The Rangers have announced that Ryan Spooner has come to terms on a two-year deal.
The deal is worth $4 million per season. (Elliotte Friedman)
Spooner and the Rangers were scheduled to have an arbitration hearing on Saturday.
From the Rangers release:
- Spooner tallied 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 20 games with the Rangers after he was acquired on February 25, 2018, and he tied for the team lead in assists and points from the time he was acquired until the end of the regular season.
- He registered seven points (one goal, six assists) in his first three games with the Rangers and posted a multi-point game in all three contests, becoming the first player in franchise history to record six assists in his first three games as a Ranger and post a multi-point game in each of his first three contests as a Ranger.
- In 273 career NHL games over parts of six seasons (2012-13 - 2017-18) with the Rangers and Boston, registering 45 goals and 113 assists for 158 points, along with 61 penalty minutes.
- Among skaters who have appeared in at least 200 games since the start of the 2013-14 season, Spooner is one of three NHL players who have averaged at least 0.50 points per game while also averaging fewer than 15:00 of ice time per game (along with Scott Hartnell and Nino Niederreiter).
Adam Rotter: This is an odd-contract because I never really expected Ryan Spooner to be with the Rangers heading into next season, let alone have him sign for more than one-year. The second year buys out Spooner's first year of free agency and does so at a pretty cost effective price which is both nice for the Rangers and nice for a team that could potentially acquire him down the line.
He's a skilled player that can play all three forward positions and move up and down the lineup when needed. At 26 he could still potentially be part of the future, and Jeff Gorton has said many times that the Rangers will not be a team full of 18 and 19-year olds, but my guess is that Spooner is holding down a spot until someone else is ready to take it. I think that the versatility factor, for both him and Vlad Namestnikov, help them in getting that second-year from the Rangers, though Namestnikov is not a UFA until after the second-year, and also allows a team that may acquire them during the season to add someone that is more than a rental.