The Rangers didn’t just add a puck-moving defenseman in Sean Durzi this offseason. They may have added a future media guy, too.
That’s the buzz coming out of NHL broadcasting training camp, where ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported that Durzi drew strong reviews while getting a taste of life on the other side of the microphone. For a Rangers team that reworked its blue line by bringing in Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, it’s an interesting subplot before Durzi has even played a game in New York.
Durzi was part of the return in the trade that sent Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth, along with prospect Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick. The Rangers clearly made defense a priority in their retool, and Durzi fits the bill as the kind of puck-mover they were after. He’s also expected to line up with Pettersson on New York’s second defensive pair.
The broadcasting camp work apparently went well enough to get people talking. Wyshynski noted that Durzi worked with Eddie Olczyk on a call of a Carolina Hurricanes goal by Nikolaj Ehlers from this year’s Stanley Cup Final. Olczyk liked what he heard, though he wanted Durzi to lean more on his own playing experience and mention that he had faced Ehlers before.
Durzi also caught the attention of Steve Mayer, the president of NHL content and events, who wondered out loud whether the experience might make a player think differently about life after hockey.
"I think it's even more interesting when the guy is still playing," Mayer said. "After a taste of this, does he think about the interviews that he does, the content that he's involved with?
Does he look at it a little differently? Does he retire a bit early because he knows he has a future?"
Durzi, for his part, said he’s interested in becoming a media personality someday.
"I'm a big fan of making people feel immersed in a segment. I think the best panels make it feel like you're so zoned in on what they're saying that you forget what's going on in the real world.
I think that's the beauty of sports," said Durzi. "I always had an interest in all of it.
Thought I'd give it a try. It's a lot of fun.
I'm learning a lot."
There’s still plenty of hockey ahead before any of that becomes real. Durzi is under contract for two more seasons before reaching unrestricted free agency, and if he delivers for the Rangers, a contract extension would make plenty of sense.
Last season with the Mammoth, Durzi put up five goals, 22 assists, 88 blocked shots, 40 hits, and a minus-12 rating in 60 games.
So for now, the Rangers are getting a defenseman they believe can help their top four. But if the offseason reviews are any indication, Durzi’s future might not stop at the blue line.
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