The NHL’s free-agent frenzy begins at noon Wednesday, but the Rangers have done quite a bit of their work already, so don’t expect GM Chris Drury to make too big a splash as far as acquiring any big names.
Drury has already agreed to a deal with veteran defenseman Patrik Nemeth, a development first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by Newsday. Nemeth, 29, is believed to have agreed to a deal worth in the $2.5 million range as far as average annual salary. The 6-3, 228-pound, lefthanded shot would presumably slot in as the third-pair lefty, and presumably partner with and mentor rookie Nils Lundkvist, a 2018 first-round pick who is coming over from Sweden this fall and favored to make the opening night roster.