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New York Rangers to acquire former Detroit Red Wings 1st-round Pick: It Was Just Confirmed

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Joshua Deeds
July 10, 2025 (8:40 PM)

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The New York Rangers are in an ongoing hunt for the best players to build a Stanley Cup-winning roster with. GM Chris Drury and the team have been linked to one free agent forward, Joseph Veleno, a former 1st-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings, could he be a solution down the middle for the Blueshirts?

The New York Rangers need help, as the retooling continues, the team looks to move on from past woes while building a new identity.

That requires spending significant cap space, and even in small sums. One player that could be a depth option as center for the Rangers is Joe Veleno, a former 1st-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings, who last played for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Josh Wegman of theScore believes that Veleno could solve some woes down the middle, who could slot in on a 3rd or 4th line role.

«The Rangers will need another center if they plan to play Mika Zibanejad on the wing as they did down the stretch last season. Enter Veleno, who's one of the youngest free agents available,» Wegman wrote.

«While he hasn't lived up to the expectations that come with being granted exceptional status in the QMJHL at 15 years old and a first-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings, Veleno is a physical player who has posted stellar defensive metrics throughout his NHL career.

Even if the offense hasn't caught up, he could be New York's answer at 3C. At the very least, Veleno's probably better than Juuso Parssinen and Sam Carrick - the other contenders for that role.»

After being bought out by the Kraken, the Rangers could sign him at a potentially lower AAV and add him as an ancillary player in the lineup. Last season, he earned $2.275 million and could sign for less to regain his reputation in the league.

Veleno offers flexibility of playing at both center and wing and could offer some depth scoring, which the Rangers missed last year.

With the Red Wings and Blackhawks, he scored 17 points (8-9) in 74 games and could offer some defensive play as a shutdown winger.

This is a low-risk, high-reward buy-in for the Rangers.

Previously on NY Hockey Insider

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JUILLET 10 \| 254 ANSWERS New York Rangers to acquire former Detroit Red Wings 1st-round Pick: It Was Just Confirmed Should GM Chris Drury of the New York Rangers sign forward Joe Veleno, a free agent?
Yes	132	52 %
No	122	48 %
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New York Rangers to acquire former Detroit Red Wings 1st-round Pick: It Was Just Confirmed

Should GM Chris Drury of the New York Rangers sign forward Joe Veleno, a free agent?