Jeff Gorton took a chance on free agent Brandon Pirri on August 25th, 2016. But it was the sort of late offseason gamble that many praised. Pirri was two seasons removed from scoring 22 goals in 49 games with the Panthers. He could play center, he had a hell of a shot and he was still available late last August.
In preseason and October Pirri looked like a huge steal. He had four goals and two assists in his first nine games with the Rangers. Pirri’s big shot was a weapon the Rangers power play. He was key cog to the Rangers new “four scoring lines” design.