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This was not a move that came as a huge shock but most of us thought he would land somewhere. MSL came to the Rangers in the Ryan Callahan deal - we can debate all we want the validity of what GM Glen Sather gave up - at the trading deadline in 2014. MSL expressed a desire to play in NY, as his family lives in Greenwich, though the manner in which he paved his way out of town left many with a sour taste in their mouth.
MSL struggled after his acquisition, but picked up his play in the playoffs, scoring the game-winner against Montreal in overtime of Game 4. While he scored 21 goals and had 31 assists, his play tailed off dramatically in the latter part of the season and he basically was invisible in the postseason. The thought was maybe he would get a small base offer with incentives, possibly from the Rangers, even after he wasnt signed initially. But that was proving not to be the case and he likely decided not to play elsewhere.
MSL scored 391 goals and 642 assists in 1,134 regular season games, playing for Calgary, Tampa Bay and the Rangers. He made seven All-Star teams as an undrafted player from the University of Vermont. MSL won a Stanley Cup along with an Olympic Gold Medal, Hart, 2 Art Ross and 3 Lady Byng Trophies. St. Louis likely will and should get Hall of Fame consideration and it will be interesting to see if he gets elected. He was a small man at the time where small men didn't have a major role in the game. That alone should add to his credentials, beyond the score and the Cup win.
Fare thee well Marty.