2:14 PM: The Rangers are reportedly acquiring 26-year old pending UFA defenseman Niko Mikkola from St. Louis as part of the Tarasenko deal.
2:03 PM: The Rangers have placed Libor Hajek on waivers. (Johnston)
Hajek has played in 16 games for the Rangers this season, but has not played since December 12th.
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He has played 110 games for the Rangers over the last five-years.
Adam Rotter: After holding onto him and basically making him a near permanent healthy scratch, the Rangers have finally placed Hajek on waivers. This could mean that the Rangers are getting another depth defenseman from St. Louis with Tarasenko. They’ve been afraid to put him on waivers because they’ve expected that someone would claim him and, for his sake, I hope someone does and gives him an opportunity to play in the NHL.
Hajek came up for five games in the 2018-19 season, looked really good and then hurt his shoulder. After that he seemed to struggle with confidence, struggle with defending and struggle with his puck management. I think he’s fine as a depth defenseman and someone that the Rangers could still use, but he, more than anyone, needs a change of scenery to see if he can get his career back on track.