The Rangers Saturday officially announced the signing on Swedish defenseman Anton Stralman. The 25-year-old has totaled 74 points in 212 NHL games. A 7th-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005, Stralman has played for the Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 2009-10, Stralman had career highs with six goals and 28 assists for 34 points with the Jackets.
The Rangers also announced forward Mike Rupp will require knee surgery and has been placed on injured reserve. There is no timetable for his return. Rupp, who signed a three-year, $4.5 million, has one goal in six games with the Rangers this season.
The Stralman rumors have been going on for several weeks now, so I guess we can finally put them to rest. Have to figure once he gets acclimated with the system, Jeff Woywitka will be the odd-man out. Head coach John Tortorella has said Woywitka is out of shape, and how difficult it is to get into shape during the season. I wonder how in shape Stralman is.
So far it seems Rupp is this year’s Alex Frolov. Though he didn’t come with the expectations Frolov did (I pegged him for a 30-goal guy), Rupp was pretty underwhelming in his six games this season. Unlike Frolov, though, Rupp still has two years remaining on his contract.
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New York Rangers Blog 
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