Chris Drury Hints at Potential Defensive Pairing for NY Rangers

The New York Rangers have revamped their defensemen depth this offseason.

Mar 26, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi (50) skates with the puck against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Delta Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the goals that the New York Rangers had coming into the 2026 NHL offseason was upgrading the depth of their defensemen.

The Rangers have one of the best pairings in the NHL with Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov. However, the lack of depth behind those two became painfully apparent when Fox dealt with an injury and other players were pushed into bigger roles.

Braden Schneider struggled mightily as the top pairing alongside Gavrikov. The team needed to ensure one injury wouldn’t torpedo their success, so they made several additions to their blueline grouping.

Marcus Pettersson was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. Sean Durzi was part of the return package from the Utah Mammoth in the Vincent Trocheck deal. The No. 5 pick was used on Alberts Smits, who will eventually be helping out at the NHL level.

Rangers defensemen depth is greatly improved

Mar 26, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson (29) shoots against the Los Angeles Kings in the second period at Rogers Arena. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With so many additions, lineup combinations are going to change for head coach Mike Sullivan. He is going to make all of those decisions, but team president and general manager Chris Drury did hint that the No. 2 pairing behind Fox and Gavrikov could be the newest additions to the squad.

“These two trades, we certainly wanted to find guys who matched up and could complement each other in different situations,” Drury said, via Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription required). “If they are together, Marcus and Sean could be a good pair together.”

Both players have experience playing top-four defensive minutes, which is incredibly important. Sullivan has two more veterans that he can rely on as the younger players, such as Smits, Matthew Robertson and Drew Fortescue, continue their development and growth without being overextended.

On paper, the combination of Pettersson and Durzi does look like one that could work incredibly well. Pettersson is someone that Sullivan knows well from their time together with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi are good match

Apr 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi (50) shoots the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He is a steady, defensive presence who is going to be a key part of the team’s penalty kill unit. His most productive seasons, points-wise, all came with Sullivan as his head coach, which provides some hope that he can get on track with New York.

Durzi is more of an offensive-minded player who would benefit from playing alongside a player with Pettersson’s strengths. He has recorded at least 24 assists in four out of his five seasons in the NHL, producing wherever he has played.

Despite having only five seasons of NHL experience under his belt, the Rangers are going to be the fourth franchise Durzi has suited up for in six seasons.

Regardless of what combination Sullivan decides to go with, blueline production is going to be much more consistent and impactful with Pettersson and Durzi in the mix, and Smits waiting in the wings.