After one year away in Boston, the New York Rangers have signed forward Greg McKegg for a second stint in the Big Apple. The contract is a one-year, two-way deal with the NHL minimum $750K salary and a $350K AHL salary, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. McKegg will return to his role as a dependable extra man on the roster or next man up in the minors.
McKegg, 29, seems like he has been around far longer than he actually has. The veteran forward has only played 190 NHL games over 10 seasons, but having spent time with seven different teams and played 40+ games with four of them, it seems like McKegg has been a key depth piece for a long time. In reality, he still has plenty of gas left in the tank and this will be far from his last NHL contract if he continues to bring value to his teams.
For the first time in his career, he is beginning a second stint with a team by returning to New York after suiting up for 53 games with the Rangers in 2019-20. Though used sparingly by the Boston Bruins this season, McKegg played well in his five games with a noticeable physical presence and a dominant face-off record. The Rangers will be looking for the same this year, as the team has a very young, skilled forward group and could look to McKegg to provide veteran presence and grit, either as an extra man or possibly even the anchor of the fourth line.