Rangers bring back Greg McKegg & sign forward Dryden Hunt

The New York Rangers inked center Greg McKegg to a one-year contract, bringing him back to New York after a year in the Bruins organization.  He came cheap, for the NHL minimum $750k on a two year deal that pays less if he plays in Hartford.

McKegg spent one season with the Rangers in 2019-20, playing 53 games, the most in his eight year NHL career, scoring five goals and nine points.  He signed in the off-season with Boston and played only five games for the Bruins, scoring one goal.  He played only two games with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, spending most of the season on the taxi squad.

His taxi squad status meant he played only seven games in a 56 game season so he got a lot of practice, but virtually no playing time.

One talent that he does have is that he is decent on the faceoff dots.  His lifetime winning percentage is 49.7%,  a number that would be best on the Rangers.  He has been close to 50% his entire NHL career.

McKegg is the third free agent signed by the Rangers after they inked defensemen Patrick Nemeth and Jarred Tinordi.   Only Nemeth is expected to have an impact in New York with both McKegg and Tinordi destined to play in Hartford for the Wolf Pack.

It’s not known if the NHL will utilize taxi squads again next season and if they do, both Tinordi and McKegg are perfectly suited for that role. They can practice with the Rangers and have the experience to step in if needed.  It will allow the Rangers to leave their young prospects to get playing time in Hartford.

In January, NHL Deputy Comissioner Bill Daly said that taxi squads would be in use only for the 2020-21 season, but considering the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not inconceivable that they would be used again next season.

Even with no taxi squads, the Blueshirts needed to replace Wolf Pack regulars Patrick Newell, Brandon Crawley and Gabriel Fontaine who were not tendered qualifying offers as Restricted Free Agents.

Rangers sign forward Dryden Hunt

The Blueshirts signed 25-year-old left winger Dryden Hunt to a two-year contract. He was with the Arizona Coyotes last season playing 26 games with three goals and eight points.  He was an undrafted free agent signed by the Florida Panthers in 2017.

The terms of his deal have not been revealed and he is destined to be a depth forward in Hartford.

A deal worth noting

The Los Angeles Kings have signed center Phillip Danault to a six-year deal with an Average Annual Value of $5.5 million. The rumor mill had the Rangers in contention for the top defenseive center and faceoff whiz, but that price is much too high for a bottom six forward.

Chris Drury’s quest for a center continue. No, it was not resolved by the signing of Greg McKegg.