The New York Rangers signed free-agent defenseman Fredrik Claesson to a one-year contract worth $700,000 that carries him through the 2018-19 season. This was the first signing the Rangers have made.
Fredrik Claesson heading to NYR on a one year deal worth $700K.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2018
Fredrik Claesson Signs With the Rangers
Claesson has played only for the Ottawa Senators during his three-year NHL career. He has put up four goals and 16 assists for 20 career points in 113 career games. He was originally drafted in the fifth round, 126th overall of the 2011 NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators.
Last season he scored one goal and six assists for seven points in 64 games. He also added 35 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 46.5 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -1.3.
Claesson established career-highs in hits, games played and blocked shots with the Senators. The 25-year-old managed to stay with the big club after spending parts of the previous two seasons with the AHL Binghamton Senators, who have since moved to Belleville, Ontario.
What This Means for the Future
This signing is not going to move the needle on offense, but Claesson can still be valuable. The Stockholm native has limited offensive potential but is solid on defense.
He is one of the better defenders in the league in preventing zone entries and is a big body at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. It’s pretty hard to try to go through him if you want to get into his part of the ice.
Erik Karlsson posted good results on defense with him when the two were paired together. Claesson would be the stay-at-home player while Karlsson did his thing in joining to rush.
At worst, this signing could shore up the Hartford WolfPack’s depth if he fails to crack the roster. However, he could be a good bottom-pair option for the rebuilding Rangers. Bringing Claesson in truly represents a low risk/potential reward type of signing.
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