Free Agent Watch: Paul Mara!!

Paul Mara was a very reliable defensemen with the Rangers over the years.  He signed a one year deal with the Canadians which did not really work out very well as about halfway through the season he injured his shoulder and opted to have season ending surgery.  He would come at a relatively cheap price and would be a worth a shot to get the sixth D-Man spot.

Reasons I would go after Mara:

1.  He will have a cheap price tag probably around $1M-$1.5M and at that price I would have no problem bringing him back.

2.  The only problem I ever had with Mara's play is that he at times could take some dumb penalties but he always had great hustle to his game and always played with heart.

3.  While with the Rangers Mara always stuck up for his teammates which is something this current team may lack a bit of.

4.  He is still young at 30 years old and has shown some offensive ability in his 11 NHL seasons.

5.  He could be a leader on our team and definitely could wear the "A" with honor and help lead the new young core we have coming up.

Listen I am not asking this guy to come in and be a shut down D type guy but he is a reliable 5th or 6th D-Man who could be a leader on this team.  At around $1M I could not say no to this guy and if he does not play well then he could be benched for some of the kids we have coming up while still mentoring them to a degree.

Mixed Reaction Among Rangers Fans!!

Reaction about the Rangers direction as a franchise and the current offseason has been mixed amongst the fan base. A lot of fans seem to think negatively about everything the Rangers do but it seems as though for at least one offseason Glen has figured out what he needs to do to make the Rangers a better team. Granted it took him ten tries at it but that's for another discussion. While there is still plenty of time for Glen to mess up what he has done so far, it seems like the Rangers organization and team is heading in the right direction.

We got started early by signing Mats Zucarello Aasen to a two year contract, paying him $1.75M a year. This is a great signing as we scooped him up quick and this kid could be a dynamic player in the NHL someday. He has some speed and a goal scoring touch and played in the Swedish Elite League with some NHL veterans and they all held high praises for this kid. MZA put up some good numbers over there which should translate well to the NHL. MZA could make the opening night roster but playing a year or half a year in the AHL would not be bad for him as he will be able to get use to the NHL rink and how the game is played with out as much pressure.

Next was the re-signing of Erik Christensen who was a pleasant surprise last year after we claimed him off of waivers from the Ducks. He scored eight goals and added 18 assists in only 49 games. A big factor in the resigning was the fact that he had some pretty good chemistry with Gaborik which at times last year was hard to find. At only 925k for the next two seasons, this is a great deal for a player who has always had the potential to be a big time player in the NHL. One year in juniors he scored 54 goals and added 54 assists in only 69 games. He has also shown the ability to play at the NHL as when he was acquired by the Ducks in 08-09 he had nine points in only 17 games but they failed to find a spot for him the next season and he was placed on waivers. I can't really find any reason to be mad or upset about this trade as there really is not much the Rangers can lose in this signing.

Join me after this to read my take on the rest of our moves and my final analysis of Sather's offseason.