How Joe Veleno angered Rangers fans 1 week after free-agent signing

Maybe Joe Veleno can request a mulligan from New York Rangers fans. Because it appears he needs a second chance to make a good first impression after signing a one-year contract with the Rangers in free agency on July 1.

The 26-year-old, who’ll earn $1.2 million next season likely to be the fourth-line center on Broadway, drew the ire of his new fanbase earlier this week.

Veleno took part in an offseason workout at the Montreal Canadiens practice facility in Brossard, Quebec, with several of his former Habs teammates. That in of itself wasn’t a big deal. But a local Montreal reporter, Patrick Guillet, posted a video on X of Veleno taking part in the on-ice workout wearing his old Canadiens gear.

Again, not an earth-shattering turn of events. Perhaps the Rangers didn’t provide him with any new gear yet.

But many Rangers fans took to social media to voice their displeasure with Veleno. The grumbling grew louder Wednesday, after Guillet posted video of longtime Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher skating with his former teammates in Brossard, wearing a Vancouver Canucks practice jersey. The Canadiens traded Gallagher to the Canucks last week.

Veleno is a Montreal native, so it makes plenty of sense for him to take ice time in the offseason with his former teammates in Brossard. He recorded career lows with two goals, three assists, and five points in 61 games with the Canadiens last season, and had one assist in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games.

A former first-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018 draft (No. 30 overall), Veleno recorded 20 or more points twice in five NHL seasons. That includes his most productive season in 2023-24, when he established career highs with 12 goals and 28 points in 80 games with the Red Wings.

The Rangers are the fourth Original Six team for Veleno, who also played for the Choicago Blackhawks briefly in 2024-25 before spending one season with the Canadiens. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder replaces Sam Carrick in the middle of New York’s fourth line, after the Rangers dealt Carrick to the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the trade deadline last March.

Those are some pretty big skates to fill because not only was Carrick a heart-and-soul teammate and pesky veteran center, he was also a fan favorite. Veleno was third on Montreal with 166 hits last season and should add equal doses of speed and energy to the Rangers lineup. So, that’s a plus.

However, it appears he must work on the fan favorite part.

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