The Rangers may have acquired a hidden gem and nobody knows about him yet. His name is Juuso Parssinen.
Most Rangers fans were probably more focused on the fact that the team traded Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to the Colorado Avalanche.
Soon enough, fans will take notice of Parssinen.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury has been interested in acquiring Parssinen for months as they really believe in his potential and upside. Now, he finally got his prize.
What exactly will Parssinen bring to the Rangers? There is no better person for that than Parssinen himself.
“I feel like I can bring some size, some physicality,” Parssinen said. “Good on both sides of the puck. Can make plays and contribute offensively.”
In his first game with the Rangers on Sunday night, Parssinen served as the team’s third-line center, playing alongside Brennan Othmann and Jonny Brodzinski.
His speed and physicality were on full display and that’s exactly what Peter Laviolette expected to see in him.
“A good young centerman,” Laviolette said of Parssinen. “I know he’s played a little bit on the wing, but in conversations with him, he’s a centerman. He wants to play center.. Great opportunity for him to come in and show what he can do. He’s young, he’s big, he’s strong, so that’s a good pickup for us.”
Parssinen has actually been traded twice this season. He was dealt from the Nashville Predators to the Colorado Avalanche in December and now suddenly finds himself in The Big Apple.
Being traded once is a lot to deal with emotionally, so being traded twice is even more emotionally draining.
“It’s been a pretty crazy year,” Parssinen said. “It’s not everyday you get traded and then you get traded twice. It’s crazy, but I’m here now. It’s a pretty great spot. The city, the team, what everybody has been talking about, the organization, it’s pretty special to be here.”
The chance to put on the Blueshirts jersey is one that Parssinen did not think he would ever get. He’s fully embracing these new colors and this new chapter of his career.
“A little bit shocked, but then when you heard it’s the Rangers, it’s a pretty legendary organization. It feels pretty special today to put on the jersey.”
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