BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – In an expected move, the New York Rangers have placed defenseman Sean Day on unconditional waivers Saturday with the purpose of terminating the last year of his entry-level contract ($725K-NHL/$70K-AHL).
The 22-year-old defender was selected 81st overall in the third round of the 2016 NHL draft, which was the Rangers’ first pick that year. His brief Wolf Pack career totals were just 62 games with four goals and 18 total points with 21 PIM and glaring minus-24.
In Maine, with the Rangers’ ECHL Affiliates, The Mariners, in 55 contests, Day had nine goals and 35 points with 33 PIM and was a plus-16. While playing in Maine, for about two months, Day was on the top defensive pairing with Brandon Crawley before Crawley’s recall.
Day is famous for having been granted exceptional status in the OHL back in 2013 to play at age 15. At the time, he was only the fourth player ever to receive that status. Three other players have been granted that status since.
This year’s OHL Rookie-Of-The-Year, Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs), and Connor Bedard, who will start his first major junior season in the fall with the Regina Pats, are two of them. Bedard, the number one overall in pick in April’s WHL Bantam Draft, is the first WHL player to be granted that status.
Others who’ve been given that status include, John Tavares (2005), Aaron Eklad (2011), Connor McDavid (2012), and Joe Veleno (2015), who was the first QMJHL player to be given the early status.
Day simply never developed into the player the Rangers expected and with 19 signed organizational depth at defense, the move clears a roster spot for the organization to use whenever the AHL season starts again.
Day’s highwater mark in Hartford was toward the end of the 2018-2019 season. The Wolf Pack had already been virtually eliminated from playoff contention tallying just 13 points in 23 games, and Day ran the powerplay after John Gilmour was recalled to the Rangers. He struggled mightily to build off that moderate success this season, and despite his size and excellent skating skills, it was his decision-making away from the puck that left him vulnerable defensively too many times.
Day registered just three points through 16 games. He suffered through his share of defensive lapses and turnovers led to his demotion in December demotion to Maine in favor of Yegor Rykov, who was coming off an early training camp injury in Traverse City, MI at the Prospects Tourney.
Rykov’s (pronounced Ree-kov) star waned considerably at the end of the season as well. He was a healthy scratch in nine of the last ten games prior to the season being suspended and ultimately canceled.
Rykov has one year left on his entry-level deal. He could be on the move as well when all is said and done.
The Rangers have six defensemen with Jacob Trouba, Marc Staal, Brendan Smith, Tony D’Angelo, Adam Fox, and Ryan Lindgren. ON the blueline, the Wolf Pack has eleven including Vincent LoVerde, and Mason Geersten, who are both under contract on AHL deals for this upcoming season. Libor Hajek and upcoming RFA, Darren Raddysh, are among them.
Group 6 free-agent, Nick Ebert is already exploring European options in Sweden in the Swedish Hockey League and Russia with the KHL.
Nils Lundqkvist is another defenseman expected to come over from Sweden (Lulea HF) after having a solid SHL season and WJC tournament, but with COVID-19 issues he may have to spend another year in Sweden.
Defenseman Matt Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings-WHL), and Tarmo Reunanen (Lukko Rauma Finland-FEL), have played off the first year of their three-year entry-level deals and should be in camp along with K’Andre Miller, who signed his ELC several days before the suspension of the season.
Swedish goalie prospect, and a second-round pick in 2018, and not under currently under contract, Olof Lindbom is also weighing offers from Swedish and Finnish teams for next season.
The Wolf Pack has two other Group 6 free agents in Vinni Lettieri and Danny O’Regan. They also have two UFA’s in team captain and forward, Steven Fogarty, and Matt Beleskey, both of whom have their contracts expire in June.
It’s a possibility that O’Regan would be the only one in that quartet back next season.
The Rangers have three UFA’s, Jesper Fast, Greg McKegg, and former Wolf Pack/CT Whale, and Sound Tiger, Micheal Haley. Fast would be the obvious choice to be signed by the Rangers.
