Rangers add another veteran

Without any doubts, the Rangers’ performance last year raised many questions during the off-season regarding their roster. On one hand, they were able to make it to the playoffs despite their lack of scoring on the offensive end of the ice. On the other hand, they allowed the second fewest goals in the league but were not able to make any noise in the post-season.

Therefore, many people thought the New York Rangers were going to keep their defense tight and add some more firing power over the summer. However, the Rangers’ front office took a different approach so far. In fact, out of New York’s best scorers only Chris Drury is still on the team, where as Scott Gomez, Nik Antropov, Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev are not on the Rangers’ payroll anymore. Nonetheless, it should be mentioned that they also added Slovakian forward Marian Gaborik, Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik. Where as Gaborik is a great fit, one still keeps wondering how these replacements could possibly solve the franchise’s problem. Even though they have a few young players who have yet to reach their full potential, most of them still appear to be wildcards going into the next season.

Considering the aforementioned issues, it was no surprise that GM Glen Sather announced the acquisition of another forward this week. In 2009-10, left wing Vaclav Prospal will be wearing a Rangers’ jersey and is expected to increase the team’s offensive output. The 34-year old Czech veteran has proven to be a valuable player for the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks during his 14 years in the NHL. Prospal appeared in 874 regular season games and was able to score 198 goals as well as 401 assists for a total of 599 career points.

Given the fact that he was only signed to a one-year deal worth approximately $1.1 million, he could turn out to be a steal for the Rangers. Although he is approaching the end of his career, he can still score on a consistent basis and mentor some of the younger players on New York’s roster.

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