Nikolai Zherdev Wants Back in the NHL: Will It Be with New York Rangers?

According to Chris Botta of AOL FanHouse, former Ranger winger Nikolai Zherdev does intend on returning to the NHL next season.

Whether or not that is as a Ranger is too early to tell.

Zherdev, 25, last played in the NHL for the Rangers during the 2008-09 season. He was one of the team’s leading scorers, but his time on Broadway was sullied by inconsistent play.

He then exited New York after Rangers general manager Glen Sather decided that it wasn’t worth the contract to bring Zherdev back (that was the same offseason Sather thought it was a good idea to give Donald Brashear and Ales Kotalik contracts—so much for fiscal responsibility).

The Rangers consistently struggled with offense though last season, and considering that we’ve already heard his name connected to the team this offseason, it is certainly possible that they bring him back.

Money is probably going to be the big issue here though. If Zherdev is interested in taking $3 million or less to play on Broadway, then there might be an agreement. Any more than that and he could be a free agent for a while.

As always, we will keep you posted if anything else comes up.

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