Now that they’re committed to sitting out Artemi Panarin until he’s eventually traded, the New York Rangers needed another forward to fill the void. According to a team announcement, the Rangers have recalled Brett Berard from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
Today’s transaction marks the fourth time that Berard has been recalled by New York this season. Throughout his previous three recalls, he appeared in 12 games for the Rangers, going scoreless while earning a -1 rating, averaging 10:42 of ice time per game. He’ll likely slot into a similar bottom-six role, if he plays at all.
Regardless, it’s a significant decrease in NHL action for Berard compared to last season. During the 2024-25 campaign, Berard played in 35 games with New York, registering six goals and 10 points with a -6 rating, averaging 10:43 of ice time. That limited his availability in Hartford, where he scored nine goals and 23 points in 30 games. He has already played the same number of games for the Wolf Pack this season, putting up six goals and 18 points.
Despite the relatively solid offensive output last season for a former fifth-round pick, there were some concerns with Berard’s play on the defensive side of the puck. That’s not uncommon for a younger forward. At even strength, he concluded the 2024-25 season with an 89.2% on-ice SV%. Still, he’s improved drastically this season, managing a 95.0% mark, albeit in fewer appearances.
At any rate, given that the Rangers are expected to make a few trades leading up to the March 6 trade deadline, there will likely be more opportunities for Bedard. If that’s the case, he’ll be in range of usurping his total games played from last year.