Rangers defenseman Chad Ruhwedel set to slot back into tonight against the Maple Leafs

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Joshua Deeds
October 19, 2024 (5:55 PM)

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The New York Rangers are set to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, as the Rangers need to ice the best lineup to defeat Berube's Leafs.

Ruhwedel's been a healthy scratch for the Rangers and hasn't found himself in the lineup even after his return from injury.

But tonight he will make his season debut, and Peter Laviolette is singing his praises.

«He's been great for us,» Laviolette said via The Athletic's Peter Baugh. «He's played really strong, played some good games. He's been out for a little bit and I want to make sure we're getting everybody involved.»

He will slot in for Zac Jones on the third pairing, with rookie defenseman Victor Mancini.

This will be Ruhwedel's chance to prove to Laviolette that the team didn't make a mistake by acquiring him last season.

Ruhwedel played only 5 games last season for the New York Rangers and was out of the lineup on October 3rd as he was dealing with an undisclosed injury.

But was cleared for contact as soon as the 6th, but Laviolette decided to give Zac Jones a shot in the lineup instead.

Ruhwedel played a total of 52 games for the Rangers and Penguins last season scoring 4 points( 1 G, 3 A).

He signed a one-year, two-way deal with the New York Rangers in the offseason as well.

This means he'll need to show he's capable of handling a purely defensive role, with not a lot of responsibility on the third pair.

He'll be paid a league minimum salary and will be 35 years old at the end of the contract.

During his entire NHL career since 2012-2013, he hasn't made more than $925K on a contract in the league.

At age 35 he could find himself even lower on the depth chart and surpassed by Zac Jones if he can't produce a reason to stay in the lineup for the Rangers.

Ruhwedel was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.