Shanahan keeps his word, signs 1-year deal with Rangers
Brendan Shanahan stuck to his word and agreed to a 1-year deal with the New York Rangers yesterday. The 38-year-old left winger had 29 goals and 62 points with the Rangers last season, his first with New York. Following the Rangers' second-round playoff elimination, Shanahan said he wanted to continue his career and had no interest in playing anywhere but New York.
Brendan Shanahan stuck to his word and agreed to a 1-year deal with the New York Rangers yesterday.
The 38-year-old left winger had 29 goals and 62 points with the Rangers last season, his first with New York. Following the Rangers' second-round playoff elimination, Shanahan said he wanted to continue his career and had no interest in playing anywhere but New York.
"There was never any doubt what Brendan's intentions were or on [general manager] Glen Sather's part that he wanted Brendan back," Shanahan's agent, Rick Curran, told the Associated Press in a phone interview. "We never called anyone, never had any intention of doing anything other than putting all our efforts into New York."
Shanahan will receive $2.5 million in base salary next season and can earn an additional $2.8 million in bonuses. A message was left seeking comment from him.
Under the collective bargaining agreement, players over 35 can sign 1-year deals with bonuses that may push a team over the cap.
If bonuses are reached, teams may exceed the cap by 7.5 percent, but whatever dollar amount they are over is deducted from the available spending total the following season.
The Rangers pushed closer to this season's salary-cap ceiling of $50.3 million by signing star centers Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to lucrative deals on July 1, the first day of free agency, but maintained they still had enough financial flexibility to bring back Shanahan.
Noteworthy
* Sidney Crosby has a new contract before his 20th birthday and his eye on the Stanley Cup for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The NHL MVP and scoring champion signed a 5-year extension through the 2012-13 season worth $43.5 million. The deal leaves room for the team to re-sign other young stars, such as Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, in the coming seasons.
* Mike Keenan has reappeared as an NHL coach - this time in Calgary - but the fresh start given to him last month hasn't made him forget his disappointing stop in South Florida.
In the cover story of the July issue of The Hockey News, the former Flyers coach and two-time general manager of the Panthers criticizes the Florida organization, placing blame on majority owner Alan Cohen and others for his performance as coach from 2001 to '03.
Keenan's .369 winning percentage (45-85-23) with the Panthers is his worst as an NHL coach.
* Defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski signed a $1.4 million contract to play for the New Jersey Devils. *