Heading into the season, it seemed likely the Rangers would lose one of Brett Howden or Libor Hajek in the 2021 Expansion Draft. They were in a good position beforehand, and now the Tony DeAngelo situation puts them in an even better situation.
Defensemen to be protected
DeAngelo was one of the three defensemen the Rangers were going to protect in the expansion draft. Along with Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren, it seemed like the most logical situation. Now obviously with DeAngelo off the list, the Rangers have an extra defense spot to protect.