What to know about Urho Vaakanainen, the Rangers’ newest defenseman
The big headline Friday was that New York Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. Not much was said about the player they got back — defenseman Urho Vaakanainen.
What can the Rangers and the fans expect from their newest player?
Vaakanainen is a 25-year-old from Finland. He is listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds and was selected in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, who took him with the 18th pick. He is a left shot, as opposed to the righty-shooting Trouba.
The Bruins traded Vaakanainen to the Ducks on March 19, 2022, as part of the deal that brought veteran defenseman Hampus Lindholm to Boston. But Vaakanainen has struggled with injuries since that trade, appearing in just 110 games during in parts of four seasons. An upper-body injury has kept him out of the lineup since Nov. 13, and the Ducks put him on injured reserve Wednesday.
Vaakanainen’s injury history has to be a concern for the Rangers.
In a preseason game in October 2022, he had to be taken off the ice via stretcher after an awkward collision. After returning and playing 23 games, he sustained a torn labrum in his hip. Though he’s still on IR, he did skate with his new team at Saturday’s optional practice, so the good news is that it doesn’t seem like this will be a long-term absence.
“He’s out there, so that’s good. He’s starting to mix in.” coach Peter Laviolette said after practice Saturday. When asked if he was day to day or week to week, Laviolette’s reply was “somewhere in there”.
Vaakanainen also commented on the injury after practice, saying “I’m not sure about the timeline yet, but I can pass and shoot the puck pretty well right now, so getting closer.”
Related: Rangers trade Jacob Trouba to Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen
What type of player is Urho Vaakanainen?
It’s safe to say the Rangers won’t be expecting Vaakanainen, or “Vaks” as Laviolette learned was his nickname, won’t be adding a ton of offense. He has one goal and 25 points in 141 NHL games.
“He’s a guy who’s got that mindset of defending first,” Laviolette said. “I think he sees the game well, makes a good first pass … good player.”
This echoed what Vaakanainen said about his own game when asked to describe his style of play. “Steady defensive defenseman, good first pass, good in the d-zone,” he told the media. “And I try to jump into the rush when I get the chance.”
That’s the kind of steady player the Rangers need from a defenseman who’s ceiling is likely on the second pairing. Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller and even Zac Jones to a certain extent will look to make plays, but someone who takes care of his own end first gives the defense group some balance.
We can take a look at Vaakanainen’s analytical profile to get more information on him. It’s important to remember the context he’s been playing in during his time in Anaheim. The Ducks didn’t sniff the playoffs during his time in Anaheim.
In the last three seasons, the Ducks allowed fewer expected goals (xG) with Vaakanainen on the ice than when he was off it, according to Natural Stat Trick. The lack of offense really has shown though, as he’s ended up with a negative relative xG for percentage in the previous two seasons. This season, he was positive 6.4 percent — but that’s in a small sample of just five games.
Vaakanainen’s reaction to being traded to the Rangers
We got a brief glimpse into Vaakanainen from the few questions he answered on Saturday. He said he was “shocked at first, excited second” when he heard about the trade. He said his first thought when he found he was coming to the Rangers was “awesome, Rangers are a original six team, big team, so I’m super excited.
He will have a familiar face on his new team. Vaakanainen and fellow Finn Kaapo Kakko played together on the 2019 Finnish World Junior team that won the gold medal. The newest Ranger said he knows Kakko “a little bit.”
It was obviously a surprise to Vaakanainen to be traded at this point of the season, but he has a chance to be a bit of an unsung hero. Vaakanainen signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract this past summer, and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after the 2024-25 season. If he can play well (and stay healthy) in New York, he’ll position himself for a more lucrative contract.
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