The New York Rangers had to make several moves after their preseason ended to make their roster compliant for the 2026-27 regular season.
Their final move was placing Vincent Iorio on the IR ahead of the season opener against the Boston Bruins . That got the Rangers ' roster down to 23 players, but just a few hours before the puck dropped, they made the decision to place Iorio on waivers .
It was presumed that the IR move was made to clear the roster spot, but the team changed course and waived him to officially remove him from the roster. Luckily for New York , he isn't leaving the organization.
According to Elliotte Friedman on X, Iorio has cleared waivers, along with former Rangers forward Conor Sheary , who was waived by the Buffalo Sabres . That means the New York defenseman is set to return to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, which has quite a strong roster coming together.
Mar 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Vincent Iorio (6) plays the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The only player whom the Rangers put on waivers that got claimed during the preseason was defenseman William Trudeau, who is now with the Nashville Predators . Iorio will be part of a defenseman group that includes Marc Del Gaizo , Urho Vaakanainen and Dennis Cholowski , who all cleared waivers as well.
Drew Fortescue , who made his NHL debut last season, will also be part of that group with Hartford. But he was waiver-exempt and not subject to being claimed by another franchise.
Iorio has been quite well-traveled since being selected in the second round, No. 55 overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals . He appeared in nine regular-season games with them before being placed on waivers and selected by the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 16, 2025.
Iorio was with the Sharks for a few months before being placed on waivers again and being picked up by New York on Jan. 31, 2026. He played in 27 games during the 2025-26 season between the two clubs.
This past summer, he signed a one-year deal to remain with the Rangers organization.
In his NHL career, Iorio has produced only four points, all of which were assists. He has been plenty productive in the AHL throughout his career, helping the Hershey Bears win the Calder Cup Championship twice.
Last season with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL, he made an immediate impact. In six games, he recorded seven assists and a plus/minus of +7. It was the third time in four AHL seasons that he had a positive plus/minus mark.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/rangers/onsi as NY Rangers Defenseman Clears Waivers To Return To Franchise .
