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Rangers bring veteran defensemen Semenov and Exelby into camp on tryouts

Ian Laperriere, Garnet Exelby

Toronto Maple Leafs’ Garnet Exelby, top, fights with Philadelphia Flyers’ Ian Laperriere during the first period of an NHL hockey pre-season hockey game in Toronto on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)

AP

We told you about the Rangers bringing Ruslan Fedotenko into training camp yesterday and today’s informal skate at Rangers camp revealed that there are a couple more NHL veterans getting a chance to make the team as well. Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants has the details on the two defensemen looking to land a spot in Manhattan.

Turns out, the Rangers gave out two tryout offers Friday night as ex-Thrashers/Maple Leafs defenseman Garnet Exelby was on the ice this morning for the informal group skate, though left wing Ruslan Fedotenko did not participate in the 6-on-6 scrimmage. And today, the Rangers offered a tryout to defenseman Alexei Semenov, who made the team out of training camp last year but wound up going to Russia for a bigger contract. Semenov’s KHL team, the Moscow Dynamo, folded, leaving him at loose ends.

Bringing a pair of veteran defensemen into camp is an intriguing move by the Rangers. While getting veteran help while the team still remains a bit unsure with how Matt Gilroy can fit into the lineup, there’s still that whole issue with restricted free agent Marc Staal that remains unsettled. Staal has yet to make an appearance with the Rangers at camp and the details of the negotiations between both sides remain lacking leading people to believe there are some major hangups between both sides.

Glen Sather’s threat to match any offer sheets made to Marc Staal stands out even with the Rangers currently over the salary cap. Perhaps bringing Semenov and Exelby into camp isn’t just to provide insurance for Gilroy but to also put pressure on Staal to get into camp and sign already. While Semenov and Exelby aren’t the same caliber of player that Staal is, they’re still veterans and GM Glen Sather could say to Staal, “Listen, we’ve got some eager vets looking to keep a job in the NHL here, how about you just get here already?” It’s not much leverage to use but it’s still something.