It’s August, so the hockey world is essentially on vacation right now. It’s a bit interesting that August appears to be the default vacation month for the NHL, especially when there is still work to be done. Braden Schneider’s future seems to dominate the news cycle, though another interesting question is why haven’t the Rangers re-signed Scott Morrow or Vincent Iorio yet? Aside from a big trade, those are the only two outstanding tasks left this summer. Even if they aren’t re-signed, at some point a decision will need to be made about their futures in New York.
Vincent Iorio’s future shouldn’t be too complicated
Starting with low hanging fruit, Vincent Iorio’s future really shouldn’t be that complicated. He was very bad during his time with the Rangers. His skating was a major issue, which doesn’t match up with the direction the Rangers want to go on the blue line. There’s a reason why the Rangers were his third team in a season, after all. He’s big, but that’s about it.
Ignoring handedness, Iorio is at best an 9D on the Rangers this season. They have their current starting six, including Schneider, plus Urho Vaakanainen at the NHL level. Scott Morrow is an unknown but still with the organization, and Alberts Smits starting in the NHL isn’t a guarantee. The Rangers might even recall Drew Fortescue or William Trudeau before Iorio.
Accounting for handedness, Iorio is probably the fifth option at RD right now. He’d be behind Adam Fox, Sean Durzi, Braden Schneider, Urho Vaakanainen (lefty, but plays both sides), and Scott Morrow. There’s no critical need to re-sign him aside from depth at the position, especially if one or both of Schneider and Morrow are moved.
Scott Morrow’s future is a mixed bag
I’ve been very consistent with my feelings on how the Rangers are handling Scott Morrow. Last season was a waste for him at the NHL level. He may have played 29 games, but 28 of them were before the Artemi Panarin trade and the subsequent vibe shift that happened after that and the Olympic break. Timing matters. While the Rangers weren’t bad defensively last season, Morrow played most of his games in that November-January stretch where the Rangers were barely showing up to games half the time.
This is why it is so critical for the Rangers to give Morrow a legitimate chance in the NHL on a team with better vibes and a much stronger and more mobile blue line. Morrow is not Adam Fox, we know this. But if he can be a good puck mover, then the Rangers can pair him up with someone who is more of a defensive defenseman, perhaps Vlad Gavrikov or Marcus Pettersson, to bring far better balance to the lineup.
Morrow may not be an NHL defenseman. That’s always a possibility with prospects. The difference is the Rangers would actually be giving Morrow a shot, as opposed to other times where a player is just overlooked, only to play well elsewhere (Neal Pionk comes to mind, I’ll own being wrong on him). The fact is 29 games in last year’s train wreck isn’t enough of a sample to get a read on Morrow.
This is why leaving Morrow unsigned is so weird. Perhaps it’s just the Rangers being the Rangers, as this has been their M.O. for quite some time. RFAs that are getting bridge deals are left until September. Maybe Chris Drury is waiting on a Braden Schneider trade to materialize before committing to Morrow for at least a season. Morrow isn’t going to be overly expensive, which is why this is puzzling, but it could simply be more of the same from the organization.
Morrow should be the top priority now, aside from moving Schneider. They need a plan for him. Either cut bait before tanking his trade value, or give him a legitimate shot. Both come with risks, but at least there would be a plan in place.
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