew Fortescue in Hartford and Alberts Smits as the wild card.
If Iorio doesn’t crack the opening roster, he’ll need to pass through waivers. He’d probably clear, since he’s still something of an unknown. Even so, the feeling here is that the Rangers may want to keep him close and see whether there’s a player in there worth developing further.
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