When the Rangers sign Mark Messier, probably early next week, they’ll likely convince Claude Lemieux to join this year’s free-agent influx.
While the hockey community was abuzz yesterday over Messier coming back to the Rangers, his father-agent denied that a contract has been reached.
“There is a mutual interest to have an agreement done,” Doug Messier said yesterday. “We’ve had conversations, but there is not a contract agreed to.”
The deal, rumored to be two years for $10 million, could even be completed Monday, when Glen Sather returns from his son’s wedding, and when the Rangers are likely to announce the signing of Vladimir Malakhov (at least three years at $3.5 million per) as an unrestricted free agent from the Devils.
When they do sign Messier, who was bought out by Vancouver, the Rangers will have drastically improved their chances to land Lemieux as an unrestricted from the Devils.
Still weighing seven offers and seeking a four-year deal probably in the $15 million range, Lemieux is also judging the commitment of teams to win.
The Rangers’ failure to make the playoffs the past three years would dampen the interest of Lemieux, who has never missed postseason since winning the Stanley Cup as a rookie in 1986.
While Lemieux might be impressed that the Rangers are believed to have signed fellow Devil unrestricted Malakhov, Lemieux is very interested in whether Messier joins the Rangers.
Signing Messier would be a clear signal to Lemieux that Sather is intent on ending the Rangers’ non-playoff streak, and would make him far more receptive to their offers.