The New York Rangers have signed Brandon Crawley to a three-year, entry-level contract. The 20-year old defensman was drafted in the fourth round this summer after being passed up in the previous two. Crawley logged big minutes for the London Knights this season, and proved there may be a bit more to his game as he continues to fill out into his 6’2″ frame.
Crawley will spend this year with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL, where he’ll continue his development as a shutdown defender. Without a ton of offensive upside, Crawley could carve out a professional career based on his unstoppable defensive zone work ethic. A prototypical penalty killer, it will be interesting to see how much ice time he is afforded as an AHL rookie.
- Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 in Vancouver reports that Josh Anderson and the Columbus Blue Jackets are negotiating over term, not money as the team would like to get him under contract for three years. Whether this information is coming from the agent or team is unclear, but one would hope the situation can be resolved quickly if salaries have been agreed upon. Anderson remains unsigned going into the season, and will miss the opener unless he signs in the next day or so.
- Jyrki Jokipakka has signed a one-year deal with Sochi in the KHL according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. The former NHL defenseman was in training camp with the Washington Capitals on a professional tryout, but had been cut last Tuesday after failing to impress.