New York Rangers sign Matthew Lombardi
By Cory Buck
The New York Rangers have signed forward Matthew Lombardi to a two-year contract, per John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor. Lombardi is set to make $800K in each of the two seasons, per Patrick Kearns.
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The signing is one likely meant to address the hole in the bottom six left by the departures of Brian Boyle and Benoit Pouliot. Both players were effective defensive presences as well as solid penalty killers. The speedy Lombardi could very well assume a third or fourth line center role. For such a meager cap hit, the Rangers have hit on a nice low-risk, medium-reward move that also comes with a cap friendly contract.
Lombardi lead the Swiss league in points last year with 50 in 46 games. He last played for the Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks in 2012-13, though he only managed eight points in 28 games with the Coyotes. While one can expect enough things from Lombardi to justify the signing, it’s hard to believe he’s going to be much more than a scant goal scorer with a knack for defense. Don’t overlook such a skill set though. That may be just the thing the Rangers need.
This is another signing of many that has re-introduced the importance of speed and skill over other attributes. Lombardi was an afterthought at the beginning of free agency while big ‘role players’ like Shawn Thornton and John Scott were scooped up within days. Lombardi costs less than Thornton and just about as much as Scott, yet he holds much greater potential to score some goals for his team or at the very least play a strong role on the team.
Matthew Lombardi adds a bit of a punch to the team’s bottom six, which alleviates offensive pressure on the top six. That’s the kind of smart signing the Rangers needed in order to buoy their chances to once more emerge from the Eastern Conference playoffs and take another shot at the Stanley Cup.