10 best free agent signings in New York Rangers history
By Steve Paulus
#6: Wayne Gretzky (1996)
It’s hard to relegate the acquisition of the greatest player in NHL history to sixth place when ranking free agent signings, but Gretzky was another in a long line of great players who joined the Rangers too late. Gretzky was already 36 when he inked a two-year $8 million deal to reunite with Mark Messier.
Even in the twilight of a brilliant career, Gretzky had three very solid seasons as a Ranger. He was a second team All-Star in his first two seasons and won the Lady Byng Trophy in his final NHL season. He led the NHL in assists in 1997 (72) and 1998 (67).
In 1996-97, Gretzky led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. He scored 25 goals and had a team leading 97 points. His 46 even strength assists is still a team record (shared with Messier).
In the playoffs, he scored 10 goals and had 20 points in 15 games. The 1997 playoffs were his last, as the Rangers let Messier depart that summer and the team began a seven year playoff drought.
It was a privilege for Ranger fans to have an opportunity to observe Gretzky’s incredible talent. His three seasons in New York were his only years in the Eastern Conference and it’s a great tragedy that the Rangers could not field a team that was a playoff contender in his last two seasons.