Vaakanainen, who is on injured reserve due to an upper-body issue, has been traded from Anaheim to the Rangers on Friday along with fourth-round pick in exchange for Jacob Trouba, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN.
Vaakanainen has an assist and seven blocks in five appearances this season. He set a career high in 2023-24 with 68 games played, resulting in him recording a goal, 14 points, 55 hits and 79 blocks with Anaheim. When healthy, Vaakanainen might have a spot on the Rangers' third pairing, but New York's main motivation for making this trade was likely to move Trouba's contract. Trouba comes with an $8 million cap hit for this campaign and 2025-26, and the Rangers didn't retain any salary.