Rangers sign Joe Veleno to one-year contract 

The New York Rangers are active on the first day NHL free agency, as they have signed center Joe Veleno to a one-year contract that will come with a price tag of $1.2 million.

Veleno, a 26-year-old who was chosen in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft with the No. 30 overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings, is coming off of a one-year stint with the Montreal Canadiens, where he played a depth role and produced just 5 points in 61 games played.

The Montreal native’s best season came with Detroit in 2023-24, when he racked up 28 points in 80 games thanks to 12 goals and 16 assists. The Canadiens built upon their progress from 2024-25 in a major way last year, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs and advancing all the way to the Eastern Conference Final after beating Tampa Bay and Buffalo in the first two rounds.

Veleno appeared in nine games during the postseason run, recording an assist while posting a minus-3 rating.

For the totality of his NHL career, Veleno has scored 40 goals and dished out 46 assists for 86 points in 367 regular season appearances.

Follow along with Daily Faceoff’s live free agency tracker here.

The Rangers have been busy throughout the offseason. During the NHL Draft, Drury swung a blockbuster trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to land goal-scoring winger Pavel Dorofeyev before inking him to a seven-year contract with a cap hit of $11 million.

On Wednesday, Drury made another trade, acquiring veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo to compete for the backup job behind perennial Vezina Trophy candidate Igor Shesterkin.

Drury is also reportedly weighing trade offers for veteran center Vincent Trocheck, but with three years remaining on his current contract, he could be content to bring the Pittsburgh native back to bolster next year’s lineup.

You can watch along with Daily Faceoff’s live coverage of NHL free agency below…