Josh Jooris isn’t the sort of matinee name the New York Rangers often seem fixated on, but he’s a sneaky-solid pickup for the team.
The New York Rangers announced that they signed Jooris on Friday, although they didn’t provide details regarding the term or money. They confirmed as much shortly after also making Dylan McIlrath’s signing official.
Jooris was slated to become an RFA with the Calgary Flames, but they didn’t hand him a qualifying offer, so he became unrestricted. He carried a $975K salary and cap hit last season.
The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that Jooris’ deal is for one year and $800K.
McIlrath in for one year, $800,000.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) July 15, 2016
Many Flames fans were hoping that they would re-sign Jooris, even though his offensive numbers dipped a bit from 24 in 2014-15 to 13 last season.
The 26-year-old saw a sharp increase in defensive zone starts in 2015-16. With that in mind, it’s plausible that the Rangers could either hand him those tough assignments or get more production out of him with a cushier role.
This isn’t the sort of move that will revolutionize a team, but depth makes a difference in this age of parity.
New York has been awfully busy today, also signing Tommy Hughes.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with restricted free agent defenseman Tommy Hughes on a new contract.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 15, 2016
Earlier this week, the Rangers avoided salary arbitration by signing J.T. Miller. They still face potential hearings with Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes.
This team is really coming into focus, and Jooris provides a solid - if subtle - boost.