The Rangers defense corps received a bit of a makeover.
In a series of moves on the first day of free agency Wednesday, president and general manager Chris Drury revamped the Blueshirts blue line in more ways than one to add some much-needed puck-moving abilities and two-way elements.
Most notably, the Rangers’ second defense pair will look a lot different than it has the last two seasons.
Sean Durzi was a crucial piece of the Rangers’ return for Vincent Trocheck in a deal with the Mammoth. Coming to New York as part of a package with forward prospect Cole Beaudoin and a third-round pick in 2027, the 27-year-old Durzi is an offensive-minded defenseman with notable playmaking abilities from the blue line.
Not only can he quarterback the second power-play unit, but Durzi is also highly regarded for his transition skills. Breaking the puck out was an issue for the Rangers last season, which made it a priority trait this offseason.
The expectation is he will line up on the right side of Marcus Pettersson, whom the Rangers acquired from Vancouver in exchange for a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2030.
Pettersson, 30, eases what was a considerable drop-off from Vladislav Gavrikov on the left side. Having averaged over 20 minutes per game in each of the last four seasons, Pettersson is also a bona fide top four defender.
There is familiarity there with head coach Mike Sullivan, who had Pettersson for parts of seven seasons in Pittsburgh.
Both Durzi and Pettersson have term remaining on their respective contracts. While Durzi carries a cap hit of $6 million over each of the next two seasons (10-team no-trade list), Pettersson is signed through 2030-31 with a no-move clause that modifies to a 15-team no-trade list in the final three years of the deal.
Drury made room for the two new D by trading Will Borgen to the Bruins. The Rangers acquired a 2027 second-round pick and a conditional third-rounder in 2028 in exchange for the 29-year-old Borgen, whose departure takes a chunk of money off the books the next four seasons.
As per the condition, the Blueshirts will receive Boston’s second-round pick in 2028 if the Bruins make the conference final in either of the next two seasons and Borgen plays in 50 percent of the team’s playoff games.
Borgen, who carries a cap hit of $4.1 million through 2029-30, caps his New York tenure with nine goals and 19 assists in 126 games over the last two seasons.
All the movement on defense Wednesday increases the likelihood of Braden Schneider remaining with the Rangers.
The Rangers extended Schneider a qualifying offer earlier this week to retain his negotiating rights, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see a deal reached soon.
With Durzi-Pettersson as the Rangers second pair, Schneider could maintain the bottom-pair role he’s filled for a majority of his time in New York.
In one day, the Rangers pieced together a much more formidable top four on defense.
With Alberts Smits already added to the mix, after the organization drafted him fifth overall this past weekend, the Rangers are in a much better place defensively for both the short and long term.
