Urho Vaakanainen - NHL News & Rumors

Rangers enter matchup against the Lightning on losing streak

The New York Rangers come into the matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning as losers of three games in a row

APRIL 14 • Associated Press

Panthers host the Rangers after Nosek's 2-goal game

The Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers after Tomas Nosek's two-goal game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Panthers' 6-2 win

APRIL 12 • Associated Press

Back in lineup Vaakanainen (upper body) will play against Dallas on Saturday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Impact Following an 11-game absence, Vaakanainen will replace Drew Fortescue in Saturday's lineup. The 27-year-old Vaakanainen has six assists, 22 shots on goal, 26 blocked shots and 11 hits in 33 appearances this season.

APRIL 11 • ROTOWIRE

New York visits Dallas after Lafreniere's 2-goal game

The New York Rangers visit the Dallas Stars after Alexis Lafreniere scored two goals in the Rangers' 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres

APRIL 10 • Associated Press

Rangers take on the Sabres following Cuylle's hat trick

The New York Rangers host the Buffalo Sabres after Will Cuylle's hat trick against the Washington Capitals in the Rangers' 8-1 win

APRIL 7 • Associated Press

Rangers host the Capitals after Perreault's hat trick

The New York Rangers host the Washington Capitals after Gabriel Perreault's hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings in the Rangers' 4-1 win

APRIL 5 • Associated Press

Sporting regular sweater Vaakanainen (upper body) was practicing in a regular jersey Friday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Impact Vaakainen has been sidelined since March 18 versus the Devils, a stretch of eight games on the shelf due to his upper-body injury. Even if the 27-year-old blueliner is cleared to play, he's far from a lock to get into the lineup and could find himself serving as a healthy scratch periodically.

APRIL 3 • ROTOWIRE

Detroit visits New York after DeBrincat's 2-goal game

The Detroit Red Wings visit the New York Rangers after Alex DeBrincat scored two goals in the Red Wings' 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers

APRIL 3 • Associated Press

Canadiens take win streak into game against the Rangers

The Montreal Canadiens will try to keep their six-game win streak going when they visit the New York Rangers

APRIL 1 • Associated Press

Devils visit the Rangers after Hughes' 2-goal game

The New Jersey Devils visit the New York Rangers after Jack Hughes scored two goals in the Devils' 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks

MARCH 30 • Associated Press

Rangers host the Panthers after Brodzinski's 2-goal game

The New York Rangers host the Florida Panthers after Jonny Brodzinski's two-goal game against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Rangers' 6-1 win

MARCH 29 • Associated Press

New York takes losing streak into matchup with Chicago

The New York Rangers aim to break their six-game slide when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks

MARCH 27 • Associated Press

Toronto hosts New York after Knies' 2-goal performance

The Toronto Maple Leafs host the New York Rangers after Matthew Knies' two-goal game against the Boston Bruins in the Maple Leafs' 4-2 win

MARCH 25 • Associated Press

Rangers take losing streak into matchup with the Senators

The New York Rangers aim to break their four-game skid when they play the Ottawa Senators

MARCH 23 • Associated Press

Rangers bring losing streak into matchup with the Jets

The New York Rangers look to end their three-game skid when they take on the Winnipeg Jets

MARCH 22 • Associated Press

Week-to-week Vaakanainen (upper body) is week-to-week, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic on Saturday.

Impact Vaakanainen was injured Wednesday against the Devils and sat out Thursday's game versus Columbus. The defenseman has six assists in 33 games with the Rangers this season. There are less than four weeks remaining in the regular season and Vaakanainen could be out the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.

MARCH 21 • ROTOWIRE

Won't play against Jackets Vaakanainen (upper body) will not be in the lineup versus Columbus on Thursday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Impact Vaakanainen didn't make the trip to Columbus, but for now, he should be considered day-to-day. With the blueliner on the shelf, Connor Mackey or Vincent Iorio figures to step into the lineup for the Rangers on Thursday. For his part, the 27-year-old Vaakanainen has yet to score a goal in 33 outings this year while chipping in six assists.

MARCH 19 • ROTOWIRE

Rangers try to keep road win streak alive in matchup with the Blue Jackets

The New York Rangers hit the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets looking to prolong a three-game road winning streak

MARCH 19 • Associated Press

Leaves Wednesday's game Vaakanainen (upper body) will not return to Wednesday's game versus the Devils.

Impact Vaakanainen's injury occurred in the first period, but it's not clear caused it. Vincent Iorio will likely fill in if Vaakanainen can't play Thursday versus the Blue Jackets.

MARCH 19 • ROTOWIRE

Records helper Vaakanainen notched an assist in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Flames.

Impact Vaakanainen has played in the last two games. The 27-year-old defenseman's path to playing time is a little clearer when Scott Morrow is in the AHL, though Vaakanainen will still need to fend off Vincent Iorio for minutes. Through 29 appearances this season, Vaakanainen has five helpers, 21 shots on net, 23 blocked shots and 14 PIM, so he's not much of a consideration in most fantasy formats.

MARCH 11 • ROTOWIRE

Draws assist Monday Vaakanainen registered an assist and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins.

Impact Vaakanainen may have a clearer path to playing time in the near future after the Rangers dealt Carson Soucy to the Islanders on Monday. Vaakanainen got into the lineup on the third pairing Monday, playing for just the seventh time in 26 games since the start of December. The Finn has four assists, 15 shots on net, 18 blocked shots and 12 PIM over 23 appearances. Barring a call-up of a young blueliner, Vaakanainen will probably play regularly until Adam Fox (lower body) returns.

JANUARY 27 • ROTOWIRE

Out of lineup more often than not Vaakanainen was scratched for the 10th time in 13 games in December when he sat out Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Islanders.

Impact Vaakanainen has been unable to claim a larger role in the absence of Adam Fox (upper body). Through 19 outings, Vaakanainen has three helpers, 12 shots on net, 13 blocked shots, six hits, 10 PIM and a minus-1 rating. He may stay on the NHL roster over Scott Morrow once Fox returns, but that's only because Morrow is waivers-exempt. Vaakanainen is likely to remain in a part-time role unless more injuries take a toll on the Rangers' blue line.

DECEMBER 28, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Helpers in consecutive games Vaakanainen logged an assist in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Lightning.

Impact Vaakanainen has two assists over his last two games. The defenseman missed a couple of contests last week due to a lower-body injury but has since reclaimed a spot on the third pairing over Matthew Robertson. Vaakanainen has three helpers, nine shots on net, eight blocked shots, eight PIM, five hits and a plus-3 rating over 13 appearances, so there's not a lot of upside in his playing style.

NOVEMBER 13, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Available for Saturday Vaakanainen (lower body) is available to be in the lineup versus the Islanders on Saturday, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.

Impact Vaakanainen has missed two straight games. The 26-year-old's not guaranteed to be in the lineup, but if he returns to action, he'll likely be on the third pairing in place of Matthew Robertson.

NOVEMBER 8, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Not playing against Wings Vaakanainen (lower body) will not be in the lineup versus Detroit on Friday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Impact Vaakanainen will miss his second straight game due to his lower-body issue. When healthy, the 26-year-old blueliner has managed just one point in 10 outings, so few fantasy managers figure to be impacted by his continued absence. In the meantime, Matthew Robertson will feature on the third pair with Braden Schneider.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

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