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Rangers Sign Goalie Alexander Georgiev

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Wednesday: The team has officially announced the contract.

Monday: The New York Rangers have made an interesting off-season move, signing Russian goaltender Alexander Georgiev to an entry-level contract. The 21-year-old keeper, who went undrafted in 2014 and 2015, was a free agent playing in the Finnish Liiga. CapFriendly reports that he’ll now head across the Atlantic to join the Rangers organization on a three-year deal worth $792.5K at the NHL level.

Although undrafted, Georgiev has begun to make a name for himself on the international stage in recent years. Unlike most promising Russian prospects, Georgiev left the country to join TPS in Finland for the 2014-15 season. His performance as the backup for the team – a 2.21 GAA in 14 games in 2014-15 and a 2.28 GAA in 10 games in 2015-16 – caught the eye of the Russian World Junior team. Not only did Georgiev make the team, he started five games at the 2016 tournament. He then took over as the starter for TPS this past season, posting a stellar 1.70 GAA and .923 save percentage in 27 games as just a 21-year-old in a men’s league. The young goalie has plenty of upside to go along with many questions about his game as well.

Yet, his current resume seems to have been enough for the Rangers to give him a shot in the AHL. With Henrik Lundqvist and the newly signed Ondrej Pavelec as a solid one-two punch at the NHL level, Georgiev will certainly head for the minors, where he can compete for starts on the Hartford Wolf Pack. After losing Magnus Hellberg to the KHL and choosing not to re-sign Mackenzie Skapski, there’s definitely room for someone to take control in Hartford. Georgiev will battle incumbent Brandon Halverson, a 2014 second-round pick who struggled in his first pro season, and Bowling Green University’s Chris Nell, who also struggled in his brief AHL showing at the end of last season. Georgiev may just end up as the AHL starter, and candidate to see NHL time, when all is said and done.

Kevin Shattenkirk Hopes To Play With Ryan McDonagh

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While it had been rumored for quite some time before Kevin Shattenkirk signed with the New York Rangers that the free agent defensemen only wanted to play in the Northeast because of the proximity to his home, he mentioned two other things when discussing his decision at a press conference today. One, the potential for the Rangers to really compete right away in the Metropolitan division, and two the chance to play with Ryan McDonagh.

As Matt Calamia writes for NHL.com, Shattenkirk and McDonagh have played together at various tournaments for many years, and the newest member of the Rangers is excited to get started. It doesn’t hurt that legendary New York defenseman Brian Leetch was his favorite player growing up, someone many Rangers fans hope he emulates for the next four years.

Overseas Notes: Pirri, Brule, Villacher

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Despite some early reports, it remains unclear whether free agent forward Brandon Pirri is leaving the NHL or not. News out of local sources in Switzerland made it sound as if the young scorer had already come to an agreement with the ZSC Lions of the NLA. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, one of hockey’s top news-breakers, did some digging today and has doubts about the deal. Friedman believes that Pirri still plans on staying in North America, despite what is likely ample interest from European clubs. Pirri, still just 26 years old, has not been tendered a qualifying offer in back-to-back years, despite racking up 47 points in 121 games with the New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, and Florida Panthers over the past two seasons. Before that, Pirri notched a 22-goal season for the Panthers in 2014-15. Yet, often described as a one-dimensional player, Pirri has been unable to find a long-term NHL home. Will he wait out the market or take a minor league deal, as Friedman suggests, or will eventually succumb to the pressure of overseas offers, like that of ZSC, and leave North America?

  • One former NHLer who first turned to the ZSC Lions when he could not find a new NHL team was Gilbert Brule. The sixth overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brule left for Swtizerland in 2012 after his once-promising career had produced only 95 points in 296 NHL games over seven pro seasons. Brule attempted a comeback the following year, but found a similar lack of success and moved on to the KHL, where he has played ever since. According to a press release from Russian club Traktor Chelyabinsk, Brule is on the move again, but still within the KHL. Traktor has acquired the now 30-year-old forward for cash compensation from Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Brule is coming off his best pro season in 2016-17, after posting 42 points in 52 games between Neftekhimik and Medvescak Zagreb. Brule will look to stay hot in the final season of his contract after finishing in the top 25 in points per game last season in the KHL.
  • Brule’s former team, Medvescak Zagreb, has now left the KHL and has re-joined the EBEL, a league based mostly out of Austria, but that includes other European clubs like Zagreb, a Croatian team, and others from the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, and Slovenia. While league re-alignment has been a major story for the EBEL, another has been the active off-season for Villacher SV, the lowest-placing Austrian team in 2016-17. In the past two days, Villacher has added arguably the two biggest names of any EBEL signings this summer in Rob Flick and Ben Walter. Flick, a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 and a well-regarded enforcer, had been unable to crack an NHL lineup despite solid defensive play and moderate offense in the AHL and ECHL. The 26-year-old finally found his scoring touch with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays last season, notching 63 points in 60 games and will now look to keep that going with Villacher. Walter, a veteran of lower-level European hockey, was one of the top scorers in the EBEL in 2014-15 with 43 points in 50 games. Walter was a fifth-round selection of the Boston Bruins in 2004, and unlike Flick, saw 24 games of NHL action with the Bruins, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils. While Flick and Walter may not be massive names by any means to most North American fans, their relative talent level make them huge acquisitions for Villacher.

Brandon Pirri Signs With Swiss Team

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Two days after former New York Rangers’ Kevin Klein signed with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland, another former Ranger has agreed to sign with the Swiss club as well. According to the Swiss Hockey News, forward Brandon Pirri has signed with the club as well, although terms have not been announced.

Pirri, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers, has bounced around from one NHL team to the next. He has played for four teams over the last four years and while he’s considered to be a highly-skilled goal scorer, has struggled to accomplish that feat at the NHL level. He did score 22 goals in the 2014-15 season with the Florida Panthers, but followed that up with an 11-goal season the following year and was eventually traded to Anaheim for a six.

The Ducks chose not to extend him a qualifying offer and Pirri then signed with the Rangers a year ago. He played in 60 games last year, putting up eight goals and 10 assists.

 

Johnson, Palat Signings Likely To Factor In Rangers Negotiations With Zibanejad

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With Mika Zibanejad’s arbitration hearing scheduled just nine days from now, the real question is whether the New York Rangers plan on locking up their young center before that time. With the loss of center Derek Stepan and the lack of depth at the center position, the need for Zibanejad is even more evident and locking up the 24-year-old to a long-term deal would be important as his value should only increase if he goes through arbitration and accepts a one-year deal.

Zibanejad was the key piece to the trade that the Rangers received for trading veteran center Derick Brassard one year ago to Ottawa. The promising playmaker had two solid seasons with Ottawa before New York acquired the former 2011 sixth-overall pick. Had it not been for a broken leg, Zibanejad would have easily duplicated his performance this year in his first season for New York. He managed to play 56 games and score 14 goals and add 23 assists on the season.

Yet now, some key decision-making must be made by Rangers’ brass as to what to offer the young playmaker. The New York Posts’ Larry Brooks writes that the team should look to the recent contracts that the Tampa Bay Lightning handed out to Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Johnson just signed a seven-year deal that pays him $5MM annually and Palat was locked up to a five-year contract, worth $5.3MM per year. That’s a starting point. And according to Brooks, both Johnson and Palat are slightly more productive players. Palat has averaged .71 points per game, while Johnson .68 points per game. Zibanejad has averaged just .56 points per game in his career and has been less successful in playoff games as well. Therefore, Brooks suggests that he should be receiving somewhat less money than the Tampa Bay duo, perhaps at $4.8MM per season. The general belief is the Rangers may play it tough in negotiations with Zibanejad since he left respected Newport Sports Agency to use his half-brother to negotiate with.

The key to the negotiations will most likely come down to how many years they can get Zibanejad to sign for. The general belief is that he wants as short of a deal that he can get, because even an average season or two should produce an even better contract in a year or two. Toss in the possibility that with newly signed free agent Kevin Shattenkirk on board, the defense should contribute even more on offense and be more of a benefit to Zibanejad’s play. However, the Rangers will be far more interested in locking him up for five years. So how much more will New York have to offer him to get this deal done. Afterall, no Ranger has reached arbitration since 2007 when Sean Avery and Nikolai Zherdev.

 

Filip Chytil, Martin Necas Sign Entry-Level Deals

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A couple of first-round picks have inked their entry-level contracts, as Filip Chytil and Martin Necas have signed with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes respectively. Though details on Chytil’s deal haven’t been released, Necas will earn $925K ($832.5K salary+$92.5K signing bonus each season) at the NHL level. Both deals likely contain performance bonuses as well.

Necas, the 12th-overall pick, is one of the most disputed selections in the top fifteen as he is unknown to many North American hockey fans. Though he’s played incredibly well internationally for the Czech Republic, his short career in the top Czech league wasn’t record breaking. That said, holding your own at 17 in any professional league is impressive, and Necas has immense potential as a future top line center.

Chytil on the other hand was later in the round, 21st overall as New York’s second first-round pick. He was the second Czech player selected (after Necas) and comes with incredible skating ability. Not exactly the type of puck-controlling presence Necas is, Chytil relies more on his straight line speed and ability on the forecheck. As he continues to grow, he could develop into a top line winger with a booming shot, but also has some experience in the middle.

Kevin Klein Signs One-Year Deal In Switzerland

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After announcing his retirement from the NHL last week, Kevin Klein has signed a one-year contract to play for the Zurich Lions of the Swiss NLA next season. Klein had one year remaining on his contract with the New York Rangers, but opted to retire and give up the $2.75MM instead of trying to work through his chronic injuries in the NHL.

He’ll do that instead in Switzerland, where he’ll join one of the top teams in the NLA for a year. Back in June, when it was first reported by Larry Brooks of the New York Post that Klein was considering retirement, continuing his career in Europe was mentioned. That didn’t seem like the plan last week when he announced his retirement, but at just 32 he likely has at least something left to give. The Lions are perhaps best known for their one-year housing of Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews while Marc Crawford was the head coach. While both of those men have moved on, the team remains a powerhouse in the league featuring former NHL players like David Rundblad and Robert Nilsson.

It’s interesting to see a player give up guaranteed money and a role in the NHL for the NLA, especially one like Klein who isn’t a fringe player. Playing 627 games in his career he has been a big part of the Rangers’ defensive group for several years, and before that a key cog for Nashville. The Rangers have made it clear they wanted to get younger this season, and perhaps they told Klein his role would be greatly diminished (or even buried in the minors) or maybe he just prefers the vistas of Europe over the metropolis of New York. He’s never been shy about his post-hockey plans—which include wood-working on his porch and opening a bed and breakfast with his wife—and this seems like just another outlet for those passions.

Lias Andersson Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The New York Rangers have inked their newest prize, seventh-overall pick Lias Andersson, to a three-year entry-level contract. The Rangers drafted Andersson with the selection acquired in the Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta trade with the Arizona Coyotes. That was the Rangers’ first first-round pick in many years, and they’re very excited to get him into their system as soon as possible.

In fact, Alain Vigneault told Larry Brooks of the New York Post just a few days ago that Andersson was impressing him and would get “every opportunity” to make the club right away. While that still seems like a long shot, Andersson did play all of last season in the Swedish Hockey League against professionals, and held his own. With 19 points in 42 games, he helped HV71 to an SHL championship and put up the second highest +/- (+21) among forwards on the team. Whatever you think of that statistic, it backs up what is plain to see when watching Andersson; he’ll be an effective two-way player at any level.

Though he wasn’t the most dynamic offensive talent in the draft, he may be one of the surest bets to make an impact at the NHL level. At 6’0″ 200-lbs he’s not physically imposing, but can already hold his own against grown men and is willing to go to all areas of the ice to retrieve pucks and pressure defenders. A natural center, he will hopefully be able to fill that role for the Rangers down the road. After trading Stepan, they’re much weaker down the middle and will be relying on Mika Zibanejad to log big minutes for them in all situations.

Morning Notes: Jensen, Streit, Nolan

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The New York Rangers won’t be signing Nicklas Jensen this summer, despite issuing him a qualifying offer a few weeks ago. The minor league forward has signed a one-year contract with Jokerit of the KHL, which also contains an option for the 2018-19 season.

Jensen was a first-round pick back in 2011, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL on a full-time basis yet. That didn’t slow him down last year though, as he scored 32 goals in the AHL for the Hartford Wolf Pack, easily a career high. Since the qualified him, the Rangers will retain his exclusive negotiating rights for the time being.

  • There is buzz around the Montreal Canadiens and free agent defenseman Mark Streit this morning, after a report from Marc de Foy of Le Journal de Montreal said that the team had offered him a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Though he couldn’t confirm that the team had offered it, Eric Engels of Sportsnet thinks that Streit would be silly not to take that deal if presented with it. Streit will turn 40 this season, but was still a fairly effective point producing defenseman last year with both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. His role is obviously diminished, but he can still move the puck and contribute on the powerplay.
  • Ted Nolan will be heading back to the international coaching ranks, as he’s set to take over the Polish National team. Nolan previously coached the Latvian team, and has had stops as the head coach for both New York (Islanders) and Buffalo in the NHL. Nolan has had huge success coaching young players in the junior ranks, and will try to help Poland grow their team to compete on the world stage.

Viktor Stalberg Signs With Swiss Club EV Zug

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Over the past few years, many NHL veterans have turned to the Swiss National League A when they could not find a home in the NHL. Mark Arcobello, Roman Cervenka, Drew Shore, and Dustin Jeffrey made up some of the NLA’s top players in 2016-17. Yet, thus far it has been a quiet off-season for the growing Swiss league. Only lesser-known North American pros such as Mason Raymond and Joel Vermin have made the jump overseas, instead of the regular influx of NHL veterans like in recent years.

That is, until now. EV Zug, fresh off an appearance in the NLA championship, announced this morning that they have signed NHL veteran Viktor Stalberg to a two-year deal. It has been rumored for some time that Stalberg, ranked 45th in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents, was looking into NLA offers, but after playing well for the Ottawa Senators down the stretch and during their surprising playoff run this season, many thought he would eventually receive a suitable NHL offer instead. Perhaps that wasn’t the case, as the Swedish winger has signed on for two years in the NLA, signalling that he is taking a break from the NHL, at least for a while.

Stalberg, 31, has been committed to North American hockey for some time now and it is a bit strange to see him leave after his stock rose at the end of the 2016-17 season. Stalberg originally left home to play at the University of Vermont in 2006, the same year he had been drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stalberg went on to be a key forward for the Chicago Blackhawks for a few years, posting a 20-goal season and career-high 43 points with the team in 2011-12 and helping out the Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2012-13. Since leaving Chicago, Stalberg has become more of a journeyman mercenary; a role player for teams for short periods of time. In the past three years, he has played for the Nashville Predators and their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, the New York Rangers, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Senators. In those three seasons, Stalberg registered only 46 points combined, which may have lent itself to the seemingly low level of interest from other teams. Stalberg may have lost his NHL scoring touch, but he’s likely to rediscover it in the NLA. Stalberg is a great veteran addition for HV Zug, and with more than a few years of hockey left in him, Stalberg’s NHL days may not be completely over yet either.

 

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