New York Rangers re-sign two of their own players which should help clear up the Derek Stepan situation in the long run.
By Steven Cifuentes
Etem was acquired in a draft day trade involving fan favorite Carl Hagelin. Etem did the Rangers a favor by accepting his qualifying offer, per Pat Leonard of the Daily News.
Lindberg signed for a reported 2 year deal at $650,000, per Larry Brooks.
This is a nice bargain for the Rangers, especially if Lindberg is able to make the transition to the NHL game and become a third or fourth line center.
With the Rangers now locking up two more potential roster players the muddy water that is Derek Stepan’s arbitration hearing can become a little clearer.
These two deals are perfect for the Rangers cap situation and exactly what needed to happen to make getting Stepan signed a little easier.
Beside Stepan the last remaining unrestricted free agents to sign are J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast.
While it may still be a tight squeeze and the Rangers may still need to shed a contract to get Derek Stepan signed, Jeff Gorton had a good day at the bargaining table.