New York Rangers’ 2025-26 Report Cards: Urho Vaakanainen

The New York Rangers did not reach their potential in 2025-26 and finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. However, a bright spot was the play of many of New York’s young homegrown players, especially in the second half of the season, and they took playing time away from some of the team’s veterans, including defenseman Urho Vaakanainen.

Performance in 2025-26

The Rangers acquired Vaakanainen from the Anaheim Ducks along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for Jacob Trouba. He did a nice job with his new team, playing on their third pair and providing steady, reliable defensive play. He had two goals and 13 assists in 46 games with New York, while averaging 16:43 in ice time per game. After the season, general manager Chris Drury signed him to a two-season, $3.1 million contract extension.

Last season, Vaakanainen made the Rangers’ opening night lineup after he once again was solid defensively in the preseason. However, the team struggled offensively, and they did not get much production from their defensemen besides Adam Fox early on, and that led to less ice time for Vaakanainen.

Vaakanainen has good size and reach at 6-foot-2 and relies on positioning to defend; however, he does not play with much physicality, and a few times he was knocked off the puck, leading to scoring chances for opponents. Rookie defenseman Matthew Robertson got an opportunity to play when the Rangers had a few defensemen out injured, and he made the most of his opportunity. His shoot-first mentality helped the team; he played with physicality, and he earned a spot in the lineup once the injured players returned.

When Vaakanainen was in the lineup, he got limited ice time on the Rangers’ third defensive pair. He did not play poorly, but got outplayed by some of New York’s younger defensemen. He finished the season with no goals and six assists in 34 games, while averaging 13:51 in ice time per game.

Uncertain Role This Season

The Rangers made some key moves to improve their defense core this offseason as they acquired Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson in separate trades. They also traded blueliner Will Borgen to the Boston Bruins in exchange for draft picks. They already had an excellent first defensive pair of Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, and the hope is that the new additions will form a strong second defense pair.

In addition to the trades, the Rangers re-signed Braden Schneider to a one-season, $5.5 million deal. The righty will likely play on New York’s third defense pair with Robertson, who is a lefty. Lefty defenseman Drew Fortescue, who played well in nine games with New York late last season, is another candidate to play on the third defense pair, but the 21-year-old may end up playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) instead. They also drafted lefty defenseman Alberts Smits number five overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and he also has a shot at making the team.

If all of the Rangers’ defensemen stay healthy, it will be difficult for Vaakanainen to get into the lineup. His playing time had already decreased last season, and the new additions will only make it tougher for him to get opportunities. If he plays well in the preseason, he will likely be the team’s seventh defenseman and could step into the lineup if any defensemen miss time.

Overall Grade

Vaakanainen struggled to get consistent ice time in his second season with the Rangers and did not play as well as he did in 2024-25. He gets a C for his play in 2025-26. The hope is that if there are injuries on defense for New York this season, he will be able to fill in and provide reliable defensive play.