Rangers ink Bonino to one-year, $800k deal
The Blueshirts have found a fourth-line center in free agency.
The New York Rangers have added another free agent that likely groans a lot when he wakes up. The club has inked veteran center Nick Bonino to a one-year, $800,000 deal. Bonino, 35, is a veteran of 823 games who played for the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins last season. He also played for Team USA at the 2023 World Championship.
At this stage of his career, Bonino is a defensive fourth-line center with limited offensive upside. A lot would have to go wrong for him to see a consistent role as a middle-six center, given that he has eclipsed 40 points just once in his career – back in 2013-14 with the Anaheim Ducks. You get the idea: he's cheap but he's old. His skating is going to be an issue.
The link between Bonino and the Rangers is an obvious one. He's a Team USA player who has played for new head coach Peter Laviolette in Nashville. Bonino has two Stanley Cups to his name and should provide the Blueshirts with inexpensive center depth and a bouquet of intangibles for the new head coach to point to. His last NHL contract was a two-year deal with a $2.05 million AAV.
Like Blake Wheeler and Jonathan Quick, this is a veteran player taking less to play in a depth role on what he hopes is a contender. Hopefully, Bonino and the others are right.
