NHL Offseason Moves
New York Rangers trade with Atlanta Thrashers:
Donald Brashear played all of 36 games last season with the New York Rangers following his departure from the Washington Capitals after the 2008-09 season. Now his short tenure has come to an end.
In an effort to boost up their forwards, the Rangers traded Brashear and minor-league prospect Patrick Rissmiller to the Atlanta Thrashers for veteran forward Todd White.
Brashear had initially signed a two-year deal with the Rangers prior to last season, a move that was heavily criticized by fans as Brashear was disliked by fans for an especially heavy hit on then Rangers player Blair Betts.
After playing just 36 games and netting zero goals, it is unlikely that Atlanta will retain Brashear. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Thrashers have already placed Brashear on waivers and will be buying out his contract if necessary.
As for Rissmiller, the 31-year-old has not played in the NHL since the 2008-09 season. He has 182 NHL appearances and has only scored 18 goals and managed 27 assists in those showings. The Thrashers have little need for him either, and it is unlikely Rissmiller will be seeing the ice of Philips Arena any time soon.
The Rangers, on the other hand, help the Thrashers alleviate $2.375 million in salary cap pressure while getting themselves another possible boost to the offence. White had a disappointing injury plagued season, during which he only played 65 games and scored only seven goals. Just two years ago though, the centre had a career year with 22 goals and 53 assists while playing all 82 regular-season games.
The Rangers clearly get the best out of this deal, as they gave up nothing to receive a player who could help them out in an offence that desperately needs to improve its scoring.
St. Louis Blues re-sign Erik Johnson:
Erik Johnson lingered on the restricted free agent list for quite some time this summer, but his St. Louis Blues have decided to re-sign him for the upcoming season.
On Monday, the Blues announced that they have signed the 22-year-old defenseman to a two-year contract extension that is to be worth a reputed $5.2 million. Johnson was the top overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and has been a solid blue line presence for the Blues in 148 games over two seasons.
The Blues’ Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Armstrong is excited to be retaining such a promising young talent. According to Armstrong: "We're excited that we have reached a deal with Erik and now we can put our focus on the upcoming season. Erik is a key contributor to the group and we are confident he will build on the success he had in the 2009-10 season."
Johnson sat out the 2008-09 season with a knee injury, but returned in 2009-10 with assertion. He showed the Blues why he was worthy of a top draft pick by playing in 79 games and being offensive-minded enough to score 10 goals while dishing out 29 assists during the season.
Johnson is committed to the Blues, the long-time team of his idol Al MacInnis, and said: "I could not be more grateful and appreciative to sign an extension in St. Louis. I'm absolutely thrilled about where this team is headed and it remains my ultimate goal to bring a Stanley Cup to the city of St. Louis in the near future."
Although given St. Louis’s roster, this future could be relatively far away. After all, the Blues have managed to build up a team that may be able to at least qualify for the playoffs this season.
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