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Young defenseman draws praise from Rangers’ Alain Vigneault

Maybe there’s a little more to the battle for the depth-defenseman spot on the Rangers than most first thought.

Because arguably the best blueliner on the ice for the Blueshirts on Tuesday night in Philadelphia was 25-year-old Mat Bodie, the undrafted kid from Manitoba who played his college hockey at Union in upstate New York and spent all of last season with AHL Hartford.

With two goals on eight attempted shots over 21:29 of ice time, Bodie showed a flair for offense that wasn’t exactly his calling card in his first professional season with the Wolf Pack.