Ville Meskanen Placed On Unconditional Waivers
Thursday: Meskanen has cleared waivers and will see his contract terminated.
Wednesday: The New York Rangers have placed Ville Meskanen on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, according to CapFriendly. Meskanen is in the second year of the entry-level contract he signed with New York in 2018 after going undrafted. He would become an unrestricted free agent should the termination go through.
Meskanen, 24, earned himself the NHL deal with an impressive 44-point season in Finland during the 2017-18 campaign, one that was highlighted by a third-place finish in the goal scoring race. That kind of success in Liiga obviously isn’t a guarantee of it in North America, but Meskanen seemed like he was on a strong development path when he put up 34 points with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season.
Unfortunately, through 20 games this year the young forward has yet to score a goal and has just four assists. Hartford is a deep, talented team that has other top prospects to develop, meaning Meskanen may not have felt like he had the best opportunity. If the termination is completed, it seems likely that he will return to Europe.
New York Rangers Sign Jake Elmer
Friday: The Rangers have announced that they have agreed to terms with Elmer on an entry-level contract.
Thursday: The New York Rangers are “closing in” on an interesting junior player, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The Rangers are expected to sign forward Jake Elmer of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes to an entry-level contract. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks adds that it will be a three-year deal beginning next season. Elmer has 38 goals and 78 points in 66 games this season.
While it has been a breakout season for Elmer, it hasn’t always been so easy for the 20-year-old winger. Elmer struggled to stick in the WHL early on, playing just 20 games over two seasons with the Regina Pats while spending more time in the junior-A AJHL. A trade moved him to the Kootenay Ice ahead of the 2016-17 season where he finally found consistent play time, but still lacking production. A second deal sent him to Lethbridge last year, where he has finally grown into a consistent scorer. However, after recording just 37 points last season, no one could have predicted that he would more than double that total this year. Playing next to presumptive 2019 top-ten pick Dylan Cozens, Elmer’s game has taken on a whole new level, as he leads the Hurricanes in goals and is third in points.
Yet, Elmer is still a player with a chip on his shoulder. He will undoubtedly again face doubts as he enters the pro level, but the hard-working right wing has defied expectations to this point and will look to continue that trend. Elmer is highly likely to spend time in the minors with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, but there is certainly an avenue for him to see action in New York sooner rather than later. Currently, Jesper Fast is the only right-handed winger on the Rangers’ roster and none of the right-shot wings in the pipeline were drafted any higher than the fifth round besides 25-year-old Steven Fogarty. There’s an argument to be made that upon signing his ELC, Elmer will immediately become the Rangers’ top right wing prospect with the only real competition coming from another undrafted free agent, Ville Meskanen. It’s a great fit for Elmer and New York can only hope that the available opportunity only further advances his competitive nature and the upward trajectory of his development.
New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Ville Meskanen
The New York Rangers are certainly working hard to improve their organizational depth, and have inked another European free agent. Ville Meskanen has agreed to terms with the club, on what will be a two-year entry-level contract.
After bringing in Michael Lindqvist yesterday, the Rangers have once again signed a skilled forward that could be ready for an NHL role in short order. Meskanen broke out this season in Finland scoring 44 points in 48 games at the country’s highest level, finishing third in the entire league with 24 goals. He’s a talented offensive player, capable of scoring on every shot he takes and can find open ice regularly.
Though there is no guarantee that Lindqvist or Meskanen will make the NHL, the Rangers seem focused on adding talent wherever they can get it. After trading away big parts of their team over the last calendar year, they’ve started a rebuild that could be shorter than many believe. Using their vast financial assets to add lottery tickets like these European free agents is an easy way to try and find more talent, and comes with relatively no risk.
The only thing the Rangers will have to worry about is contract slots, as no team is allowed to carry more than 50 at one time. They currently have 37 signed for next season, but still have 12 restricted free agents in the organization. While some of those may not be qualified, the team is getting close to the limit and will have to carefully choose who to award contracts to, and when to do it.