Rangers Adding Durzi & Pettersson Is a Big Upgrade to Defense Corps

The New York Rangers have already made significant moves this offseason. They traded away one of their most reliable centers, Vincent Trocheck, to the Utah Mammoth, but acquired a talented goal scorer, Pavel Dorofeyev, from the Vegas Golden Knights. They also acquired two talented defensemen in separate trades: Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, who should form a strong second-pairing this season.

Durzi and Pettersson Are an Ideal Pair

The Rangers acquired Durzi in the Trocheck trade. The right-handed defenseman began his career with the Los Angeles Kings, finishing with three goals and 24 assists in 64 games as a rookie in 2021-22. He spent two seasons with them before tying his career high in goals (9) and setting a career high in points (41) in 76 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24. He spent his last two seasons with the Utah Mammoth, including scoring five goals and 22 assists in 60 games last season.

At 27 years old, Durzi should be a contributor on New York’s blue line for years to come. He is a good playmaker, has a good shot, and has already spent the past few seasons as a top-four defenseman. At 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, he has the size and strength to win puck battles, and though he takes some risks to generate offense, the hope is that having a strong defensive defenseman as his partner will allow him to be more aggressive on offense.

The Rangers also traded for Pettersson, a 30-year-old left-handed defenseman. He began his career with the Anaheim Ducks in 2017-18, but was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018-19. He set a career high in points with them in 2023-24 with four goals and 26 assists in 82 games. Last season, he had three goals and 15 assists in 82 games with the Vancouver Canucks.

Unlike Durzi, Pettersson is more of a shutdown defenseman. He is 6-foot-5 and uses his reach to stick check and get into shooting and passing lanes. He also makes good passes out of the defensive zone to start breakouts. He relies on positioning and intelligence to defend, and he is also capable of chipping in offensively.

Rangers Need a Strong Second Pairing

Last season, the Rangers had an excellent top pairing of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, but their other defense pairs were shaky. They had too many defensive defenseman, including Matthew Robertson, Will Borgen, Braden Schneider, and, in the first half of the season, Carson Soucy.

The lack of offensive production from the blue line, outside of their top pair, became a big problem when Fox spent two separate stints on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Gavrikov stepped up and produced more offensively but made some uncharacteristic defensive mistakes. None of the Rangers’ other defensemen could much offensively, and the team fell well out of the playoff race during Fox’s second stint on LTIR.

The hope is that Durzi and Pettersson will help each other and become the reliable second defensive pairing the Rangers need. Durzi should be able to provide some offensive production, while Pettersson is strong defensively. If they play to their potential, they should take pressure off the top pair, which will be key.

The Rangers Should Be Better Than Last Season

After a disappointing 2025-26 season, the Rangers have added some key players this offseason, including a proven scorer in Dorofeyev. Adding Durzi and Pettersson could be the difference on defense. They also have some talented young players, and the hope is that they will be competing for a playoff spot this season.