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Rangers ink Benoit Pouliot to one-year, $1.3M pact

benoitpouliot

The New York Rangers add a little extra scoring touch via free agency on Friday, signing forward Benoit Pouliot to a one-year, $1.3 million contract, according to RDS’ Renaud Lavoie.

He’s coming off a solid campaign with the Tampa Bay Lightning where he scored 20 points in 34 games. He scored 32 and 30 points in two previous full seasons.

The Bolts decided to go in a difference direction this offseason, opting against extending him a qualifying offer on July 1.

The 26-year-old must be getting used to the uncertainty of being an NHL journeyman.

After playing parts of four seasons with the Minnesota Wild - the team that drafted him fourth overall in 2005 - Pouliot was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Guillaume Latendresse in November 2009. He stuck with the Canadiens for the rest of 2009-10 and all of 2010-11 before bouncing to the Boston Bruins last season and Lightning in 2013.

Many believe that new head coach Alain Vigneault aims to make the Rangers a more offense-leaning team, so Pouliot could provide a nice - if subtle - amount of depth offense.