Rangers Chad Ruhwedel changes numbers as he has arrived in Hartford

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Joshua Deeds
October 27, 2024 (5:59 PM)

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Rangers defenseman Chad Ruhwedel was placed on waivers two days ago and was reassigned to the Hartford Wolfpack.

With the defenseman in a new home, he'll have to find a new locker for his stuff and get a new number.

Ruhwedel, 34, has played in one game for the Rangers this season, where he has zero points and a plus-2 rating. During this past season, he had one goal and four points in 52 games split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Rangers.

With the Hartford Wolfpack the depth defenseman will wear #2 in Hartford and will join other NHL veterans in the Pack, like Riley Nash.

Ruhwedel was unable to win a spot in the lineup with Victor Mancini securing the 6th defenseman position.

We knew the Rangers were going to send a defenseman down to Hartford, and it was a matter of Ruhwedel or Victor Mancini. Mancini did not have to pass through waivers, so there was logic to sending him to Hartford, but instead the better player stays with the Rangers. A refreshing move.

Ruhwedel's career has hit an all-time low, as the depth defenseman hasn't seen significant AHL since 2018-2019 which saw him play in Wilke-Barre Scranton for 28 games that season.

Ruhwedel has seen 365 games of NHL play, with 49 points( 13 G, 36 A) and 94 PIMs during his career.

He will have to work his way back into the lineup, whether through injury or training camp but it's a matter of when and if.

The San Diego native mostly sat in the press box down the stretch of the 2023-24 campaign. He logged five appearances for the Blueshirts, posting a -2 rating and 15 hits with one takeaway, averaging 14:08 per game. He didn't suit up at all in the postseason.

Ruhwedel is a former Stanley Cup Champion and is currently making the league minimum for the 2024-2025 season, at $775K.

He could be a call-up for the Rangers, or a end up a career AHL defenseman, should his fortunes never change.