Monday, July 02, 2007

Former Terriers strike free agent gold


Three former BU standouts were among the big winners on the first day of the NHL’s free agency. Former BU defenseman Ryan Whitney re-upped with the Penguins for six seasons on a $24-million backloaded contract had the sixth highest point total among NHL defensemen in 2006-07. The 6-4 blueliner had just completed his second full season in Pittsburgh, which is emerging as an elite NHL team.

The next stop for Chris Drury’s ballyhooed career just had to be…. Broadway. The former Terrier All-American, 1995 NCAA championship team member, Hobey Baker Award winner, and co-captain of last year’s top-scoring NHL team, the Buffalo Sabres, now moves to the other end of New York State, signing on with the Rangers for five years at $35.25 million. The Broadway Blueshirts also added Devils star center Scott Gomez who joins Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan on an offensively-gifted Rangers’ team. Next decision: which free agent gets number 23.

While Drury moves into New York, his Terrier teammate and fellow All-American at BU, Tom Poti, is leaving the Big Apple for Washington, D.C. After playing with the Rangers and Islanders the past four seasons, the former Olympian from Worcester, Mass., signed a four year, $14-million contract with the Caps. Last year Poti rebounded from a subpar 05-06 season to be the Islanders' top defenseman.

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