New York Rangers re-sign defenseman Libor Hájek

The New York Rangers have signed Libor Hájek to a one-year, two-way contract. It will pay him $874,125 at the NHL level and $70,000 in the minors. With this signing, the Rangers have locked up all of their restricted free agents for the upcoming season.

This signing does not come as too much of a surprise, as it was reported last week by Mollie Walker of the New York Post that a contract was close to being finalized. When looking at the official details of the deal, it is hard to complain about. It is very cheap at the NHL level and does not hurt that it’s also a two-way deal.

Hájek originally made his debut with the Rangers during the 2018-19 season, where he had a goal in five games. He followed that up with five assists in 28 games the year after. This season, he scored two goals and had four points in 44 games with the NHL club. He also played 10 games with HC Kometa Brno of the ELH. With them, he recorded two assists.

Yet, we may not see him as often this upcoming season with the Rangers.

When looking at the way the roster is currently constructed heading into this upcoming season, it is apparent that Hájek has a lot of competition. The Rangers signed Patrick Nemeth for the bottom-pair, which knocked any chance of Hájek being in their top-six on the left side. Furthermore, Nils Lundkvist is also set to begin his NHL career and will likely be making up the other half of the pair after how well he played in the SHL last season with Luleå HF.

The idea of him being their seventh defenseman also seems to be in jeopardy. The Rangers signed Jarred Tinordi to add toughness and he is perfectly suited for that role. They also have another prospect in Zac Jones who has the ability to pass him on the depth chart. Anthony Bitetto could stick around as a depth player, as he was exactly that for the Rangers last season. It also is important to remember that they have Braden Schneider in their prospect pool, too.

We will have to see what Hájek’s role with the Rangers will be this season. Perhaps he could even become a potential trading piece if he’s unable to crack the roster. Regardless, he is still a member of the Rangers heading into next season.