Rangers sign reliable Paille
RALEIGH — The signing of Daniel Paille by Rangers GM Jeff Gorton on Thursday felt more like a show of faith in the current roster than the beginning of a rebuild on the fly. One NHL scout told the Daily News that he sees Paille, 31, as a “pro” who “you know what you’re getting from every night.”
“I’m surprised someone else didn’t pick him up earlier,” the scout said of Paille, who was on an AHL contract for 31 games with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs after spending training camp with the Chicago Blackhawks. “This guy was part of one of the best fourth lines in the last several years in Boston.”
Paille complemented winger Shawn Thornton (now with Florida) and center Gregory Campbell (now of Columbus) on the Bruins’ Merlot Line, named after the color of their practice jerseys. Those B’s dashed Alain Vigneault’s Stanley Cup dream with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011.
The expectation for Paille starting Friday night in Carolina then will be to bolster a suddenly sliding penalty kill and to fortify a reliable Rangers fourth line alongside Dominic Moore and Tanner Glass. Paille was taken 20th overall by by Buffalo in 2002, one of nine first-rounders on the Rangers’ roster. Gorton however signed him for a much simpler reason: for his predictability, his quality of consistency.
Vigneault has several forwards from whom he does not know what to expect on a nightly basis. That is due in some cases to youth and in others to irregular play. Paille is what the NHL scout called a “low-risk” acquisition, someone who “won’t hurt you” and is, despite his recent minor-league stint, “an NHL player.”
“He fills a lot of holes for you, he can play in different spots, he kills penalties,” the scout said.
The truth is difficult to accept, but Paille’s purpose with the Rangers really makes him the team’s latest effort to replace Carl Hagelin (now of the Pittsburgh Penguins), whom they traded to Anaheim for cap reasons last summer. Emerson Etem couldn’t score or play at an NHL level consistently enough. Jarret Stoll couldn’t skate well enough or threaten on offense.
Gorton traded Stoll to Minnesota in December and dealt Etem to Vancouver earlier this month, rightly ending both failed experiments. So now he acquires Paille, who should also be a great fit in the locker room given his close friendship with Rangers defenseman and fellow Welland, Ontario product, Dan Girardi.
Paille’s signing probably will mean an imminent AHL return for Jayson Megna, who showed good hustle and skating ability during his stay. His addition also should allow Vigneault to play Viktor Stalberg higher in the lineup, if Stalberg continues playing at his recent pace.
This does not mean Gorton doesn’t have bigger moves up his sleeve prior to the NHL’s Feb. 29 trade deadline. After all, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman continues to aggressively shop talented forward prospect Jonathan Drouin, 20, who is now suspended after taking more bad advice from his agent and failing to show to an AHL game.
Paille’s signing, though, does make it seem like Gorton is more focused on finding bargains to address his team’s needs rather than training his eye on a nuclear option. The Rangers (25-16-5, 55 points) sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division, so for now, perhaps Gorton feels that he has a lot of the right pieces and now just needs to round out the edges.
Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News first reported Paille’s contract, a two-way deal (his salary drops if he’s demoted to the AHL) with a minimal $575,000 NHL cap hit.
PRACTICE NOTES: Center Derick Brassard returned to practice in Greenburgh after missing a game for the first time all season Tuesday night due to an illness. Chris Kreider (neck spasms) skated on his own after feeling the effects of an overtime collision with Vancouver’s Radim Vrabta on Tuesday, but he is still on the trip and could play Friday