The Rangers went ahead and signed depth forward Taylor Pyatt on Tuesday afternoon - a signing that could potentially pay off considering the 30-year-old's size and weight, coupled with his proven offensive ability. That fills a spot in the bottom six for the Blueshirts, but they are still in search for top six forwards who can help boost the team's goal production, especially while Marian Gaborik is out of the lineup to start the season in 2012-13.
While Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets may be a long-shot at this point with Jackets GM Scott Howson refusing to come down on his asking price, free agent winger Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes may not be. Larry Brooks reported in today's NY Post column that the Rangers do have interest in the veteran forward, and basically received confirmation from Doan's agent as a follow-up to the rumors...
“We haven’t entered into negotiations with any other teams, but Shane wants to be forthright and honest with clubs that have contacted us, and so we’ve let these clubs know whether there is mutual interest,” Terry Bross, Doan’s agent, told The Post.
“I don’t want to be specific about what teams those are, but there are no restrictions against negotiating with teams in the East ... or the one in Manhattan.”
To be clear, Bross basically stated that teams have contacted Doan over the past three days, but his camp has not engaged in contract talk with any of them. At the end there, he hinted that the Rangers could very well be one of them.
Doan is now 35-years-old, but is a consistent 20-goal scorer and a great all around package. He's an older version of Ryan Callahan with loads of experience and an extreme will to win. His age may not perfectly fit the direction the Rangers are moving in, but his style of play and mentality most certainly do.
Look, there is a very slim chance at this point that the Rangers will get their hands on Nash, Zach Parise is not coming here and the Rangers need some sort of secondary scorers to fill top six spots. Shane Doan can fill that role perfectly - I've seen him play a lot over the years, and this guy does everything in his power to make sure his team gets two points on a nightly basis.
Doan's cap hit for the past five years has been about $4.55 million, and I highly doubt he will be looking for any sort of raise at this stage of his career. He wants a Stanley Cup ring, and he's definitely aware at how close the Rangers came this past season.
However, Shane will not begin talking contract with anyone until the Phoenix situation is settled in regard to their lease next week. Depending on that, he will make his decision, and if he does choose to sign elsewhere, I think the Rangers' chances at snagging him are solid.
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