The New York Rangers have made two additions to beef up their defensive depth, signing Connor Mackey from the Arizona Coyotes and Nikolas Brouillard from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls to one-year contracts.
Both are likely destined for AHL Hartford next season, especially with the Rangers further fortifying their blueline by signing Erik Gustafsson to a one-year deal today. Both players were signed to a league-minimum cap hit of $775K, with Mackey earning a $400K salary in the minors and Brouillard earning a $225K salary in the minors with $275K guaranteed.
Mackey joins the Rangers with three professional seasons under his belt, spent in the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes organizations. He’s shown some solid offensive acumen in limited NHL time, and he was a member of Team USA at the recent IIHF Men’s World Championship. After recording 36 points in 53 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat in 2021-22, he’s destined for top-pair duty and heavy minutes in Hartford.
This is the first NHL contract for Brouillard, 28, who’s spent the last three seasons on minor-league contracts with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls and done quite well, totaling 92 points (and 279 penalty minutes) in 168 AHL games. He’s obviously got a bit of snarl to his game and will join Mackey in Hartford’s top four on defense.