NEW YORK, NY – Big names remain on the sidelines in the free agency season, chief among them Ilya Kovalchuk teasing and taunting NHL clubs. And the New York Rangers have kept a somewhat low profile and have not spent untold amounts of cash on players in their twilight years.
On Friday, the Rangers announced a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Steve Eminger. In exchange, the Blueshirts gave up forwards Aaron Voros and Ryan Hiller. Voros had spent 41 games in a Rangers sweater last season while Hiller bounced around the ECHL in Wheeling and Charlotte.
In 2002, Eminger was the 12th overall pick in the draft by the Washington Capitals. He has played with several clubs in the NHL but seemed to have settled into the Ducks’ lineup. At 6’2”, 210 pounds, Eminger is a big addition to the backline and adds a talent desperately needed by the Ranger goalie corps, he blocked 99 shots for the Ducks this last season.
Earlier in the free agency signing frenzy, the Rangers signed 6’7” 260 pound defenseman Derek Boogaard late of the Minnesota Wild. Ranger general manager Glen Sather said earlier that he was not happy with the snow jobs given to goalie Henrik Lundqvist over the years. As he said at the signing of Boogaard, that insult should no longer be a problem.
“He’s obviously the biggest and the toughest,” Sather said of Boogaard in a team release. “I think we need that presence here. There were too many times last year when we saw guys scraping snow into Henrik’s face in front of the net, and I didn’t like it. I don’t think we’re going to see that happen any longer here.”
The Rangers now have a ”D” tandem that clears pucks with Eminger and forwards with Boogaard.
Lundqvist was gifted with additional support this off season as well, when Sather signed Martin Biron who skated the net for the Islanders this past season.
“We targeted him right from the beginning,” Sather said of Biron in a Ranger press release. “We think he’ll fit right in here with us. We’re quite happy to get the deal done, and he’s quite happy to be here.”
Adding to the now suddenly solid defensive corps was the signing of Dan Girardi to a new contract. The four year veteran skated in all 82 games for the Blueshirts in the 2009-2010 season.
On the offensive side of things, the Rangers re-signed centerman Erik Christensen, 26, who laced them up in 49 games with the Rangers in the 09-10 season, picking up eight goals and 26 points, with 24 penalty minutes and plus-14 rating. Vinny Prospal also resigned with New York, despite tensions with the coaching staff. Winger Brandon Prust also signed again.
Nothing earth-shattering happened with the free agency signing period for the Rangers. What did happen was a seemingly thoughtful process of filling holes in the line-up on the blueline, backing up their number one goalie with a solid netminder, and keeping the younger stars on the payroll with deservedly compensating contracts. In effect, the Rangers raised the stakes in their arms race with their divisional rivals.
Now they need a quality scorer to support Marian Gaborik.
Contact LM.Davis@prohockeynews.com
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