The New York Rangers have a void to fill, after dealing goalie Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes at the draft.
It’s expected to be a busy day for free agent goalies tomorrow, as several clubs look to lock down that position before things ultimately slow down during the summer. With Raanta gone, the Rangers are among those teams.
Per Darren Dreger of TSN, the Rangers are in discussions with former Jets goalie and pending unrestricted free agent Ondrej Pavelec, who is at the end of his five-year, $19.5 million deal with Winnipeg.
Pavelec has endured his share of struggles in Winnipeg, posting underwhelming numbers, particularly save percentage.
Only once since 2011-12 did Pavelec post a single-season save percentage better than .910 -- that was in 2014-15 when he had a .920 save percentage over the course of 50 games and the Jets made the playoffs for the first time since their return to Winnipeg.
The Jets placed Pavelec on waivers in October, then recalled him from the AHL in January as the tandem of Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson struggled. He won four of his eight games, posting a save percentage of .888.
He last played on Feb. 7, before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in early March, ending his season.