Signing a player for a single year is typically seen as a low risk move. Many times, those signings involve players that are inconsistent and looking for their big break. The New York Rangers have had a number of these signings in recent years.
The payoff is either boom or bust; you get a player that has little impact, or a player that finally breaks out. If that player has a history of success, and simply needs a change of scenery, the payoff can be even bigger.
David Desharnais is one such player. The diminutive center has both a reputation for failure and success amongst Montreal fans.