Kathy Kmonicek
Veteran goalie Martin Biron signed a two-year deal with the New York Rangers on Thursday, less than one hour into the NHL's free-agent shopping season.
Biron, who spent last season with the rival New York Islanders, is the solid, experienced backup netminder the Rangers have been looking for to take some of the workload away from top goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist played in 73 of the 82 regular-season games - including 72 starts - for the Rangers, who missed the playoffs when they lost in a shootout at Philadelphia on the final day of the season.
The Rangers also announced Thursday that they agreed to terms with forwards Erik Christensen and Derek Stepan, who captained the winning U.S. team at the world junior championship.
New York general manager Glen Sather and coach John Tortorella stated this week that finding a reliable backup to Lundqvist was a top priority heading into the free agency period.
Biron, who will turn 33 next month, will be counted on to make about 15 to 20 starts next season in an attempt to keep Lundqvist fresh.
Biron is joining his third Atlantic Division team in three seasons. He went 9-14-4 with a 3.27 goals-against average in 29 games last season while splitting time on the Islanders with Dwayne Roloson. Biron spent part of the three previous seasons with Philadelphia.
The bulk of the Rangers' backup duty last season was handled by Steve Valiquette, before his struggles landed him in the minor leagues, and Alex Auld, who joined the Rangers during the Olympic break.
Lundqvist earned 35 of the Rangers' 38 wins last season.
Biron has twice won 30 games in the NHL and has five 20-win seasons on his resume. In 462 regular-season games with Buffalo, Philadelphia and the Islanders, he is 208-176-25-24 with a 2.63 GAA, a .910 save percentage and 26 shutouts. In 2008, Biron backstopped Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference finals.
The 26-year-old Christensen had eight goals and 18 assists in 49 games with the Rangers last season after he was claimed off waivers from Anaheim on Dec. 2. New York was 5-1 in games in which the centre had a goal and 12-3-2 when Christensen recorded a point.
Like Biron, Christensen received a two-year deal.
Stepan, 20, had a world junior tournament-best 10 assists and 14 points in seven games for the United States. In 41 games at Wisconsin last season, Stepan had a career-high 12 goals and 42 assists. He was the 51st overall pick by the Rangers in the 2008 draft.