The New York Rangers thought there was a chance they could be without Will Borgen for Thursday's game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they called up Scott Morrow to be on the safe side. Borgen was good enough to play, and today the team made a roster transaction which could speak to what will happen with their top defensive prospect.
Connor Mackey assigned to Hartford Wolf Pack
Mackey was called up when Carson Soucy was injured and Matthew Robertson was put into the lineup as his replacement. Morrow joining the roster meant the Rangers had eight defensemen, but this assignment of Mackey drops they back to seven.
UPDATE: Connor Mackey has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
— NY Rangers PR (@NYR_PR) October 17, 2025
With Soucy out, the defense pairings have featured Adam Fox with Vladislav Gavrikov, Borgen and Robertson, and Braden Schneider and Urho Vaakanainen. Right now Soucy is trying to work his way back, and that leaves Morrow on the outside looking in. But the whole point about sending Morrow to Hartford was to give him an opportunity to play, so could the assignment of Mackey hint that they will be making a switch soon?
Urho Vaakanainen could be odd man out
Vaakanainen's ice time has been in decline lately, and it suggests he could be falling out of favor with Mike Sullivan. He logged 17:35, 15:00, and 19:31 through the first three games played, and his last three include 14:10, 12:52, and 13:44 most recently against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The decline in ice time, plus Mackey being sent back to Hartford, would suggest Morrow could get a shot on the right side on Saturday vs. the Montreal Canadiens.
It wouldn't make sense to have Morrow be a healthy scratch again to end the short road trip, especially with the Wolf Pack in action this weekend. The Rangers had talked before the season about giving Schneider some looks on the left side, and him filling Vaakanainen's spot would create an opportunity on the right for Morrow. We will have to wait to see what happens, but it makes sense to give Morrow an opportunity, especially at a time when the team is starving for extra offense.