NHL Free Agency: Michael Grabner signs two-year deal with Rangers

The New York Rangers have announced that they have signed free agent forward Michael Grabner to a two-year deal.

Needing to improve their bottom six, the New York Rangers have announced that they have signed former Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders forward Michael Grabner to a two-year deal worth $3.3 million. He will have a cap hit of $1.65 million.

That’s not a bad deal for Grabner. He’s a very speedy forward who can do a lot of damage while killing penalties. His issue has always been that he can’t stay healthy, but he’s a very good fit with the Rangers because of his size and speed. The Rangers had to rebuild their bottom six and Grabner is a pretty nice start.

Grabner had 18 points in 80 games last year for the Maple Leafs while averaging 14:28 of ice time per game. In 397 career games, the 28-year-old Garbner has 173 points, including 104 goals. The Rangers will definitely benefit from having him on their penalty kill and they tend to value fast forwards who can create breakaways and odd-man rushes. It’s how they tend to have a higher than average shooting percentage. They failed to do that for long stretches last year and Grabner should help with that.

If Grabner is healthy, this could be one of the better values in the 2016 NHL offseason. The Rangers and Grabner are a match made in heaven.

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