On Saturday before they took on the Penguins, the Rangers claimed Vincent Iorio off waivers from the Sharks.

Iorio is a right-handed defenseman with 30 games of NHL experience. Originally a 2021 second round pick of the Capitals, taken 55th, Iorio spent part of two seasons in Washington. He helped the Hershey Bears win back-to-back Calder Cups in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

After getting into only nine games for the Caps, he was picked up on waivers by the Sharks last Oct. 17. Iorio skated in 21 games for San Jose, finishing with three assists, 12 penalty minutes, and a minus-4 rating. Iorio also had 32 blocks and 11 hits while averaging 16:30 of ice time per game. His last appearance came on Jan. 15.

Listed at six-foot four, 220 pounds, the 23-year-old hasn’t established himself yet in the NHL. Now, he should get more of a chance to prove himself.

The Rangers could be getting ready to move Braden Schneider, who’ll become a restricted free agent in the off-season. With several teams interested in acquiring Schneider, he could bring back a good return that could include a first or second round pick along with a young player. In their 6-5 loss to the Pens, Schneider set up a Vladislav Gavrikov goal and finished plus-2 in 20:24.

With Adam Fox beginning to skate, he won’t return until after the Olympics. There’s no reason to rush him back due to where the Rangers are in the standings. They currently rank last in the East with 50 points in 56 games.

On a blue line that needs to be overhauled, Iorio deserves a look to find out what he can be. At the moment, the Rangers have Schneider, Will Borgen, and Scott Morrow as their three right defensemen. With Morrow having a bad game by finishing a minus-2 in less than 15 minutes, he’s a candidate to come out of the lineup.

The Rangers don’t play again until Thursday, Feb. 5 against the Hurricanes. That’ll be the final game before the NHL pauses the season. When play resumes, they’ll have four games left before the March 6 trade deadline. By then, the roster could look very different.

Hopefully, Iorio can prove he was worth the pickup. It was in 2011 that the Rangers signed Anton Stralman, who became a steady top four defenseman that helped the team reach the Conference Finals twice and play in the Stanley Cup Finals. While no one can expect that kind of return from Iorio, the hope is that he can become a regular that’s dependable on the back end.