Show Me The Money

Don Meehan, agent for Mike Peca, has put an expiration date on the New York Rangers signing him by the end of business today.

Given Peca's been in negotiations with the New York Rangers for at least a couple of weeks now, and has practically been taken off the market by them if you believe most reports on how close Peca and the Rangers are to finishing up a deal. But the truth is, it's been dragging on for quite a while, and Peca is still a UFA, whether or not they are 'close' to a deal.

What this really means is that Mike Peca is taking back the power. There aren't many free agents left on the market with his experience and well-balanced center line, and he's not going to let a tiny little team like the New York Rangers boss him around. ;)

So this could all come down to a matter of Peca's personal preferences, or if he is willing to go to a team with a more chaotic year in store than a team pretty much favored to compete for the Lord Stanley Cup this season.

Unrelated to Mike Peca, the Rangers signed goaltender Matt Zaba to a contract on Monday. The 24-year-old appeared in 33 games with Colorado College last season, posting a 15-13-4 record, 2.39 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. Zaba spent four years at the school and appeared in 110 games. He finished with a record of 55-42-10. The native of Yorkton, Sask., was originally drafted in the eighth round of the 2003 NHL draft by Los Angeles.

tdr