New York Rangers re-sign free agents Michael Sauer, Artem Anisimov to two-year deals –NHL Update
New York Rangers re-signed its restricted free agents, defenseman, Michael Sauer, and centre player, Artem Anisimov, to a two-year contract, each. The team management announced the decision early morning on Friday.
Sauer, a 40th overall pick in round-two of the 2005 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft by New York Rangers, made his second appearance in the major league last season.
He played his first three NHL games with New York during the 2008-2009 season, but failed to register a single point.
The 23-year-old from St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States, recorded a career high of 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists) in 76 games last season and finished off with a plus-minus rating of 20.
His two-year contract is worth an estimated $2.5 million after making $500,000 last season.
Anisimov, on the other hand, will be entering his fourth consecutive season with New York when it starts in October.
The 54th overall pick in round-two of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by Rangers played only a single game during the 2008-2009 season and missed on his single shot taken during the match.
The 6-foot-4 centre from Yaroslavl, Russia, also played for New York’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate club, Hartford Wolf Pack for two seasons.
In the past two NHL regular seasons, Anisimov played all 82 games in both and registered a total of 72 points (30 goals, 42 assists) throughout, with an accumulated plus-minus rating of 72.
Without a doubt, Anisimov was a huge contributing force in the previous season for New York and re-signing him is a sure sign of Rangers' commitment to retaining him.
Both, Sauer and Anisimov, appeared in five postseason games during the last NHL playoffs, in which the former recorded a single assist, while the latter had one goal.
According to sources, New York still has $11 million on its salary cap available for signing its remaining restricted free agents, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky.
All three have great value for the club, which will be interesting to see if negotiations go as planned over the next couple of days.
Teams are still on the lookout for strong free agents, but since the mentioned three are restricted, only New York has the authority of dealing with their status.
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