- Rangers sign RFA defenseman Vincent Iorio to a one-year deal
- Terms are $850K in the NHL and $125K in the AHL
- Read below for how Iorio landed in New York and what the raise means
The Rangers are keeping Vincent Iorio around for another season.
New York agreed to terms with the restricted free agent defenseman on a one-year contract Friday, per an announcement from president and general manager Chris Drury. The deal pays $850,000 in the NHL and $125,000 in the AHL, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic.
Iorio landed in New York in the middle of a lost season. The Rangers claimed him off waivers from San Jose on Jan. 31 and gave him six games down the stretch, averaging 13:05 a night with no special teams work and no points.
He got to the Sharks the same way. San Jose plucked him off the wire from Washington in October, and he collected three assists in 21 games there before the Rangers grabbed him. That is three organizations in one calendar year.
The money matters more here than the number suggests. Iorio’s entry-level deal slid twice, which left him earning $80,000 for his AHL time in each of the last two seasons. This contract is a real raise even if he spends the whole year in Hartford.
Washington took Iorio 55th overall in 2021 and kept him in the system for four years. He won back-to-back Calder Cups with the Hershey Bears and put up 63 points in 196 AHL games between Hershey and the San Jose Barracuda. His NHL file is thinner: 36 games across three teams, plus one playoff appearance for the Capitals in 2023-24.
A 6-foot-4, 220-pound right shot who moves well, the 23-year-old fits the profile clubs keep taking a flyer on.
This is the second restricted free agent Drury has cleared off the board this week. New York signed Scott Morrow to a one-year deal on Wednesday.
New York extended its affiliation agreement with the Wolf Pack on Thursday, and Hartford is the likeliest starting point for Iorio.
