Rangers tie-up 6-year deal for Ryan McDonagh

NY Rangers - The New York Rangers took care of one of their own Monday by agreeing to terms with 24-year-old defenseman Ryan McDonagh, reportedly on a six-year contract worth $28.2 million. McDonagh, whose new contract reportedly carries a salary-cap charge of $4.7 million, was a restricted free agent. McDonagh has become one of the Rangers best defenseman over the past two and a half seasons and is a fixture on the top pair with Dan Girardi. He had 19 points and a plus-13 rating and was second on the team in ice time behind Girardi in 2012-13. He played nearly 26 minutes per game in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs and was starting to get more time on the power play as well. McDonagh, who had 32 points in 82 games in the 2011-12 season, will likely become a regular on the power play under new coach Alain Vigneault. The Rangers acquired McDonagh from the Montreal Canadiens on June 30, 2009. McDonagh, who is from Minnesota, was selected in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft (No. 12) by the Canadiens. The Rangers' remaining restricted free agents are center Derek Stepan, left wings Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello and defenseman Justin Falk, who was acquired on June 30 from the Minnesota Wild.
Boston - It's been five years since Loui Eriksson last played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So when the call came from his agent about waiving his no-trade clause to go from the Dallas Stars to the Boston Bruins, Eriksson talked it over with his family and approved the move as quickly as he could. Eriksson was dealt July 4 with three prospects to the Bruins for forward Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, as well as forward Rich Peverley and a prospect.

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to playing in Boston," the left-wing said during a conference call Monday. "It's a really good team. You know, the last couple years they've been a really good team, so I'm real excited to go there and play. Everything happened really fast with the trade, but I'm really excited and I'm really looking forward to it. It will be awesome to come there and play. I'm going to try to play my best and try to help them win the Cup."

Eriksson's seven seasons in Dallas included a run to the Western Conference Final in 2008. He contributed four goals and eight points in 18 games during that stretch and has posted four goals and nine points in 22 career NHL postseason games. Eriksson, who will turn 28 years old later this month, joins a team that has made the playoffs six straight seasons, has played for the Stanley Cup twice in three years and is just three seasons removed from winning the Cup. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound forward watched the Bruins from afar over the years and gained an appreciation for the way they play. "I've watched some games in the playoffs, and of course I watched many games when they played because I know they're a good team. So I know they play a tough sort of style and a good defensive style, so I think that will fit me real well. I like to play that way and I'm just happy to come to a team like Boston. I know it's a really good team to play on."

Although they were nearly successful in their bid for the Cup in 2013, coming up two wins short, the Bruins have undergone a roster overhaul at right wing this offseason. After Seguin and Peverley were jettisoned, Nathan Horton made good on his promise to leave by signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent, a move still seen as crazy for the player, giving up on a cup-contender to a struggling franchise. Eriksson says he's more comfortable at right wing, so he should fit well into Boston's top-six forwards. The expectation is that he will either play with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron in the place Seguin occupied for much of last season, or skate next to the pair of Milan Lucic and David Krejci, who combined with Horton to create one of the League's most potent lines in the playoffs. Eriksson's open to any situation.

"I've played both sides through my whole time I played in Dallas. And I know both sides. But I like to play on the right side and I know I've been talking to [general manager] Peter [Chiarelli] about it and he said he wants me to play on the right side. So I think that will be a good fit for me. I know they have real good players, especially Bergeron and they have Krejci as centermen, and they have a lot of good players to play with. So I don't think it will be any problem to play with those guys because they're going to make me better and I'm going to try to make them better, too. So it will be real nice to come and play with them."

Part of where Eriksson plays in the Bruins' lineup will be based on where free agent signee Jarome Iginla fits in and how Eriksson produces. In 48 games last season, Eriksson produced 29 points (12 goals). His 0.60 points per game was his least productive average since he scored at a 0.45 pace in 2007-08. He averaged a career-best 0.92 points per game in 2010-11 and as recently as the 2011-12 season averaged 0.87 points per game. The 2012-13 campaign was frustrating for the Sweden native. "It was kind of disappointing for me. It was a tough season for me, actually. I didn't feel that good through the year. I think I hit the post and out like the whole year. So I'm looking to a rebound year next year and try to make better plays. It was kind of a weird year for me this year, too. I was playing on every line, so I didn't find any confidence to play with anyone there. So it was kind of a tough one for me."

Eriksson said he was healthy throughout the season, and now he'll get a fresh start in Boston. It might take a little time to adjust to a new team and a new city. But he's embracing that challenge. "Yeah, it will be a little different than Dallas. I'm really excited to go there and see all the fans. I know they have a lot of people coming to the games and it's a really good hockey town. I heard a lot of good things about Boston, the whole city, and it'll be nice to check it out before everything starts and I'll be ready to play there and it will be awesome."

Ottawa - The Ottawa Senators have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with defenseman Joe Corvo. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reported the deal is worth $900,000. Corvo, 36, played for the Senators for parts of two seasons from 2006-08. He was with the team when Ottawa reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2007. Corvo had six goals and 17 points this past season for the Carolina Hurricanes. He has 89 goals and 300 points in 683 career games. He has reached double digits in goals three times, including 14 in both 2005-06 and 2008-09.

"Joe brings us a veteran defenseman that has a history of scoring points in the National Hockey League," general manager Bryan Murray said. "He is now one of seven defensemen that we have in the organization and we need depth, or we needed depth, and we certainly have that provided now in Joe. He has been here, he has an understanding of what it takes to play in this market now and, again, the most important thing with Joe is he's a veteran guy that can play on the power play, he can shoot the puck well, address some of the needs that are needed in the League today where you need to get points from your back end and he's one of those people that can provide it."

This is not the first NHL return for Corvo, he just completed his third stint with the Hurricanes in 2012-13. Adding Corvo gives the Senators four defensemen on one-way contracts, with restricted free agents Jared Cowen and Patrick Wiercioch still unsigned.