Today, the Rangers placed defenseman Matthew Robertson on waivers. What precipitated the move was a lower-body injury that center Joe Veleno sustained during last night’s game against the Mammoth. Due to a cap crunch, the Rangers can’t afford to recall a center without exposing a player to waivers.

Unfortunately, Robertson became the odd man out on the roster. With the organization deciding on who to call up from the Hartford Wolfpack, the well- respected 25-year-old had to go to create enough space for a corresponding move for tomorrow’s game against the Islanders.

It isn’t exactly fair to Robertson, who proved that he was capable of becoming a regular on the blue line last season. The 2019 second round pick took part in 74 games while posting six goals with 12 assists for 18 points in 2025-26. A solid skating stay at home left pair defenseman, he’s in the second season of a multi-year deal that pays him $850,000. If he goes unclaimed on Tuesday, he’ll be assigned to Hartford.

Criticism Warranted for Drury

Despite having a much better offseason, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury deserved criticism for the current cap situation. Had he not doubled down by signing both Urho Vaakanainen and Juuso Parssinen for a combined $2.755 million, the Rangers wouldn’t be in this predicament.

It’s Drury’s fault that Robertson is on waivers. He’s also responsible for signing Taylor Raddysh, who didn’t make the team. It’s remarkable how bad he is at managing the salary cap.

At this point, I hope Robertson is claimed by an NHL team tomorrow. He deserves an opportunity to play elsewhere. He doesn’t belong in the American Hockey League. It would serve the Rangers right if he wound up on a rival that they might see later this season.