Via Bob McKenzie, the Rangers have re-signed Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year deal worth $1.4M. I wasn’t sure if he would be coming back after the Mike Rupp signing, but I like it. Contract seems very fair, if not a little light for Fedotenko given some of the nonsense contracts that were given out today.
The Rangers have agreed to terms with center Mike Rupp. The deal is worth $4.5 million over three years ($1.5 million cap hit). Rupp will likely be a bottom six guy, playing on the fourth line. He wins about 50% of his draws and 50% of his fights. Draws and his ability to take the enforcer duties away from Brandon Prust are the biggest gains for the Rangers with this deal.
Apparently there were 10 teams in on Rupp, which explains the slightly inflated price. He’s not killing the cap, but it’s a bit more money than expected.
Last month, news broke that the Rangers would qualify center John Mitchell, who was acquired at the trade deadline in February for a 2012 7th round draft pick. Today, Mitchell has officially re-signed with the Rangers, giving them depth at the center position in case of injury. Mitchell had 17 points in 24 games after coming over from Toronto, and impressed the front office staff enough to qualify and eventually re-sign him.
Mitchell will likely be a depth player and an AHL guy for the Rangers.
Per Mitch Beck of Howlings, the Rangers have re-signed restricted free agent Dale Weise. Weise has signed a one year, two-way deal to remain with the Rangers organization. Weise’s season was riddled with injuries that held him to just 47 games in the AHL, where he put together a line of 18-20-38 with 74 PIMs and an abysmal -14 rating. In the playoffs, Weise scored twice and added an assist in the five Whale playoff games.
In ten games with the Rangers, Weise was held off the scoreboard, but collected 19 PIMs and a -1 rating. Per Capgeek’s waiver calculator, Weise will not have to pass through waivers. However, Beck states he will have to pass through waivers. Take it for what you wiill.
With all the news that happened yesterday, the Rangers signing of Johnathan Audy-Marchessault slipped through the cracks. To be honest, I didn’t find out til I went to HFBoards and saw the post on it. JAM –sidenote: awesome initials– played four years with the Quebec Ramparts of the QMJHL, with this past season being his best. In 68 games, he put together an impressive line of 40-55-95, not including his line of 11-22-33 in 18 playoff games.
The 5’9 175 lb center finished his overage season on a high note, and was signed to a one year, two-way deal. From what I can gather from the French release of the article, JAM is friends with Rangers prospects Ryan Bourque and Kelsey Tessier, both of whom were teammates of his in the QMJHL. The 21 year old center will likely play with the Whale this coming season.
RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FORWARD CHAD KOLARIK
New York, June 17, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Chad Kolarik on a contract extension.
Kolarik, 25, skated in 49 contests with the Connecticut Whale and Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, registering 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points, along with 54 penalty minutes. He was acquired by the Rangers from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Dane Byers on November 11, 2010. Kolarik ranked second on the Whale in goals and fifth in points despite missing 26 games due to injury. He established a Connecticut franchise record with two shorthanded goals, the first of his career, tied the franchise mark with four points (two goals, two assists) in the first period and tied the Whale season-high with a career-high, four points in a 6-3 win vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on January 16. He also notched a goal in his debut with Connecticut on November 13 vs. Springfield.
Kolarik tied for the Whale lead in playoff goals and ranked third on the team in points, recording three goals and two assists for five points in three postseason contests. Prior to his trade from Springfield, Kolarik registered four goals and six assists for 10 points, along with 18 penalty minutes in 13 games with the Falcons. He ranked third on Springfield in scoring with 10 points, tied for second in assists and ranked fourth in goals at the time of his trade. In addition, Kolarik registered one assist in four games with the Rangers last season. He tallied his first career NHL point with an assist while making his Rangers debut on January 20 at Carolina.
The 5-11, 195-pounder has skated in 201 career AHL contests with the Connecticut Whale, Springfield Falcons, Syracuse Crunch, and San Antonio Rampage, registering 67 goals and 74 assists for 141 points, along with 156 penalty minutes. He split the 2009-10 season between San Antonio and Syracuse, recording a career-high, 26 goals and tying his career-high in scoring with 50 points in 76 games. He also appeared in two games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2009-10, making his NHL debut on April 5, 2010 at St. Louis. In 2008-09, Kolarik established a career-high with 30 assists and 50 points in 76 games with San Antonio. He made his professional debut with San Antonio on April 16 in the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, and notched a hat trick in his next game two days later.
The Abington, Pennsylvania native was originally selected as Phoenix’s seventh round pick, 199th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Per Jesse Spector, the Rangers have signed forward Chad Kolarik to a contract extension. Kolarik was acquired by the Rangers midway through last season in exchange for Dane Byers. In 36 games with the CT Whale, Kolarik netted 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points, a +4 rating, and 31 PIMs. In 49 total AHL games, Kolarik finished with a line of 21-20-41. In three playoff games with the Whale, Kolarik scored three times and added two assists for five points.
Kolarik was recalled by the Rangers in January, playing four games with the Blueshirts. He had one assist in those four games, his first NHL point. Terms of the extension have not been disclosed at this moment.
Per Leslie Treff, the Rangers will sign 2997 2007 5th round pick Max Campbell to an AHL deal before today’s 5pm the August 15th NCAA signing deadline. Campbell (6’0″, 170 lbs) played four up and down seasons at Western Michigan University, finishing this past season with a line of 18-17-35 in 42 games. The 23 year old center is currently the #19 prospect in the Rangers organization, but he doesn’t project out to be more than a bottom six player. Campbell is very skilled, but his game is extremely one-sided and flawed. He will need to become more well-rounded in order to succeed professionally.
As per Renaud Lavoie, the Rangers have signed defenseman Blake Parlett to an entry level contract. The deal is for the league minimum in a two-way contract. Parlett was initially signed to a minor league deal with the CT Whale on 7/29/2010, and the culmination of his hard work has led to this entry level contract. In splitting time between Greenvale of the ECHL and the Whale, Parlett put together respectable numbers. With Greenvale, he put up a line of 7-25-32 with 40 PIMs in 46 games. With CT, he put up a line of 2-10-12 with 17 PIMs in 24 games.
In the 2009-2010 OHL season, Parlett played for the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, where he had a good over-age season with the Majors, putting up a line of 11-35-46 and 108 PIMs in 68 games. The 22 year old, 6’1″, 205 lb defenseman is likely a depth move for the Whale. Expect him to replace Tysen Dowzak on the depth chart, who I do not believe will be given another contract. The Rangers still have plenty of space on the 50 contract reserve list.
Earlier today, the CT Whale have announced that they re-signed defenseman Jared Nightingale. The 6’3″ 205 lb defenseman played 71 games with the Whale this past season, registering two goals, six assists, and 204 PIMs. Nightingale, 28, has bounced between the ECHL and AHL in the Rangers organization since 2007, finally playing a full year with the Whale this season. You can read the press release after the jump.
