On the summer solstice, the Rangers were in the news for the second time in three days. They agreed to terms on a two-year contract with restricted free agent Matthew Robertson earlier today.

The first year of the deal is two-way, with Robertson able to still play for the Hartford Wolf Pack. The second year of the deal is one-way. That means if he’s still around the following season, Robertson won’t be eligible to be sent down.

Originally selected with the number 49 pick in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, the 24-year-old defenseman finally made his Broadway debut this past season. In two games, he finished with a plus-3 rating. It remains to be seen if Robertson is in the Rangers’ plans. However, he will remain with the organization making the league minimum ($775,000).

Rempe Re-Ups for Two Years

In related news, the Rangers re-signed restricted free agent Matt Rempe. His new contract is for two years with a $975,000 cap hit.

A former sixth round pick selected 165th overall in 2020, the 22-year-old Rempe established himself as a hard-working player on the fourth line. Known for his physicality due to big hits and fisticuffs, Rempe showed improvement in the second half of the season by setting career highs in goals (3), assists (5), and points (8). He also finished a plus-7 in 42 games.

After serving an eight-game suspension for an illegal hit from behind on Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, Rempe made an adjustment to his aggressive game. For the most part, he played within the boundaries to become a more trusted player under former Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette. He cut down on going out of his way to hit defenseless players who were in a vulnerable position.

Aside from showing the ability to learn on the fly, he also demonstrated that he could become a factor on the forecheck. His skating improved enough for that to happen. It even led to Rempe scoring on a breakaway in a 5-1 win over the Islanders on Feb. 25. A game in which he finished a plus-3.

Unlike the beginning of his career, Rempe didn’t fight as much in 2024-25. In fact, he only had two majors over the final three months. Unlike 2023-24 when he had five fighting majors in 17 games, Rempe finished with just four fights in 42 games. Instead, he stuck to playing hockey by picking his spots when he went to finish a check.

In order for him to stick, he’ll have to continue to do that. It’ll be interesting to see how he fits in new Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan’s plans.

Changes Are Coming

As a busy off-season continues to approach, with some teams already making some noise via trades and early signings, which won’t become official until July 1, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury continues to work the phones.

It’s no secret that Drury wants to keep making changes to a roster that got stale. It was eight days ago that Chris Kreider signed off on a trade to the Ducks. He joined former teammates Barclay Goodrow, Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren, and Jimmy Vesey as key players that relocated over the last year. All seven appeared in the Eastern Conference Final in 2023-24.

K’Andre Miller could become the next domino to fall. A key restricted free agent, the 25-year-old defenseman is expected to price himself out of the Big Apple. Following an inconsistent season that saw him make $4.65 million with a $3.87 million cap hit, Miller reportedly wants to sign a long-term deal that could pay him more than the organization thinks he’s worth.

Despite Miller being the only candidate to join Adam Fox on the top pair, the Rangers have been holding trade discussions. If you believe Frank Seravalli, as many as a dozen teams believed to be interested in acquiring Miller. On Seravalli’s updated top 35 players list of trade targets, Miller’s ranked number 4.

If Miller had shown improvement in his fifth season, he wouldn’t be available. The primary concern of the organization is defending better in front of Igor Shesterkin. There were too many instances when opponents were allowed to roam free, leading to Shesterkin’s numbers ballooning to a career worst 2.86 goals-against-average and a career low .905 save percentage in 61 starts. No goalie faced more shots (1751) or made more saves (1584) than Shesterkin in 2024-25.

The Blueshirts are expected to be in on free agent defensemen Vladislav Gavrikov and Ivan Provorov. Gavrikov is a lot better than Provorov, who’s a year and a half younger. Gavrikov will turn 30 in late November. If they sign him, there’s always the risk of committing too many years and dollars to a player who’ll be entering their 30s. Gavrikov had a $5.875 million cap hit with the Kings. He’s going to be seeking a long-term deal in the neighborhood of $8 to 9 million per season. Isn’t that exactly what the Rangers did with Trouba under former GM Jeff Gorton? At least they got two playoff runs out of the former captain.

Between now and the first day of free agency, there are going to be a lot of rumors. Make sure they’re from reputable sources.

Devils Unload Haula to Predators

In an easy move from their vantage point, the Devils were able to trade Erik Haula to the Predators in exchange for a 2025 fourth round pick and minor league defenseman Jeremy Hanzel on Wednesday.

In three seasons with the Devils, Haula was a solid contributor. His first two years were similar, with Haula recording 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points in 2022-23, and 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 2023-24. He was excellent on faceoffs, winning over 52 percent in all three years. He also was a good penalty killer, scoring three shorthanded goals as a Devil.

His best moment came during the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Haula tallied four goals and two assists for six points in the Devils’ seven-game series win over the Rangers. That included a big goal in Game 7 that put the series away on May 1, 2023.

In 2024-25, Haula saw his numbers decline. He had 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points in 69 games. In the Devils’ first round series loss to the Hurricanes, Haula had one assist.

With a year remaining on his contract, he was a primary candidate for team president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald to offload. That’s exactly what he did, dumping the $3.15 million salary on the Predators. It’ll be the second time in Haula’s career that he’ll join the Predators. He also spent a year in Nashville in 2020-21.

The Devils are expected to try to dump the contract of Dougie Hamilton. He has three years remaining with an expensive $9 million AAV that doesn’t expire until 2028. They’ll probably have to pick up a portion to find a taker.

Luke Hughes is a big restricted free agent. He’s expected to get a significant contract this summer.