The New York Rangers are already juggling pieces one week into the 2026-27 NHL season, and the latest move puts one of their top prospects right in the spotlight.
After center Joe Veleno left the Rangers’ most recent game against the Utah Mammoth with a lower-body injury, New York finished the night with just 11 forwards and still managed to pull out a 4-2 win. Veleno was in a lot of pain, and with his status uncertain, the Rangers needed to sort out their roster quickly.
That led to a surprising decision: defenseman Matthew Robertson was placed on waivers. The expectation was that the move would help create room for a replacement at fourth-line center. On Oct. 6, the same day the team learned Robertson had cleared, Veleno was placed on IR.
Robertson did clear, and he’ll head to the Hartford Wolf Pack, giving the Rangers a chance to keep some depth on hand while also letting him get steady ice time. He has not appeared for New York at the NHL level this season.
With the opening now available, the Rangers have turned to Cole Beaudoin. The club recalled the young center from Hartford, and he is very likely to make his debut against the New York Islanders.
Beaudoin was the centerpiece of the trade with the Mammoth, a deal built around Vincent Trocheck. New York also received defenseman Sean Durzi, plus a 2027 third-round pick, in addition to the 2024 first-round pick.
The Rangers announced the transaction plainly: “Cole Beaudoin has been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack. Matthew Robertson has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.”
Beaudoin wasted no time making noise in the AHL. He posted three points in his debut, a 5-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, then added two more in a 3-2 victory against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Through that early stretch, he has one goal, four assists and a plus/minus of +4.
That kind of start likely helped push him ahead of other options, including Justin Dowling, who has NHL experience and is also in the Wolf Pack system.
For Beaudoin, this is a real chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. For the Rangers, it’s also a reminder of how thin things can get down the middle.
There had been plenty of talk about what an injury to Mika Zibanejad or J.T. Miller would mean for the team, but this situation has made the point clear: any absence in that center group creates a hole that has to be filled fast.
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