The Rangers have agreed to terms with left-shot defenseman Connor Mackey on a two-year contract extension, per a team release. It’s a two-way deal with a cap hit of $775K, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.
Mackey, 27, has been the Rangers’ top recall option for most of the season. He’s been recalled from AHL Hartford eight times since clearing waivers during training camp, but most of them were one-day stints as injury insurance, with Zachary Jones remaining around the team as their seventh defenseman.
He’s been limited to one NHL appearance this season, a Jan. 27 contest against the Senators. He recorded a +1 rating, one hit, three blocks, and one shot on goal in a win, also fighting Senators captain Brady Tkachuk in the third period.
He’s played in 36 games on the farm with Hartford, recording 11 points, 63 PIMs, and a team-high +13 rating. A top-pairing-caliber shutdown defender at the AHL level, Mackey is well worth keeping around as a safe option to insert into the lineup if necessary.
Mackey joins veteran Ben Harpur and 24-year-old Brandon Scanlin as Rangers defensemen under contract who are likely destined for the Wolf Pack in 2024-25. Mac Hollowell and Matthew Robertson are both pending RFAs who will probably be reassigned to Hartford if re-signed by the Rangers.
The Tower Lakes, Illinois, native will be a UFA in 2026 when his new deal expires. An undrafted free agent signing by the Flames out of Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2020, Mackey has four goals, seven assists, 11 points, and a -1 rating in 40 career NHL games with the Coyotes, Flames, and Rangers. He appeared in a career-high 30 games with Arizona and Calgary last season, recording seven points with a -4 rating while averaging 14:03 per game.