NY Rangers Finally Have Joe Veleno Replacement on 4th Line

A new option for the fourth-line center has emerged for the New York Rangers.

Sep 24, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers forward Joe Veleno (90) during the game against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming into the season, the New York Rangers had some concerns about their depth down the middle.

Center was one position the team could not afford to lose a player. They were incredibly thin behind Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, who are a bit overextended as the No. 1 and No. 2 centers in a lineup.

The lack of depth down the middle became even more apparent when Joe Veleno went down with an injury in the fourth game of the season. Signed as a free agent to be the fourth-line center, Veleno’s absence has been a major one for the team to overcome with head coach Mike Sullivan sometimes opting to just go with three lines during a game.

However, that doesn’t look like it will have to be the case anymore. Veteran Glenn Gawdin is the latest player to be given a chance at filling the fourth-line center void, and he looks poised to run away with the job in place of Veleno.

Glenn Gawdin emerging as reliable fourth-line center

Sep 24, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers forward Glenn Gawdin (15) takes warmups prior to the game against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Playing well with the Hartford Wolf Pack, recording 14 points in 16 games, scoring five goals to go along with nine assists, Gawdin earned a look at the NHL level. In his second game with the team, he showed a knack for being in the right place at the right time to help the team win.

In the four-goal second period of a 5-1 victory, Gawdin scored the first goal of his NHL career with his family in attendance. Only 3:10 later, he would light the lamp for a second time, accomplishing a rare feat.

Per NHL.com, the 29-year-old forward became the first Rangers player since Miller on Feb. 7, 2013, to record his first career goal and multi-goal game in the same contest. You have to go back even further to find the last New York player who recorded his first career goal and multi-goal game in the same period. Ryan Callahan on March 17, 2007, was the last Rangers player to accomplish that.

First NHL goal = first Broadway Hat honors 🎩 pic.twitter.com/F0Y8Zzxh9l

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 14, 2026

Named the First Star in the game, it was a night that Gawdin will never forget, making it all the more special that he did it in front of family and friends at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

He was on the ice for 7:59, an increase from his season debut time on the ice of 6:27. It will be interesting to see if that number increases, as it should continue ticking up as he gets more and more comfortable in Sullivan’s system.

Becoming a reliable fourth-line center would help the team immensely. Production up and down the lineup is necessary for New York to succeed on the ice, and Gawdin certainly looks capable of helping in that regard.