Another defenseman takes a shot at the Rangers after “painful” UFA process

The Blue Shirts are starting to look pretty bad…

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Another defenseman takes a shot at the Rangers after “painful” UFA process
Twitter

It seems like Kevin Shattenkirk already has an ally in Florida… 

On Monday morning, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they had signed the veteran blue liner to a one-year contract, worth $1.75 million. He also got a no-trade clause protection in his new deal. Last week, the Rangers proceeded to buy out the contract of the defenseman. Shattenkirk played only two seasons after signing a $26.6 million, four-year contract with New York. He had just seven goals and 44 assists in 119 games.

While we all understand why the Rangers bought out, Shattenkirk remains pissed at their decision. And it fact, he is not the only player in Florida with a chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Rangers. 

Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman sat down with Joe Smith of The Athletic and revealed how painful the free agency process was with the Rangers back in 2014. Stralman, who played for the Blue Shirts from 2011 to 2014, revealed that the Rangers dragged him along “empty-handed” on that July 1.  He added that he had 45 minutes to choose between Tampa and the Colorado Avalanche, though all along he believed he was going to sign with the Rangers. Instead, the team chose to sign blue liner Dan Boyle to a two-year, $9 million deal.


In the end, it came out to a positive outcome. The 33-year-old blue liner recently signed a three-year, $16.5 million contract with the Panthers after completing a five-year year stint with the Bolts. He led all Lightning defenders in his first season with 39 points en route to the team’s first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 2004.

We all knew the summer could easily be the toughest time for NHL players, but the Rangers sure look bad here… 

Shattenkirk could always ring him up if they want to keep bashing the Rangers after their terrible experience.