The Rangers have agreed to terms on a two-year, entry-level deal with prospect winger Lauri Pajuniemi, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). The contract begins next season and carries an AAV of $925K.
The 21-year-old is coming off of his second straight strong offensive showing with TPS Turko of the Finnish SM-liiga. This season, he was second on the team in goals with 22 and third in points with 38. Those numbers were actually slightly lower than a year ago when Pajuniemi picked up 26 tallies along with 14 helpers in 49 games, finishing tied for third in the league in goals along the way. Clearly, he has outperformed his fifth-round selection (132 overall in 2018) already.
With the winger depth that New York currently has, it’s hard to see Pajuniemi contending for a spot out of training camp in the fall despite playing at the professional level back home for each of the past three years. However, with the scoring touch that he has had thus far in his career, he’s someone that seemingly could play his way into a recall relatively quickly.
The Rangers signing the kids .setting up for Jack Eichel trade
Can’t take on Eichel’s contract and sign Zib. And I am all about resigning Zib over trading for Eichel