RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FREE AGENT FORWARD DAVID DESHARNAIS
BY: The New York Rangers
NEW YORK, July 5, 2017 – New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton announced today that the team has agreed to terms with free-agent forward David Desharnais.
Desharnais, 30, has skated in 453 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons with Montreal and Edmonton (2009-10 – 2016-17), registering 81 goals and 173 assists for 254 points, along with a plus-35 rating and 142 penalty minutes. He has tallied at least 10 goals in five of the last six seasons, and he has recorded 40 or more points in three different seasons in his career. In addition, Desharnais has averaged at least 0.50 points per game in five of his seven full seasons in the NHL. He has posted a 50.5% career faceoff win percentage (3,098-for-6,134), and he has won at least 600 faceoffs in three different seasons in his career. Desharnais has averaged 16:08 of ice time per game in his NHL career, and he has recorded 26 penalty minutes or fewer in each of his eight seasons in the league. He established career-highs in goals (16), assists (44), and points (60) with Montreal during the 2011-12 season.
The 5-7, 180-pounder has helped his team advance to the playoffs in five seasons in his career. Desharnais has skated in 51 career NHL playoff games, registering four goals and 13 assists for 17 points, along with a plus-seven rating and 14 penalty minutes. He established playoff career-highs in games played (17), goals (two), assists (six), points (eight), and plus/minus rating (plus-four) while helping the Canadiens advance to the Eastern Conference Final during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Two of Desharnais’ four career playoff goals have been game-winning goals.
Desharnais split this past season between Montreal and Edmonton. He skated in 49 games in 2016-17, recording six goals and eight assists for 14 points, along with a plus-four rating and 12 penalty minutes. Desharnais posted a 51.2% faceoff win percentage in 2016-17 (170-for-332), as well as a 51.1% faceoff win percentage on faceoffs taken in his defensive zone (45-for-88).
In addition, Desharnais skated in 13 games with Edmonton during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, registering one goal and three assists for four points, along with a plus-three rating. He was the only forward on the Oilers (min. two games played) to not be assessed a penalty during the playoffs. Desharnais tied a single-game playoff career-high with two points (one goal, one assist) and tallied his first career overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 5 of the First Round vs. San Jose on April 20.
The Laurier-Station, Quebec, native was originally signed by Montreal as an undrafted free agent on November 5, 2008.
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