Rangers Free Agency: Nothing big (yet), but Blueshirts add depth

No big moves for the Rangers, but the team is already deeper.

New York Rangers fans headed into the first day of free agency hoping that Buffalo Sabres captain and star center Jack Eichel would be announced as the newest member of the team. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

They didn’t really do anything huge on Wednesday, but did sign some nice depth players.

The signing of LHD Patrik Nemeth has been the Rangers’ biggest acquisition move so far this offseason.

OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with free agent defenseman Patrik Nemeth on a three-year contract.

Welcome to New York! pic.twitter.com/d6gkIcwhOM

— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 28, 2021

Heading into next season, the Rangers were keen on adding a veteran LHD and Nemeth is exactly what they need.

Patrik Nemeth, signed 3x$2.5M by NYR, didn't have a very good playoff round against Vegas but otherwise has been a very effective defensive defenceman who has played both top and bottom pair roles in the past few seasons. #NYR pic.twitter.com/JH6pNgB7FX

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 28, 2021

Nemeth doesn’t bring much to the table offensively, but is one of the best defensive-defensemen in the league.

The veteran was signed to a 3-year, $2.5 million deal and will likely serve as a nice complement and mentor to his fellow countryman, rookie Nils Lundkvist, on the third pairing.

The moves that followed were to add depth. They signed F Greg McKegg, LHD Jarred Tinordi, and LW Dryden Hunt.

McKegg, who was a Ranger two seasons ago, will return to Broadway on a one-year, two-way deal. He will likely spend most of his time in Hartford and probably won’t be called up unless someone suffers an injury.

Tinordi is another depth piece who doesn’t do much other than play physically. He is signed to a two-year deal but won’t see much ice-time.

You can read more about the McKegg and Tinordi signings here.

The signing of Hunt isn’t a huge move, but it is a good one.

OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with free agent forward Greg McKegg on a one-year contract and with free agent forward Dryden Hunt on a two-year contract. pic.twitter.com/8EJbGMLQP4

— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 28, 2021

Hunt doesn’t do much scoring, but he is a very good defensive forward. He will likely compete for a spot on the fourth line.

He is signed to a two-year, two-way deal and has a higher chance of seeing time in the NHL than McKegg or Tinordi.