The New York Rangers have secured some depth up front for the next couple of seasons.
On Wednesday, the team announced they have signed forward Jonny Brodzinski to a two-year contract extension, set to kick in next season.
The deal, which is a one-way agreement for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, carries a $787,500 AAV. It is a little pay bump for the 30-year-old center, who is in the final year of a two-year contract with a $762,500 cap hit.
With the extension, the Rangers now have 30 out of a possible 50 standard player contracts signed for next season, and 14 signed through the 2025-26 campaign.
Brodzinski is hoping the deal gives him some more stable time in the NHL. Since breaking into the league with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2016-17 season, the Ham Lake, Minnesota native has bounced up and down between the NHL and American Hockey League. He has served as the captain of the Rangers’ primary affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, for the past three seasons.
The former St. Cloud State product is having a career year with the Blueshirts. In 37 appearances, Brodzinski has scored four goals and 11 assists, the first time in his career that he has hit the 10-point mark in one season. His games played surpasses his previous best, as he played 35 games with Los Angeles during the 2017-18 campaign.
Brodzinski has played 138 games in the NHL, with a brief stop with the San Jose Sharks mixed in between his time with the Kings and Rangers, notching 13 goals and 19 assists. He played one game during the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022.
In 331 AHL games, he has totaled 132 goals and 147 assists.
The Rangers (37-16-3) are set to face the rival New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. The Blueshirts are still at the top of the Metropolitan Division, six points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. They are also one point back of the Florida Panthers for the best record in the East.
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