After Joe Veleno went down injured, the New York Rangers were left with no choice but to risk Matthew Robertson by placing him on waivers. In the end, it wasn’t disastrous as Robertson cleared waivers, but they did have other choices. Still, head coach Mike Sullivan believed risking Robertson made more sense than losing other players in the 2026-27 NHL season.
One name that many Rangers fans wondered about was Jaroslav Chmelar, the 23-year-old forward from Czechia. With the Blueshirts suddenly in need of a center call-up, many thought Chmelar could be the odd man out, as he’s waiver-exempt and thus could’ve been sent down to the AHL without risking another NHL franchise claiming him. Asked about his decision to keep Chmelar and instead risk waiver-eligible Robertson, Sullivan gave a firm answer.
“The question is: Do we just put guys in the lineup and send guys down just because they’re waivers exempt? Or do we put the guys in the lineup that we think are going to give us the best chance to win? We chose to make a decision based on the latter,” Sullivan admitted, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post on X. “We think the guys that are in the lineup are deserving to be in the lineup through their performance and their play. [Chmelar] is one of those guys.”
Chmelar’s start to the season
Although he’s yet to record his first point of the season, it looks like Sullivan has liked Chmelar’s performance so far through the first three games of the 2026-27 NHL campaign. He might be in for an even bigger role after Joe Veleno’s injury.
Jaroslav Chmelar #49 of the New York Rangers.
The Rangers have now placed Veleno on Injured Reserve (IR), and until a centerman is called up from the AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack, Chmelar might even fill in for the injured Veleno at 4C. Clearly, Sullivan trusts the 23-year-old pending RFA, so one shouldn’t put it past the head coach to move Chmelar to the middle of the ice.
“Jaro [Chmelar] has certainly made a compelling argument to keep him in the lineup just based on his play,” Sullivan said, per Mollie Walker.
Rangers face salary-cap crunch
As reasonable as Sullivan’s explanation for the Rangers’ decision is, and as great as it might play out, there’s also logic in asking why the Blueshirts even reached the point where they had to auction a young player as the first wave of adversity hit them. Fans in Manhattan believe they know the reason for that.
Less than five games into the season, New York was already hemmed in by the salary cap, and it didn’t take long before the spotlight shifted to the cap-heavy contracts signed or brought in over the summer. Namely, Joonas Korpisalo.
Joonas Korpisalo’s contract
The Rangers raised eyebrows when they traded for the former Boston Bruins netminder, who is carrying a $3 million cap hit in 2026-27. To make matters worse, Dylan Garand has returned to New York as Korpisalo will miss time with an injury.
Essentially, the Broadway Blueshirts had to place Robertson on waivers because of the salary-cap crunch Korpisalo’s deal has put them in, and the veteran goalie hasn’t even played a game at Madison Square Garden this season. Since his arrival, Korpisalo has caused several roster moves before he even put on his pads, blocker, glove, and mask.
A lot can change, and Korpisalo may end up playing a big role in the season. So far, however, he can be added to the long list of costly decisions made by Chris Drury and company. Why did the Blueshirts trade for a $3 million second-string netminder when Garand was right there? Who knows? But Robertson ended up on waivers because of it. Fortunately for the Blueshirts, he cleared. They may not be as lucky in the future, though.
Key takeaways
- Matthew Robertson cleared waivers after Joe Veleno suffered an injury.
- Czech forward Jaroslav Chmelar remained on the NHL roster despite being waiver-exempt.
- Joonas Korpisalo carries a $3 million cap hit while currently sidelined with an injury.
