The New York Rangers agreed to terms with goaltender Jonathan Quick and forwards Blake Wheeler, Tyler Pitlick, Riley Nash, Nick Bonino and Alex Belzile on the opening day of the free agent signing period Saturday.
The team also added defensemen Connor Mackey and Nikolas Brouillard.
Quick, Wheeler, Pitlick, Bonino, Mackey and Brouillard agreed to one-year deals with the Rangers, while Nash and Belzile got two-year contracts. Terms were not disclosed.
Quick, 37, split the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights and went 16-15-6 with two shutouts, a 3.41 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage. He won his third Stanley Cup, although he did not appear in the playoffs for Vegas.
Quick, who hoisted the Cup with Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014, is 375-277-84 with 58 shutouts, a 2.47 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 753 career games (738 starts) with the Kings and Golden Knights. He is 49-43 in the playoffs with a 2.31 GAA and .921 save percentage.
Winnipeg placed Wheeler, 36, on unconditional waivers Friday for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract. He played for the Jets for 13 seasons and was the captain for seven of them. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points (812), assists (550) and games played (897).
Wheeler recorded 55 points (16 goals, 39 assists) in 72 games in 2022-23, including his 300th career goal on Nov. 13 at Seattle. The two-time All-Star has tallied 922 points (312 goals, 610 assists) in 1,118 games with the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers and Jets.
Pitlick, 31, had seven goals and nine assists in 61 games with the St. Louis Blues in 2022-23. He has 105 points (55 goals, 50 assists) in 386 games with the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens and Blues.
Nash, 34, tallied 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 59 games for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers this season. He has 176 points (63 goals, 113 assists) in 627 NHL games with the Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes.
Belzile, 31, posted six goals and eight assists in 31 games with Montreal in 2022-23. He has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 44 games over parts of three seasons with the Canadiens.
Bonino, 35, had 10 goals and nine assists in 62 games with the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022-23. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has 353 points (158 goals, 195 assists) in 823 games with the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Penguins, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild and Sharks.
Mackey, 26, had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 30 games last season with the Flames and Coyotes. Brouillard, 28, has not appeared in an NHL game, while recording 39 points (six goals, 33 assists) with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls last season.
–Field Level Media
