3 NY Rangers Who Could Be Claimed if Placed on Waivers

The New York Rangers have some difficult decisions to make waiving players.

Jan 29, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Scott Morrow (60) attempts a shot against the New York Islanders during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers have begun the process of paring down their roster in preparation for the 2026-27 regular season.

Monday, Sept. 28 is the deadline for teams to be compliant. The Rangers have already waived five players from the roster. On Sept. 22, they placed Defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and Dennis Cholowski and centers Juuso Parssinen and Justin Dowling on waivers. 

All four of those players have cleared waivers, meaning they can be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL should the franchise choose. Goalie Spencer Martin met the same fate the following day and is currently on waivers.

With 29 players on the roster currently, the Rangers will have to waive six more. It is rare for other teams to put a claim in, with only 10 being claimed out of 233 last year. But there are three players on New York’s roster that, if waived, the Rangers will have to sweat out another franchise swooping in for them.

Which three Rangers players could be claimed off waivers?

Jan 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“In particular, according to two scouts and an NHL agent who spoke to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity to speculate on teams’ plans, three Rangers players are expected to tempt opposing front offices if they hit the wire: Rempe, defenseman Scott Morrow and goalie Dylan Garand,” wrote Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required).

Forward Matt Rempe is in a battle for a roster spot in training camp. The injury to Adam Sykora took one contender for a spot away, but the signing of Eeli Tolvanen pushed others down the pecking order.

An intimidating presence on the ice, Rempe was off to a strong start in the 2025-26 campaign before injuring his thumb in a fight. He is now healthy, looking to pick up where he left off, but he needs to beat out the likes of Taylor Raddysh and Jaroslav Chmelar; Tye Kartye looks to have locked in a spot.

Morrow was the key piece in the return package from the Carolina Hurricanes in the K’Andre Miller trade. He has a lot of the skills that head coach Mike Sullivan was looking for at the blueline as a defenseman who can handle and move the puck.

Rangers have to get creative to retain talented players

Apr 15, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) looks on against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Opportunities were far and few for Morrow last season, and now with a revamped depth chart, he faces an uphill battle once again. But right-handed, puck-moving defensemen with youth are hard to find, so it would make sense for New York to try to keep him around. However, with Vaaikanainen already waived, it looks like Alberts Smits has the inside track to a roster spot. 

Only 23 years old, there are plenty of organizations that would take a chance on him should he hit waivers, as he could be the odd man out.

Out of the three, Garand is the one who could have the highest likelihood of being claimed. Teams around the league are always looking for goaltending help; he is only 24 years old and is affordable, agreeing to a two-year contract this summer.

His NHL debut near the end of the 2025-26 season was excellent, but not enough to keep the Rangers from acquiring Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins, creating an unnecessary logjam and roster decision with their young netminder.