For what feels like the first time in years, July 1 came and went and the New York Rangers’ impact on it could most aptly be characterized as nonexistent. A win of sorts, yes, but an odd feeling nonetheless. Sure, they signed Swedish defenseman Fredrik Claesson—a depth acquisition at best—to a one-year contract, but they were otherwise conspicuously absent while most of the rest of the league spent wildly.
In fact, according to CapFriendly, more than $226 million in first-year cap charges were awarded across 127 contracts on July 1 alone; Claesson’s paltry $700,000 contract is but a mere drop in the bucket of that gross total.