Rangers Claim Defenseman Jeff Woywitka Off Waivers From Canadiens

The Rangers announced today on Twitter that they have claimed veteran defenseman Jeff Woywitka off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens. It's being reported that Woywitka will fly to Sweden today to join the team in time for tomorrow's game, although I doubt he'll play. The move also means the Rangers will officially option both Brendan Bell and Stu Bickel to the Connecticut Whale, who both cleared waivers yesterday.

Jeff Woywitka is a big body - 6'3", 227 lbs. - who plays with some toughness and is a lefty shot. Last season he skated in 63 games with the Dallas Stars, recording 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points with a plus-5 rating and 24 penalty minutes. Overall, he's skated in a total of 251 NHL games.

The addition of Woywitka obviously means that the Rangers will no longer be pursuing Paul Mara. Woywitka can step in and play some games for the Rangers, but he'll ideally become the extra seventh defenseman once Marc Staal comes back. I think the Rangers will play Tim Erixon for the two games in Sweden and then depending on what they see from him will decide whether to keep him with the team or send him back to the Connecticut Whale once they get back to the US.

Rangers Could Sign Defenseman Paul Mara Soon

Following the news this morning that Marc Staal has been played on IR, Larry Brooks is reporting that the Rangers have reopened contract talks with free agent defenseman Paul Mara, and a deal could happen relatively quickly. Brooks says Mara would join the team on Monday when they return from Europe so that he could get in a week of practice with the team before their next game.

You remember Paul Mara, don't you? He's the guy John Tortorella bragged about running out of town with the Tampa Bay Lightning the first day he met with the media as the head coach of the Rangers. He's also the guy with one of the most epic playoff beards of all time, as seen in the pic above.

All kidding aside, I would love to have Paul Mara back. I never had a problem with his play when he was here, and I think he'd be a fine addition as the 6th/7th defenseman on this team once Marc Staal gets healthy. Mara brought a lot of toughness and physicality and wasn't afraid to stand up for his teammates or himself at a moment's notice. He also emerged as one of the team's leaders when he was brought to the Rangers in a trade that sent Aaron Ward to the Boston Bruins in return.