The buzz after the Rangers signed free agent David Desharnais this summer was that the crafty center, who had spent nearly all of his career in Montreal, could be a bargain, given his experience and versatility.
Consider: Twenty-somethings Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes are moving up to the No. 1 and No. 2 slots at center, and winger J.T. Miller is starting in the middle of a third line.
A nifty playmaker with a career 50.5 faceoff percentage, the 31-year-old Desharnais brings depth and the ability to fill in up and down the lineup. “I’m going to do whatever I’m asked to,” the Quebec native said Wednesday morning.