Rangers Sign Prospal, Bring Back Messier

On a July 25th post I wrote:
"Many fans and writers think the Rangers should go out and sign a top tier center to anchor Marian Gaborik's line instead of Dubinsky, but I think Duby showed during his time playing next to Jaromir Jagr, that he can successfully center a star winger. Instead, New York needs to sign a capable center who can also play wing for around $2 million, so that if Anisimov cannot handle 3rd line duties, he can step in."

Well, the Rangers have filled that hole, and found a center/winger for under $2 million. They have signed 34 year-old Vinny Prospal to a 1 year/$1.1 million contract. This takes the pressure off of both Dubinsky and Anisimov, as Prospal can easily step in to center their respective lines if needed. If both youngsters are successful, Prospal can easily fit with the Blueshirts as a veteran winger.

This is a great signing not only because it fills a major hole in the New York lineup, but also because the Rangers are spending so little to get a player who has the potential to contribute so much. Prospal had success under Tortorella in Tampa Bay, and is coming off of a decent year (19 goals, 26 assists).

This transaction was made possible by the Lightning buying the veteran forward out of the final 3 years of a 4 year/$14 million deal this offseason. It is understandable why Tampa Bay would not have wanted to pay over $3 million a year for the aging Prospal, but $1.1 million for a year is definitely a bargain for the Blueshirts.

Rangers Notes:
-The Rangers have hired Hall of Famer Mark Messier to a front office position as a special assistant to President Glen Sather. New York has done a good job getting retired players with meaningful ties to the organization involved, such as Adam Graves, and I applaud them for bringing in Number 11. Messier has been rumored as a candidate to take over head coaching and/or general manager positions for the Rangers for years, and who knows where this road will take him.
-Rangers AAA affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack will visit the New Jersey Devils AAA affiliate Lowell Devils at the Prudential Center on January 6th and February 3rd. It makes sense for the New Jersey organization to do this, as they do not have many events to bring fans to their Prudential Center (other than NJ Devils games) and their AHL affiliate has been doing terrible in home attendance since moving from Albany in 2006 (where they were the River Rats). New Jersey realizes that many Rangers fans go to Rangers games at Prudential, and hopes many will also go there to see the Wolf Pack. Even a crowd of 2,300 would surpass the AHL-worst 2008-2009 average attendance for Lowell.