The New York Rangers announced Monday that they had come to terms on a contract with former Los Angeles Kings forward and two-time Stanley Cup-winner Jarret Stoll. Terms of the deal were later disclosed to be one-year, $800,000, according to a report from TSN's Chris Johnston.
Stoll, 33, was a member of the Kings franchise for the last seven seasons. While he's no longer the player he once was, he brings a championship pedigree and, hopefully for the Rangers, a strong veteran presence. Unfortunately for New York, they seem to be getting Stoll on something of a rebound. The former NHL champ was arrested at a Las Vegas resort pool this summer on charges of cocaine possession. Per Sports Illustrated, he plead guilty to two misdemeanors - provoking commission of breach of peace and trespassing - and received a sentence of 32 hours of community service as a result.
Stoll, who dates ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, managed six goals and 11 assists in 73 regular season games for the Kings last year. For his career, he's got 379 points in 792 NHL games over 12 professional seasons split between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles.
For the Rangers, Stoll is likely to fill a third or fourth-line center role. With Derek Stepan under contract for at least the next six seasons, the top-six in New York seems fairly set. The bottom of the Ranger roster does have some questions though and Stoll now looks set to battle with the likes of J.T. Miller and Dominic Moore for playing time. Considering his off-the-ice issues and the minimal value on his contract, the Rangers and new GM Jeff Gorton probably isn't depending on Stoll for anything more than competition and a potential bottom-six starting gig if, and only if, he keeps his nose clean and earns it.
Stoll is a strong faceoff man, leading his team in faceoff win percentage for nine straight seasons from 2005 to 2014.
