Rangers sign William Trudeau to one-year contract
The New York Rangers are keeping around a recently acquired player.
On Monday, the Rangers signed defenseman William Trudeau to a one-year, two-way contract.
The #NYR signed recently acquired 23 y/o D William Trudeau to a one year two-way contract NHL: $850K Minors: $200K Guaranteed: $235K Will be RFA w Arb upon expiry Rep'd by Philippe Lecavalier @QuartexxHockey puckpedia.com/player/william…
The deal will carry the minimum cap hit of $850,000 at the NHL level. Trudeau is scheduled to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights upon the expiry of the deal.
New York acquired Trudeau from the Montreal Canadiens on June 26 for forward winger Brett Berard.
Trudeau, 23, played 62 games last season for the Canadiens’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Laval Rocket, putting up eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. He began last season with Montreal on the non-roster/injured list due to a torn pectoral he suffered during the preceding offseason. In late October of last year, the Canadiens placed Trudeau on waivers and then assigned him to the AHL after he went unclaimed. He has yet to make an NHL appearance in his career.
The Varennes, Quebec native was selected by Montreal from the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2021-22 season, his last with Charlottetown, he notched eight goals and 36 assists for 44 points in 68 games.
Trudeau became a full-time professional in the 2022-23 season, in which he registered seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 60 games for Laval. In the 2023-24 season, he scored eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 70 games. In the 2024-25 season, had five goals and 14 assists for 19 points.
Over 15 total playoff games with Laval in his career, Trudeau has put up no goals and three assists.
At 6’1″ and 205 pounds, Trudeau is a left-shot defenseman known for his puck-moving ability and poise when dealing with a forecheck.