Yesterday Andrew Gross reported that the Rangers are
interested in adding a veteran defenseman to the roster and today Katie Strang
at ESPN
NY adds a familiar name to the list of possible additions. Strang is reporting that the Rangers, along
with the Islanders, have expressed interest in Paul Mara joining their
respective clubs. Strang has the
following quote from Mara’s agent Matt Keator:
"We've talked to both teams and they seem to be interested in him."
Bringing in a veteran is not necessarily a bad thing for those concerned with
it going away from the youth movement because not all young players are
actually ready. If Staal and Sauer are
healthy than I think the Rangers have enough in house with Erixon and Eminger
at least to fill out the third pair. If
either of those projected top 4 defenders are not ready than the Rangers could
likely use another defender without forcing Del Zotto or Valentenko into the
lineup.
Whether Paul Mara is the right guy to bring in or not is a
different conversation entirely. While Mara
is a very good presence in the locker room and has a history with Tortorella
both in Tampa Bay and New York it is unclear how much he actually has left in
the tank on the ice. The most intriguing
part of Mara for me is how good he was playing with rookie defenders on the third
pair while he was here and helping them adjust to the NHL. That piece of Mara and how he conducts
himself does intrigue me about a potential reunion with the Rangers.
