The New York Rangers added some additional forward depth to their organization on Sunday when they announced the signing of forward Justin Fontaine to a two-way contract.
The team then assigned him to Hartford of the American Hockey League.
Fontaine was in training camp with both the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers on tryout contracts this preseason but did not make either opening night roster. He was released from the Dallas PTO just before the start of the season.
The 28-year-old Fontaine has spent the past three years in the NHL, all with the Minnesota Wild.
During his time in Minnesota he scored 27 goals and added 41 assists in 197 games. That includes five goals and 11 assists in 60 games during the 2015-16 season.
While the Rangers defense has become a question mark in recent years, they did nice job rebuilding their forward depth this past offseason with the additions of Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey, Michael Grabner, Brandon Pirri and the promotion of prospect Pavel Buchnevich.
All of that will probably make it tough for Fontaine to get a look at the NHL level anytime soon, but at the very least he does provide some additional insurance in case of injury.