The New York Rangers have made some updates to bring their roster closer to the standard required for the regular season. A total of six players were informed today that they have either been sent down to the minors or released from their PTO.
Rangers send down four players
(D) Nikolas Brouillard –Brouillard was a long shot to make the main roster. He has mainly played in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls for the past three years. It was expected that he was going to be utilized on the AHL roster. Hopefully, with a change of scenery, Brouillard will be able to develop into a capable NHL player.
(C) Karl Henriksson – Henriksson was drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round, 58th Overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Henriksson needed more time in the AHL as last year he did not impress in 70 regular season games he played as he only had 17 points (7 goals and 10 assists). He also played in eight playoff games with the Wolf Pack and he did next to nothing during those games. Henriksson is clearly not ready for the majors and is going to need at least another year or two to develop.
(C) Ryder Korczak – Korczak was drafted by the New York Rangers in the third round, 75th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. Korczak spent most of his time in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitman. Korczak only played five games in the AHL last season in Hartford, so it is not a tremendous shock that the Rangers are going to send him back to Hartford so he can play a full season there to develop further.
(LW) Bobby Trivigno – Trivingo was a player who showed a lot of promise last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Statistically, in 57 games, he scored seven goals and recorded 19 assists. What really demonstrates his growth, though, is his +/- stat for the 2022/23 season. In fact, he led the rookies with a +13 for the season, being on the ice for more positive moments than negative ones.
For an undrafted free agent, that is a pretty impressive stat line to have in his first full AHL season. With a few more years of development and if he can consistently impress the coaches and the organization, there is a chance he could make it to the majors. It all depends on how his development progresses.
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Two players released from PTO
(D) Blake Hillman – Hillman was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the sixth round, 173rd Overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Hillman has spent many years as a journeyman mostly playing in the minor leagues in the AHL and ECHL.
The Rangers announced that “Blake Hillman has been released from his PTO and will report to Harford training camp.”
It looks like Hillman still has interest from the Rangers, but the team is willing to give him more time to try out for the Hartford Wolf Pack. This is not a shock as Hillman did not have a big chance of making the main NHL team with how he has become a journeyman in the minors. It looks like he will get a shot to earn a spot in Hartford, but his spot is not 100% secure. If it was he would have been sent down along with Brouillard, Henriksson, Korczak, and Trivigno.
(D) Adam Clendening – Clendening was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, 36th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. Clendening has been a journeyman playing with various teams in the NHL and AHL
This move is unsurprising. The only thing surprising was that the Rangers brought him back last week. The Rangers were already rich in defensive players on both their AHL and NHL rosters. It was a questionable decision for the Rangers to make to begin with and now Clendening is no longer on the roster. With how much experience he has, he should sign with another AHL squad.
