Worth just $787,500 in a summer where the New York Rangers’ cap concerns are extreme, the Rangers have announced that they have signed a valuable bottom-six forward Tyler Pitlick to a deal. This is the kind of player the Rangers were in need of to just fill out the roster and make sure that they still have the depth to compete after losing so much in the deals to bulk up for the playoffs and then in free agency itself.
Pitlick is a journeyman who has been around collecting jerseys for a while. This will be his 8th different NHL team. However, he’s still the kind of player that a team needs. Great defensively, solid on the penalty kill, and can help a team in the postseason. He’s got some production in him with a career total of 55 goals and 50 assists for 105 points in 386 NHL games, but he’s the kind of guy you want just in case.
While this is not going to be a deal that blows anyone away, this may be useful if we see the New York Rangers go deep into the postseason and they need someone to come up and help the penalty kill or just to give a rest to some of the veterans in the bottom six, that is something that Pitlick can do. While he probably shouldn’t be an everyday starter, this is the kind of player that is helpful to have in an emergency and you never know when that will come in this league.
Tyler Pitclkc could also be a very important piece for the Hartford Wolf Pack who will need some more leadership. With the ever-changing cast of the AHL continues to turn over, players and kids will need someone who has NHL experience and can help the kids down there get into the habits that they will need if they are to play in the best league in the world.