Less than a week after trading one defenseman, the New York Rangers added another Saturday afternoon. The Rangers claimed Vincent Iorio off waivers from the San Jose Sharks, five days after trading Carson Soucy to the Islanders for a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft.

Iorio is a big (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) right-shot defenseman, who was claimed by the Sharks off waivers from the Washington Capitals earlier this season on Oct. 16. Ironically, the 23-tear-old’s last game with the Sharks was a 3-2 win over the Capitals on Jan. 15.

In 21 games with the Sharks, Iorio had three assists and 12 penalty minutes, and averaged 16:30 TOI. He had seven assists in six AHL games on a conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda earlier this season.

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“Solid waiver pickup. Needs to get stronger, but efficient puck play, long and mobile. Really like his transition game,” an NHL scout, not with the Sharks, recently told San Jose Hockey Now. “Potential to be a steady third-pairing type.”

The Capitals selected Iorio in the second round (No. 55 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He helped the Capitals AHL affiliate in Hershey win back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024, and appeared in one Stanley Cup Playoff game in the 2024 first round against the Rangers.

Iorio had one assist in nine games with the Capitals from 2022-24, and spent all of last season in the minors with Hershey.

He appeared to be a good fit in San Jose, and not only because he grew up in the Vancouver area, where he was friendly with Sharks wonderkid Macklin Celebrini and his brothers. With a string of veteran defensemen on expiring contracts, Iorio looked to have a future with the Sharks as a young up-and-coming blueliner.

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“It takes time. Right shot D are obviously hard to find,” Sharks coach Dan Warsofsky said recently about Iorio. “We like the toolset. We like the makeup of the player.”

Iorio fits the Rangers youth movement right now as a bottom-pair defender or extra defenseman. He also provides right-handed insurance should the Rangers trade Braden Schneider as part of their retool. When Adam Fox, returns from his lower-body injury, coach Mike Sullivan has decisions to make regarding the playing time for Iorio, Scott Morrow, and Urho Vaakanainen.

To make room on the roster, the Rangers sent forward Brett Berard back to Hartford of the American Hockey League on Saturday. That leaves Connor Mackey as the extra defenseman for their game Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, since Iorio didn’t join the team yet.

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After the Penguins tilt, the Rangers play one more game before the NHL Olympic break. They host the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden next Thursday.

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