Nearly all of us hailed the Jason Arnott signing last night with the view that he would provide veteran leadership, help on faceoffs, a presence on the PP along with the forward depth. Well, as of now, all those thoughts can go out the window, as Arnott failed his physical and will not be joining the Rangers right now.

Arnott has off-season knee surgery, which from all accounts, was a concern of the Rangers and why the deal was not officially announced last night. That injury, along with a shoulder problem, as reported by Steve Zipay, is likely why the physical was failed. That doesn't preclude the Rangers from revisiting the situation in the future, but Arnott will not be joining the Rangers now, and the $1.2 million base ($1.6 million with incentives) is now available again.

So what do the Rangers do? One player, who many of us have spoken about for a while, that is available is Domonic Moore. Of course, given the recent tragic passing of his wife due to cancer, he may not be in shape or mentally ready to play, but he is worth a call to gauge his interest. Another possible name is Daymond Langkow, who might be a solid fourth line fit. Moore profiles better because of his faceoff ability, or Zenon Konopka, if he became available via trade, for a similar reason but also has a physical edge while Arnott had the offensive and faceoff skills, though no foot speed. What this means is that Benn Ferriero gets a longer leash and more PT, especially while Chris Kreider's ankle heals, and when he is healthy, he gets another shot. J. T. Miller needs more seasoning and should not be rushed, nor should Glen Sather make a "panic" trade, unless someone who fits what the Rangers' need becomes available at a reasonable price

Of course, to add insult to injury, Wade Redden scored his second goal in as many games while Brandon Prust also scored tonight, but those are water under the bridge. For all the talks of P.K. Subban and the Rangers, forget it. Salary demands will be too high along with what Montreal would want, so I would put the odds on that happening at 90-10 against.

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