Blog  Articles playoffs 2008 |
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Rangers grab Naslund, Kalinin |
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Saturday, 05 July 2008 |
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Habs won to prove role
The New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather gave up waiting on their last season captain Czech forward Jaromir Jagr's decision to sign for their team. Instead he secured two experienced players, former Vancouver Canucks captain five-time NHL All-Star (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004) and an unrestricted free agent Swedish forward Markus Naslund (34) to a two year 8 mil.
Dollar contract and former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Dmitrij Kalinin for one year. Allegedly Jagr was also interested in signing a two year contract, but the Rangers offered him to play for one year. He has an offer from his former Russian team the Avangard Omsk which reportedly offered him a three year 35 mil. Dollar contract. Other NHL teams which were interested in Jagr's services are Edmonton ( fail to sign Marian Hossa who refused a multi-year 81 mil. Dollar contract and accepted to play for one year in Detroit ) and his former team which drafted him, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jagr's agent Pat Brisson conceded that his agent might take a longer time to think and decide about his near future similarly as another NHL veteran Swede Mats Sundin. Jagr registered team best 71 points (25 goals) in all 82 games last season for the Rangers.
Markus Naslund played all 82 regular season games for the Canuks which failed to advance to the playoffs. He collected 55 points ( reached the 50-point mark for the 10th time in 14 seasons ), ending second best in team in scoring with 25 goals ( surpassed the 20-goal plateau for the ninth consecutive season ), nine power-play goals and 237 shots. Naslund is former Lester B. Pearson Award winner (2003) and Hart Memorial Trophy runner-up in the same year. He was also selected to NHL All-Star First Teams (2002, 2003 and 2004). Born in Ornskoldsvik, Naslund represented his country at 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was a member of Team Sweden at 1996 and 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He also played at the IIHF World Championships in 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2002. Drafted in the first round in 1991 (16th overall) by Pittsburgh, Naslund played in 1035 career regular season (in 1995-96 he joined the Canucks) matches in whose he collected 823 points for 371 goals and 452 assists. His best year was the forementioned 2002-03 season which he finished with 104 points on 48 goals and 56 assists. He led the NHL with 12 game-winning goals and also had his best in 24 power-play goals.
"Initially, there were quite a few teams contacting me," Naslund said. "I gave him (my agent) instructions early on that there was only a limited number of teams that I was interested in playing for, and the Rangers were on the top of that list. ... Right from noon on July 1, my eyes had been set on the Rangers." (nhl.com)
"This team has a chance to win the Cup," Naslund said of his new employer. "I wanted to sign with a Cup contender. I think we've all seen how tight the race is when it comes to the playoffs. I believe that the Rangers are going in the right direction. I'd like to be a part of that, and I'd like to be part of a Stanley Cup champion for sure." (nhl.com)
The New York Rangers also acquired Russian winger Nikolai Zherdev and center Dan Fritsche from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defencemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.
"Zherdev is a talented player - a shifty talented winger with nothing but upside written all over him," Rangers President and GM Glen Sather said. "We're trying to get younger and faster. There's a certain chemistry we've been trying to build here for the past five years. We were looking to make a deal [for Zherdev and Fritsche] before the management change there last year. This deal sort of fell into our laps, but it's something we were thinking about for a while - though we never talked about who would go the other way." (nhl.com)
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