The New York Rangers agreed to terms with goaltender Jonathan Quick and forwards Blake Wheeler, Tyler Pitlick, Riley Nash and Alex Belzile on the opening day of the free agent signing period Saturday
A bold move to a different banana-colored bench than we anticipated | Keep it a Buck(et)
The team also added defensemen Connor Mackey and Nikolas Brouillard.
Quick is a three-time Stanley Cup winner, although he did not appear in the playoffs this past season with the Vegas Golden Knights. Wheeler is the leading scorer in Winnipeg Jets history, while Pitlick joins his eighth team since 2013 and Nash looks to return to the NHL after spending all of 2022-23 in the AHL.
Quick, Wheeler, Pitlick, Mackey and Brouillard agreed to one-year deals with the Rangers, while Nash and Belzile got two-year deals. Terms were not disclosed
Quick, 37, split the 2022-23 season with the Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings and went 16-15-6 with two shutouts, a 3.41 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage. He was 3-4 in the playoffs with one shutout, a 3.43 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
Quick, who also hoisted the Cup with Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014, is 375-277-84 with 58 shutouts, a 2.47 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 753 career games (738 starts) with the Kings and Golden Knights. He is 49-43 in the playoffs with a 2.31 GAA and .921 save percentage.
Winnipeg placed Wheeler, 36, on unconditional waivers Friday for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract. He played for the Jets for 13 seasons and was the captain for seven of them. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points (812), assists (550) and games played (897).
Wheeler recorded 55 points (16 goals, 39 assists) in 72 games in 2022-23, including his 300th career goal on Nov. 13 at Seattle. The two-time All-Star has tallied 922 points (312 goals, 610 assists) in 1,118 games with the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers and Jets.
Pitlick, 31, had seven goals and nine assists in 61 games with the St. Louis Blues in 2022-23. He has 105 points (55 goals, 50 assists) in 386 games with the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens and Blues.
Nash, 34, tallied 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 59 games for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers this season. He has 176 points (63 goals, 113 assists) in 627 NHL games with the Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes.
Belzile, 31, posted six goals and eight assists in 31 games with Montreal in 2022-23. He has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 44 games over parts of three seasons with the Canadiens.
Mackey, 26, had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 30 games last season with the Flames and Coyotes. Brouillard, 28, has not appeared in an NHL game, while recording 39 points (six goals, 33 assists) with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls last season.
–Field Level Media
