Straka Will Not Be Back With Rangers
A Czech newspaper (through a Google translation) reports that Rangers UFA forward Martin Straka has signed a contract to both be a player and a member of management with the Czech team in his hometown of Plzen.http://translate.google.com/translate?u=
The coach of the team goes as far as to specify who Straka’s linemates could be.
Opinion: Straka was a great Ranger since the lockout and he will be missed. He was one of the most underrated players throughout the league during his NHL career.
From a salary cap standpoint, this does open up the approximately $3 million that it would have taken to sign him for the Rangers. I would look for the Rangers to be very active in free agency, but those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. The Rangers would do better for themselves to not consistently lock up big dollars in long-term deals.