The Flyers aren’t the only team raiding the Penguins today. The Rangers have poached 31-year-old forward Mike Rupp to a deal reportred by the Canadian network Sportsnet to be worth $4.5 million over three years.
“You want to go to a team that has shown that they want you,” Rupp said on a television interview with TSN. “I’ve played there many times on the road, and you get the opportunity as an opponent to go in there and try to tick off as many fans as you can. You like to do that because those fans are so good, so crazy. You’re on the flip side of that now, and I’m not sure if there’s a better place to be winning some hockey games than New York.”
Rupp scored nine goals with eight assists for the Penguins this past season, with 124 penalty minutes. Rupp also has played for the Devils, Coyotes and Blue Jackets in his career.
The immediate thought is that the 6-5, 230-pound Rupp would fit well on the left wing alongside Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. In 81 games this past season, Rupp ranked third on the Penguins with 181 hits.
“It would be a lot of fun,” Boyle told the Daily News of that possibility. “He’s a big, tough customer, and a pain to play against, so it’s good that he’s on our side now.”
Although Rupp is primarily a winger, he could help the Blueshirts a bit in the faceoff circle, where he won 82 of 162 draws in 2010-11.
“Welcome Mike Rupp to #NYR,” Rangers goaltender Martin Biron wrote on Twitter. “I’ve seen a lot of him in front of my net the last few years. I’m really happy to have him on my side now.”
The addition of Rupp, though, may mean the end of Ruslan Fedotenko’s tenure on Broadway. On their roster at left wing and center right now, the Rangers have Rupp, Sean Avery, Erik Christensen, Derek Stepan and Wojtek Wolski, with restricted free agents Boyle, Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky bringing the total to eight. If the Rangers bring in Brad Richards and make it nine at C/LW (not to mention the fact that Mats Zuccarello can play on the left), the idea of carrying two extra forwards is not one that tends to appeal to John Tortorella.
Boyle, for what it’s worth, is content to wait for the Rangers to finish their business with the open market before finalizing his new deal. He understands that there is a limited window for the business the Blueshirts are conducting today, and maybe for the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, on the Richards front, a source has told the Daily News that it remains a “two-horse race” between the Rangers and Maple Leafs despite the fact that the All-Star center continues to hear pitches from other teams at the Ontario office of his agent. The Rangers did not send anyone to Mississauga to make a presentation to Richards, while Toronto GM Brian Burke is in Afghanistan, and sent associates to deliver his team’s offer.
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