On Friday, there was one fringe signing worth possibly having a look at, as defenseman
Simon Depres was re-signed from restricted free agency, given a 2-year deal, worth $1.8 million. Despres has been in the fold for a little now, touted early as another one of those good young defensemen, but has yet to live up to that billing in his NHL career... granted, it's still rather early. In 2014, the 22-year old finished 214th among defensemen with 5 assists in 34 games for the Penguins and the 2015 season could be a good chance for him to really break out. The Penguins have re-tooled their defense, seeing a couple of major pieces leave to free agency and bringing in one of their own, which leaves a spot open for Despres. Definitely something to consider.
The New York Rangers still have a lot of work to do on their projected roster and on Saturday, they took another step to help their cause, signing forward
Lee Stempniak to a 1-year, $900,000 deal. Stempniak split the 2014 season between the Flames and the Penguins, scoring 12 goals and 34 points in 73 games, finishing 170th among all forwards in scoring. The depth for the Rangers will be quite interesting, once they have all of their restricted free agents signed on, because they have added a bit more rough & tumble type players that should make for a grinding bottom six. Stempniak will be the kind of guy that can move anywhere from the second to fourth line on the team, so he'll be an important piece next season.
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