When the New York Rangers dealt netminder Antti Raanta and forward Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes last week, it did two things.
It helped alleviate some of the club's salary cap issues, as Stepan has four years remaining on his deal with a $6.5-million annual cap hit, but it also opened up a glaring hole in the blue paint behind aging starter Henrik Lundqvist.
According to TSN's Darren Dreger, New York has had ongoing discussions with 29-year-old goalie Ondrej Pavelec to address that need.
Related: Rangers trade Stepan, Raanta to Coyotes for No. 7 pick
Pavelec has spent his entire 10-year career in the Atlanta/Winnipeg organization and is coming off an injury-riddled season in which he split time between the AHL and NHL, only suiting up for eight games with the Jets.
In 379 career contests, Pavelec owns a record of 152-158-47 to go along with 17 shutouts and a 2.87 goals-against average.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.