Preseason Performance Earns Fedotenko Deal With Rangers

When most players agree to join a team on a tryout basis during the preseason, it's probably not going to work out when cuts need to be made. Plenty of them have occurred in recent weeks to players that otherwise wouldn't have had any trouble inking actual deals in previous yearss. But when it comes down to proving themselves in this tryout capacity, a player really needs to go above and beyond.

For the New York Rangers, Ruslan Fedotenko most certainly did that. Throughout the Rangers' six-game exhibition schedule, Fedotenko established himself as a reliable scorer who led the team in points (seven) and developed a great deal of chemistry on the team's third line with agitator Sean Avery and young hopeful Derek Stepan.

The cap-cautious Rangers did not have a ton of wiggle room under the $59.4 maximum allowable salary to sign the 31-year old Ukrainian native. But the two parties agreed on a one year deal worth $1 million, which is $800,000 less than he earned in a down year with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season.

This signing may have less of a financial impact if reports are true from The New York Post's Larry Brooks about Vaclav Prospal's right knee injury status. Brooks' sources have indicated to him that the rest Prospal is receiving over a mandated two-week period may not cure his ailments and season-ending surgery could be required to fix the problem. Prospal re-signed with the Rangers this summer on a one year deal with a base salary of $1.08 million and bonuses totaling $1.4 million. If placed on long-term IR, the Rangers would be free to spend his $2.48 million in total compensation elsewhere.

News From Around The Crease: Fedotenko Attending Rangers Camp, Thrashers Moving Byfuglien To D, Avs Re-Sign Mueller

~ A career-worst performance with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year brought his two-year tenure with the club to an end. At 31 years old and still an unrestricted free agent, Ruslan Fedotenko has decided to accept an invitation from the New York Rangers to attend their training camp on a tryout basis and potentially earn a contract to reunite with head coach John Tortorella from their Tampa Bay Lightning days.

Larry Brooks of The New York Post broke the news Tuesday that the Rangers invited Fedotenko to camp, and TSN confirmed on Friday evening that Fedotenko did accept the offer.

This is a case of the Rangers trying to catch a guy rebounding off a bad year in hopes that he can rekindle his success as a depth player capable of netting important goals in critical situations. He only posted 11 goals and 30 total points last season to go along with a horrendous minus-18 rating with the Penguins. But he typically is a 15- to 20-goal scorer with a pretty decent playoff history and two Stanley Cups to his name. He scored 12 goals in the 2004 postseason in which the Lightning won the Cup, including both goals in Game 7 of the Finals against the Calgary Flames.

Since this is strictly a tryout, it's really is a no-risk situation for the Rangers. If he plays hard and will agree to essentially a minimum salary contract, New York can definitely benefit from the the veteran playing a wing position on the third or fourth line. If he fails, they cut him loose and he'll probably end up in Russia. Either way, the Rangers get to see what he has to offer. And if anybody can push him to be his best, it's Tortorella.