2012 NHL Free Agency: Who Should The New York Rangers Target Instead Of Shane Doan? Part Two
On Saturday we went through some of the safer options for the New York Ranges to look at in free agency now that Shane Doan has reportedly priced himself out of New York.
Today, we're going to take a look at some of the riskier options the Rangers might take a look at this offseason. Let's get started.
Petr Sykora: The 35-year-old winger had a breakthrough year with the New Jersey Devils last season, scoring 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points in 82 games. Sykora is a player who the Rangers can slot on the third line to add some more scoring to the Rangers' bottom six. Even if Sykora doesn't hit the 20-goal mark, he would add some offense to the third line and would allow Taylor Pyatt or even Brian Boyle to slide down to the fourth line and give the Rangers four solid lines.
Join me after the jump for more.
Andrei Kostitsyn: The Nashville Predators made a big play for the Stanley Cup last season, and Kostitsyn was one of the bigger moves they made to reach that goal. It obviously didn't happen. In fact, Kostitsyn was caught breaking curfew during the playoffs and ended up getting suspended from games three and four of their playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes. Kostitsyn would bring some offense to the third line, and does have some pretty significant playoff experience, but it's unlikely he would be a fit with the Rangers. If the Rangers didn't make a play for Alexander Semin, I'm not sure I can see them making a play for Kosyitsyn.
Tomas Holmstrom: The Detroit Red Wings winger is another veteran option, 39-years-old, but is also the type of guy who would help shore up the Rangers' fourth or even third line. Holmstrom didn't have much offense last year -- only notching 24 points -- but can be an option on the power play (he played a whopping 3:03 of power play time per game last year) and would be a steady presence in crunch time; with 175 playoff games under his belt. He's a guy who has been groomed in the Detroit system, and might be a valuable addition to the team's bottom line.
Thoughts guys?
