Rangers sign skilled winger who could push for NHL minutes

The New York Rangers have made a sneaky smart signing to boost their American Hockey League offense with a winger who could bring upside beyond the minors.
Columbus Blue Jackets v Montreal Canadiens
Columbus Blue Jackets v Montreal Canadiens | Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

The New York Rangers' depth for the Hartford Wolf Pack took a hit when Bo Groulx and Alex Belzile departed the organization in free agency, and today they landed a player who has been tearing it up in the minors in recent years.

Trey Fix-Wolansky has signed a contract, and is fresh off a season in which he finished with 26 goals, 34 assists, and 60 points in 65 games.

Fix-Wolansky is an AHL veteran of 289 games, and in that span has 112 goals and 147 assists for 259 points. He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 204th overall pick during the 2018 draft, and stands 5'7" and weighs 194 pounds. Fix-Wolansky turned 26 this past May, and is a right winger that also has appeared in 26 NHL games to date.

The Wolf Pack's leading scorer was Belzile with 56 points, and Groulx was behind him with 37. The year before that, Belzile led the way again with 50 points and behind him was Brennan Othmann with 49 points and Brett Berard and Nic Petan with 48 points each. Fix-Wolansky has had three consecutive seasons of at least 60 points, and his career high came during the 2022-23 season when he finished with a line of 29-42-71 in 61 games played.

The addition of Fix-Wolansky gives the Wolf Pack a legitimate top scoring threat, and also gives the Rangers some insurance in the event of injuries, and a potential callup if one of the younger players on the roster struggles to start the season. There is considerable depth in the fold, but none of them have as strong an AHL track record as Fix-Wolansky. It would be great to see if he can turn the corner from being a near elite AHL player to a serviceable NHL option, and he should get the opportunity to prove himself this upcoming season.