How Does Urho Vaakanainen Factor Into the New York Rangers Moving Forward?

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After Jacob Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, Urho Vaakanainen joined the organization as a depth defenseman. The Finnish blue liner is on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury but is back on the ice in a non-contact jersey. It will be a while until we see the Finn in the NHL if he is immediately introduced to the Rangers roster. With his cap hit, the Rangers may waive him, send him down, or flip him.

But let's assume the idea is to have him as one of the seven defensemen in the NHL. What does Vaakanainen bring? Well, at 6'2, 200 lbs, he offers the same size and physicality aspect as Trouba did. He doesn't have the same dynamic hitting aspect where Trouba can lay a hit to change a game. That's very rare, and you cannot expect every defenseman to have it, but Vaakanainen does offer more, and Trouba doesn't.

For one, Vaakanainen will only cost the Rangers $1.1 million against the cap. That's completely buriable if he doesn't perform up to the standard the Rangers want him to. He's also a much more natural skater than Trouba. Despite playing on an Anaheim team that's been rebuilding, Vaakanainen isn't going to win the Norris, but he's not a lost cause defensively. It'll take him time to adjust if he does get into this lineup, too.

Vaakanainen is also a left-shot, whereas Trouba was a righty so that the roster might require rebalancing. While Victor Mancini can play both sides, he's still a rookie. It's a lot to ask of the young man to learn to play at the NHL level while playing on his weaker side. If the Rangers visit that well too often, they may have regrets. Perhaps a move for another RD is on the table.

This is all semantics for the moment. Whether Vaakanainen's partner is Jones, Schneider, Mancini, or anyone else, he will get a chance to prove he belongs in the New York Rangers future plans. At just 25, he's getting to his final chances in this league. It would be an incredible story for this man to finally find a home at this level, but it requires a few good performances from the Finn.

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