Rangers Sign Conor Sheary to PTO As He Eyes NHL Role

During the New York Rangers' coaching search this offseason, Chris Drury diligently reviewed candidates. Still, Mike Sullivan's eventual arrival on Broadway was one of the worst-kept secrets in sports at the time. As he introduced himself to the players and began to acclimate to the Blueshirts' culture, many wondered if and whom Drury would sign from Sullivan's past. Heck, Blueshirt Banter even published a couple of articles on former Sullivan standouts who could help the Rangers.

Well, Chris Drury finally took action by offering a professional tryout to forward Connor Sheary.

While it wasn't quite the level of player many had hypothesized or hoped for, Sheary is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Sullivan and the Penguins. The depth forward has moved around since his glory days on the Penguins' back-to-back championship teams. Last year, he excelled for the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, scoring 61 points in 59 games in the AHL.

Sheary has historically been just slightly better than what would be described as an AAAA player—someone who is too skilled for the AHL but doesn't quite hold a permanent spot in the NHL, ala Jonny Brodzinski. He has found success on various teams, surpassing the 40-point mark twice in his ten-year NHL career.

However, Sheary is clearly a depth forward and will compete for a bottom-six roster spot. I believe he has the skills to contribute to an NHL team, but the challenge with fitting in New York is that the Rangers already have many bottom-six players. They just signed Taylor Raddysh this offseason, who will compete for similar roles and ice time. Competition is never a bad thing, and perhaps Sheary will perform remarkably well and earn a spot, or maybe his presence will inspire a younger player to improve. Either way, it will be another interesting storyline to follow during training camp.