New York Rangers 16-17 Report Cards: The Extra Skaters
Matt Puempel
Puempel was acquired off of waivers from the Ottawa Senators in November. In his 52 games spanning three seasons, Puempel had only notched four goals and two assists. As a guy who was drafted in the first round to be a scorer, Puempel never delivered, and the Senators gave up.
The winger was very solid in his first 27 games a Rangers, notching six goals and three assists in total. Puempel even tallied a hat trick on the power play against the Coyotes back in December. He has shown the Rangers flashes of offensive brilliance, although they weren’t consistent enough to get him in the lineup every night.
The Rangers, to be Expansion Draft compliant, re-signed Puempel to a one-year deal last week and will give him an opportunity to make the top 12 out of camp, especially if a current fourth liner is taken in the Expansion Draft.