After courting prized defenseman Justin Schultz for quite some time, the New York Rangers came up empty.
Schultz spurned the Big Apple for a slice of western Canada, and will sign with the Edmonton Oilers, according to the team's official Twitter account.
Schultz was originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks back in 2008, but their rights to him ran out this summer after he played at the University of Wisconsin for four seasons. He became the hottest rookie free agent on the market, having his pick of multiple teams before deciding a future with Edmonton.
According to Mark Spector, Schultz will have a cap hit of $3.775 million. Not bad for a guy who has never even played a second in an NHL game.
Schultz was being pursued by the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild along with the Rangers and Oilers. However, he ultimately went with a very young yet up-and-coming team that with the bevy of talent it possesses, could be very dangerous sooner rather than later.
All is not lost for New York, who could certainly use that money on a goal-scoring forward. Time will tell what general manager Glen Sather has in mind.
For more on the Rangers, please be sure to check out our blog Blueshirt Banter and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.