The New York Rangers would be wise to change the mix of their defense after a disapointing season, and a recent report out of Ottawa should be music to President and General Manager Chris Drury's ears. The report via longtime Senators insider Bruce Garrioch surrounds Jordan Spence, and he's a defender that would be a great pickup that would be a perfect fit for Mike Sullivan's system.
According to Garrioch, "Three league executives told the Ottawa Citizen in the past 72 hours that the club is gauging the NHL’s trade market to see what they might be able to fetch in return for Spence, who is a restricted free agent with the right to file for arbitration."
With that said, let's get into Spence and why he'd be an ideal fit for the Blueshirts.
Who is Jordan Spence?
Spence turned 25 in February, and is a 5'11", 188-pound right shot defenseman who just finished his first season with the Senators. He previously was part of the Los Angeles Kings organization, and he has shown year over year growth from 2023 to present day. He ended this year with a line of seven goals, 24 assists, and 31 points in 73 games, and he averaged 18:44 a night.
We're big fans of Spence, big surprise. He's undersized and can get outmuscled, but plays a very stabilizing and smart game.https://t.co/c3lSY1FyuW pic.twitter.com/1NTnYhsbMF
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 15, 2026
Spence's underlying numbers are even more spectacular, as he posted a 57.56 GF%, a 60.76 CF%, and a 61.73 xGF% which is just an absolutely elite triple slash line in 1,211 minutes spent at 5v5 per Evolving-Hockey. When he was on the ice, Spence generated 2.9 goals for per 60 minutes, and conceded just 2.14 goals against per 60 minutes. That establishes him as a very impactful defender, and the Rangers would be lucky to have him anchor a second pair.
Spence would be an upgrade over Schneider
If the Rangers added Spence he'd be an immediate upgrade over Schneider, and that would be enough of a win. If the Rangers then were able to get anything of value, that would be an even bigger win for the organization. Schneider logged 1,407 minutes at 5v5, and his triple slash line include a 46.28 GF%, a 45.45 CF%, and a 44.61 xGF%. In short, the Rangers lost the minutes in which Schneider was on the ice, and there was nothing redeeming about his play. He was generating offense, pushing the play by possessing the puck, and he certainly wasn't preventing the opposition from scoring.
Schneider turns heads because he is a 6'4" and 214 pounder right shot defender, and that is an archetype that teams generally covet. There is bound to be a team that will look at Schneider and think they can "fix him", and such a team might just look at K'Andre Miller's recent glow up in Carolina as justification for taking a chance. If that's the case, good for them.
Rangers' defense needs to be more modern
In any case, whether or not the Rangers are able to make a move for someone like Spence remains to be seen, but they still should use this summer to change their approach. Adam Fox was the only defender who drove play and generated offense with consistency last season, and they need more players like him on the roster.
Spence has a very impressive profile and is showing signs that a further breakout could be possible, and the team needs more players like him, and less players like Schneider and Will Borgen.
The Rangers have a busy summer ahead of them, and this should be the opportunities they look to pursue, and not spending a ton of money in free agency on players like Mario Ferraro.
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