In a not so surprising move the Rangers announced they signed Paul Mara to a discounted (wow, in this day and age, a discounted contract?!) 1 year 1.95 million dollar deal. Great move, which solidifies the strongest (on paper) defensive group in the NHL:
Girardi – Rozsival
Kalinin – Mara
There is also reports all over the inter-webs that Jagr has gone to Siberia to play with Alexei Cherepanovs team, Omsk. Its not a surprising move, but it is a happy move for me. Not because I hated Jagr, quite the contrary, I have always been a fan of his, and did NOT want him to leave the Rangers. But since he is definitely gone from the Rangers, the last thing I wanted to see was a pissed off Jaromir Jagr playing on Sidney Crosbys right wing 6 games a year (and in the playoffs persumably). Now with Jagr off the market, the Penguins have some of the weakest wings in the NHL (Miro Satan, Sykora, and Fedotenko are their top 3 wingers, HAH!) while the Rangers, while not having the best wings, have enough depth to go toe to toe with that group. I think the move of Jagr places the Rangers and Penguins at about even ground as far as how I would rank em just now.
Goodbye big fella, you will be sorely missed by this Rangers fan.