New York Rangers re-sign forward Ty Ronning

The New York Rangers are continuing to make minor signings. Today, the team announced that they have re-signed forward Ty Ronning to a one-year contract. This comes one day after the news of the team coming to terms with both Adam Huska and Tim Gettinger on new contracts.

Ronning showed serious progress this past season with the Hartford Wolf Pack. In 18 games, he notably scored 10 goals and recorded 18 total points. It is nice to see that the 23-year-old is starting to find his offensive touch at the AHL level. Producing at a point-per-game rate in the minors is certainly nothing to scoff at. In fact, he honestly deserves some praise for this.

To be entirely blunt, this rise of production came out of nowhere and was a pleasant surprise. In 2019-20 with the Wolf Pack, Ronning only had a goal and three points in 23 games. He also spent a good chunk of the season with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL because of his struggles. With them, he did have success, as he scored 11 goals and had 24 points in 28 games played. In the 2018-19 with the Wolf Pack, he also only had four goals and five points in 23 games. Again, his offensive numbers rose dramatically this season when it originally seemed unlikely.

Ronning will be back in Hartford again next season.

Although Ronning had a wonderful year in Hartford, it is rather easy to tell he will be playing there again this upcoming season. The rise in his offensive game is definitely promising, but he has too much going against him.

The Rangers have far too much depth on the wing for Ronning to find himself as a part of their lineup. Young forwards like Kaapo Kakko and Vitaly Kravtsov have far higher ceilings and already have more NHL experience. With Ronning also being a player who is primarily known for his skill, he also would not necessarily be the right fit for the fourth-line. The recent additions of Sammy Blais and Ryan Reaves also will have that covered.

They also two veterans who will be competing for the 13th forward spot. Dryden Hunt seems to be the most likely candidate for it, as he had just had a decent campaign in a similar role with the Arizona Coyotes. Greg McKegg also is a veteran who is more accustomed to bottom-six minutes. Gettinger also could be a more likely choice because of his size and has already had short stints with the Rangers. Thus, Ronning’s chances are slim to none.

Yet, the door may not be closed on his NHL future.

Ronning had an excellent season in the AHL, but the sample size was small. If he can produce at that pace over a complete season in the league, he could find himself in the NHL one day soon. When seeing as how he was bouncing from the ECHL and AHL until this past season, it seems too early for it to be now. He needs more time to develop his craft and that is not a bad thing in the slighest.

Ronning will be turning 24-years-old in October, so he is not the youngest of prospects. However, there are plenty of players who join the NHL when they are a little older, so perhaps he could be one of them. In fact, if the injuries start piling on with the Rangers this season, he even may get a short-term call-up. That certainly isn’t definite, but you never truly know how the year will play out. It would be pretty cool for him to officially become an NHLer like his father, Cliff.

Regardless, it will be fascinating to watch how Ronning performs this season with Hartford.