Urho Vaakanainen’s second season with the Rangers was a mixed bag, and the biggest issue was simple: he couldn’t hold onto a steady role.
New York’s 2025-26 season went off the rails, ending with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, but the club did get a lift from a wave of younger homegrown players, especially after the midpoint of the year. That surge pushed some veterans down the depth chart, Vaakanainen included.
The Rangers had acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks in the Jacob Trouba deal, along with a fourth-round pick, and he gave them exactly the kind of calm, dependable minutes they were looking for at first. He settled into the third pair and brought steady defensive work, finishing with two goals and 13 assists in 46 games while averaging 16:43 per night. After the season, general manager Chris Drury rewarded him with a two-season, $3.1 million extension.
But last year didn’t unfold the same way. Vaakanainen made the opening night lineup after another solid preseason, yet New York’s offense sputtered early and the defense corps wasn’t getting much production beyond Adam Fox. That combination cut into Vaakanainen’s ice time.
At 6-foot-2, he has the size and reach to defend effectively, and he leans on positioning to do it. The problem is that he doesn’t bring much physical force, and there were moments when he got knocked off the puck and the other team turned that into chances.
While he was dealing with that shrinking role, rookie Matthew Robertson seized his opportunity when injuries opened a door. Robertson’s shoot-first approach and physical edge helped him stick once the lineup got healthier.
Vaakanainen never really hurt the team, but he also didn’t separate himself from the younger options around him. When he did play, it was mostly on the third pair and in limited minutes. His final line reflected that slide: no goals, six assists, and 34 games played, with 13:51 in average ice time.
The path forward looks crowded. The Rangers added Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson in separate trades, then sent Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins for draft picks. With Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov already in place as the top pair, the hope is that the new arrivals can form a strong second pair.
New York also brought back Braden Schneider on a one-season, $5.5 million deal, and he’s expected to line up on the third pair with Robertson, a lefty. Drew Fortescue is another option after playing well in nine games late last season, though the 21-year-old could end up with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League instead. The Rangers also used the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on lefty Alberts Smits, who has a chance to make the team as well.
That leaves Vaakanainen in a tricky spot. If everyone stays healthy, cracking the lineup will be tough. If he has a strong preseason, he could land as the seventh defenseman and wait for an opening when injuries hit.
For now, the grade fits the season: a C. Vaakanainen wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t as effective as he was in 2024-25, and he spent too much of the year fighting for minutes instead of locking them down.
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