Larry Brooks at the New York Post reports that Vaclav "Vinny" Prospal, who would have made a seemingly perfect fit as a scoring boost for the Nashville Predators, has signed instead with the New York Rangers on a one-year contract for just $1.1 million.
While presumably the chance to play for his former Tampa Bay coach, John Tortorella, was a big factor in this signing, it's regrettable to see a proven veteran talent going elsewhere for a salary that the Predators would likely have been able to afford. In terms of "bang for the buck", Prospal might turn out to be one of biggest bargains from this summer's free agent market.
What remains to be seen is how this signing might impact the rest of the players looking for jobs; is Prospal's surprisingly low salary a sign of meager demand for the free agents remaining? Or was it simply a situation where, given the money he's receiving from Tampa in his contract buyout, he was willing to accept less in order to play for his old coach?
For all the latest NHL free agency news, be sure to swing by the SB Nation NHL Free Agency hub:
There is 1 Comment. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.