Day two of the 2008 free agency frenzy is under way, and so far no more big signings to report, which of course gives us plenty of time to review the stories from yesterday.
Wade Redden of course was the biggest signing for the Rangers yesterday, and he seems ready to go. The career Senator is set to play for just the second team in the NHL.
The Hockey News sees him as a good mentor for the younger Ranger defenders (though how many they end up keeping remains to be seen).
Like us, Larry Brooks takes issue with the size of the contracts for Redden and Michal Rozsival (who was also re-signed), or more specifically the position it puts the team in.
Undoubtedly Glen Sather was overreacting to not getting a top line defender last year, and so ensured that his defense was set first. Defenders have commanded a premium since the lockout, and Sather looked to be negotiating with several before securing Redden and coming back to Rozsival.
There is still of course a gaping hole at forward, with the Rangers holding somewhere between $8-11M (depending who you slot into the remaining open spots) to add some depth there.
One player who likely won’t be back is Sean Avery. Avery appears to be talking to Dallas where he has connections with former fellow team mate (and now co-GM) Brett Hull.
As a side note, aside from the re-signing of Michal Rozsival and Stephen Valiquette, no other Ranger free agents have been signed yet.
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