The New York Rangers have agreed to re-sign Ryan McDonagh, the team announced on Monday. The deal is for six years and worth $28.2 million, Larry Brooks reports, terms that have since been confirmed by multiple outlets.
NHL free agency 2013: Ryan McDonagh, Rangers agree to new six-year contract
Ryan McDonagh is staying in New York after agreeing to a six-year deal.
Al Bello
McDonagh was paid $875,000 in 2013, the final year of his entry-level contract, and was a restricted free agent this summer. He was expected to be a popular target in free agency, but he never signed an offer sheet from another team. Instead, he worked out a deal with New York and, hours after reports that the deal had been agreed upon spread, the team confirmed that their outstanding young defenseman would be returning to Madison Square Garden.
The 24-year-old defenseman had four goals and added 15 assists in 47 games for the Rangers last season. It marked the first time in the last three years that he did not play every game of the regular season, missing one in the shortened season after playing all 82 in the previous two seasons. He averaged 23:13 of ice time in 2013, a dip after playing more than 24 minutes in the two seasons before it. But his play was superb, especially in the first round of the playoffs when he helped shut down Alex Ovechkin.
McDonagh was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft, but was traded to the Rangers in 2009 and has played all 169 of his career games for the Blueshirts.
The Rangers were not expected to make much of a splash in free agency because their primary focus was locking up three restricted free agents of their own. McDonagh was one of them and now that they have taken care of him, their attention will turn to Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin. According to CapGeek, the Rangers now have $6.5 million left under the cap to get those deals done.
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