Even if the New York Rangers manage to slip into the playoffs, they must begin to look to the future, starting with their own free agents. The blueshirts must decide who they will bring back and let walk when the offseason begins.
1. Olli Jokinen (C)
2009/10 salary: $5.500 million
For the past two seasons, Olli Jokinen has been a shell of the player that once scored 30 goals and 90 points with the Florida Panthers. The Rangers stole the one time superstar from the Calgary Flames, in exchange for Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik, who have combined for a total of 32 games played, four goals, and two assists. Jokinen, meanwhile, has three goals and 10 assists in 20 games.
He has shown promise in certain situations since being acquired by the Rangers, but a lack of consistency has plagued him, and led to him being called out by head coach John Tortorella a few days ago. Because the Rangers will be in substantial need of offense next season, and Ilya Kovalchuk is on the market, letting Jokinen walk to save that $5 million would be the ideal move.
That’s what the trade really was—a salary ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Greg Caggiano
New York Rangers Free Agents: Who Stays, Who Goes?
March 31st, 2010 by Greg Caggiano Leave a reply »
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