The New York Rangers have signed forward Morgan Barron to an entry-level contract. The deal is for three years and will take Barron through 2022–23. Teams have been able to sign prospects during the recent pause but Barron had remained unsigned to this point. The Rangers announced the move early Friday afternoon.
Welcome to the future.
Morgan Barron: Signed. ☑️ https://t.co/jbjVVsyztB pic.twitter.com/uH1WOfs6dD
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 31, 2020
Rangers Sign Morgan Barron
Barron recently completed his junior year with the NCAA’s Cornell College. He scored 14 goals and 32 points in 29 games. This was down slightly from 15 goals and 34 points but Barron did this in 36 games. Barron’s rate production went up which is always a positive sign. Some of that does come from being older compared to the competition but more points in fewer games are always better than the alternative. He ultimately scored 34 goals and 84 points in 98 regular-season games.
The Rangers originally selected Barron in the sixth-round of the 2017 Draft. He is not one of the team’s notable prospects but he has good size at 6’4″, 220 lbs. Many teams still employ at least one big-bodied forward for checking purposes and Barron likely fills that role in a few seasons. He might be able to chip in on offence but his primary contributions will come from his size.
What This Means for the Future
Barron will likely join the Rangers’ affiliate at the AHL or ECHL level for the next several seasons. Most of New York’s current forward core is young and exciting but Barron’s physical stature only adds to the unit’s depth and potential. He could make the NHL roster by the end of the second or third year.
The Rangers still have some decisions to make regarding important restricted free agents this offseason. Anthony DeAngelo is the most notable but Alexandar Georgiev and Ryan Strome are also need new deals. New York is well-positioned for this offseason but they also need to keep existing assets in mine.
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