The New York Rangers have signed Bobby Farnham to a professional tryout agreement according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, meaning the 28-year old winger will attend training camp to try and fight for a contract. While the Rangers have quite a bit of depth up front, PTOs can often be used as showcases for other teams around the league.
Farnham played three games for the Montreal Canadiens last season, but spent most of the year in the AHL. In 2015-16 he spent the entire year at the NHL level, getting into 50 games with the New Jersey Devils after being claimed off waivers less than a month into the season. His original NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, had signed him out of the AHL after he’d completed four seasons at Brown University.
A long-shot to make an NHL roster at this point, Farnham is known more for his fists than his skill. In just 67 games in the NHL, he’s been involved in 11 fights and many more in the minor leagues. The small but tough winger is always willing to stand up for his teammates, and could catch a two-way deal for the express purpose of protection call-ups. While fighting and the enforcer is being slowly fazed out of the game, there are a few instances of “tough guy” call-ups each season.