Gustafsson Rejoins Laviolette

In their 10th move of a busy first day of free agency, the Rangers added 31 year old defenseman Erik Gustafsson to the roster. Gustafsson split last season between the Capitals and Toronto, earning a first round pick in return for Washington at the deadline.

Into The Depths

Chris Drury continued his busy day, inking another four players to near minimum values, in order to continue to build up the depth of the organization. The free agent frenzy has now reached eight players, with the addition of two more forwards and two defenseman, and given the size of the contracts, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could still add more once the initial flurry finishes.

Free Agency Expected To Start Quickly

Chris Drury heads into today’s NHL Free Agency period with needs on the right wing, depth defense and backup netminder, but little to no Cap space to do much. As a result he’s expected to mostly be looking at veterans or bubble players who are willing to play near the league minimum. With the exodus of five roster players, plus depth defenseman Libor Hajek who wasn’t extended a qualifying offer, the team has some gaps to fill.

Quick, Wheeler Signed…Quickly

Less than 30 minutes into free agency, and Chris Drury and the Rangers have also gone some ways to addressing a couple of needs for the team. With his first two moves resulting in the addition of a top six right wing and a backup netminder.