Chris Drury signed his second RFA of the off-season today, locking up 23 year old defenseman Ty Emberson for another year for the minimum $775K contract. The right handed defenseman is one of only two right handed defensemen signed by the Rangers in Hartford, along with Mac Holloway, who was added as a UFA on July 1st.
Acquired from Arizona last Summer as part of the deal to dump Patrick Nemeth, Emberson had a relatively encouraging season in Hartford, and established himself as a reliable blueliner. Considered a bit of a project after a disappointing start to his pro career, the former team mate of K’Andre Miller (who re-signed on Tuesday) with the Wisconsin Badgers in College, established himself as a reliable top four defender for the Pack, and potentially could earn himself a call-up if injuries hit the Rangers this upcoming season.
More of a defensive-minded blueliner, Emberson nevertheless set career highs in almost every category last season, appearing in 69 games – one of those career highs – while picking up 7 goals and 20 assists. He added another 2 goals and 3 assists in 9 playoff games, to help the Wolf Pack reach the third round of the playoffs.
With Emberson signed, Drury only has Alexis Lafreniere and Brandon Scanlin as the remaining RFAs. Scanlin filed for arbitration, with his hearing set for August 4th.