Major Development: Trusted NHL Insider Links Very Unexpected Forward To The New York Rangers
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman
Joel Kiviranta is a bottom-six forward who set career-highs with the Colorado Avalanche this past season. As a reliable bottom-six player, it seems as if he should be able to find a new home soon, and recent rumors link him to the New York Rangers and Chris Drury.
The New York Rangers finished the season fifth in the Metropolitan Division. The team was lacking in secondary scoring.
For much of the year, it seemed as if the bottom-six was anemic in providing the offense that was sorely needed.
But, someone like former Colorado Avalanche forward Joel Kiviranta, the team could find a reliable player to slot in on the 3rd or 4th line(s).
Kiviranta scored 23 points (16-7) in 79 games with the Avalanche and would be a great addition as someone who's not a stranger to playoff situations.
Kiviranta could come at an affordable league minimum cost of $775K as that is what he made playing for the Avalanche.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Finnish forward, playing an ATOI of 10:77 per game this season and was a fixture on the bottom-six.
Kiviranta came to North America from Vaasan Sport in Liiga, Finland's top professional league. He scored 114 points (60 goals, 54 assists) in five seasons with Vaasan Sport, including 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) in 48 games in 2018-19, when he finished second on the team with a plus-12 rating. He scored a team-high 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 2017-18.
Kiviranta has been signed as a UFA by both of his recent teams. He began his tenure with the Dallas Stars in 2019 and would later sign with GM Chris McFarland and the Avalanche in November 2023.
His playoff performance is nothing to sneeze at:
Kiviranta became an instant hero for the Dallas Stars in his first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After being scratched for the first six games of the Western Conference Second Round against the Colorado Avalanche, the forward from Vantaa, Finland, completed a hat trick by scoring in overtime to give the Stars a 5-4 victory and their first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2008.
In the meantime, GM Chris Drury is letting a real bottom-six contributor languish as a free agent.
Get it done!
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 21 | 133 ANSWERS Major Development: Trusted NHL Insider Links Very Unexpected Forward To The New York Rangers Should GM Chris Drury of the New York Rangers sign forward Joel Kiviranta, a UFA and former Colorado Avalanche? | ||
| Yes | 45 | 33.8 % |
| No | 88 | 66.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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