Marlies have signed Paul Ranger

[CarltonTheBear]

Dan Shrader ‏@ShraderD

Heard Paul Ranger and the Toronto Marlies have a one year deal in place, wont be announced til later this month. #supposedly

Ranger was drafted in the 6th round by Tampa Bay in 2002. He played 4 seasons with the Lightning and was one of their top defencemen. At the start of the 09/10 season he left the team for personal reasons. It was never revealed why he left, but it appeared as though he had retired from hockey. It'd definitely be interesting to see if he has anything left at this point.

edit: He'll be 28 years old in September.

[Britishbulldog]

I don't know anything about Yeo. I like the Zigomanis & Fraser re-signings - particularly Fraser because he provides some depth for the NHL team on D and he's the only really tough physical dman the Marlies had.

AHL Vet rule:
Of the 18 skaters (not counting two goaltenders) that teams may dress for a regular-season game, at least 13 must be qualified as "development players." Of those 13, 12 must have played in 260 or fewer professional games (including AHL, NHL, IHL and European elite leagues), and one must have played in 320 or fewer professional games. All calculations for development status are based on regular-season totals as of the start of the season.

Zigomanis, Hamilton, Orr & Aucoin have played more than 320 pro games in the regular season.

Fraser, Kostka & Yeo have played more than 260 reg season pro games but less than 320 so any of them can play as a 6th vet.

So if they're all healthy, one will have to sit out.

Paul Ranger has played in exactly 270 NHL games put him 10 over the limit as a vet.

[draeko17]

So it's apparently a 2-way deal.  Good for him.  Second chances. 

[bustaheims]

So it's apparently a 2-way deal.  Good for him.  Second chances. 

I haven't seen anything from anyone with any credibility saying it's anything other than an AHL only deal.

[CarltonTheBear]

The one-time defenceman with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who walked away from the sport eight games into the 2009-10 regular season, has signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. That much we know.

Where exactly the soon-to-be 28-year-old defender fits into the organization and why exactly he retired so abruptly in the first place remains a mystery. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has a contract with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League and is currently working hard to get in shape. There is a chance he will attend the Leafs main training camp, assuming there will be a training camp, that is.

...

"He has been out of the game for personal reasons and sees an opportunity to get back into it and knows the environment we have created here and he feels this is an excellent opportunity for him," said Dave Poulin, the Leafs' vice-president of hockey operations. "This kid can play. I watched him skate yesterday and wow, he can fly. He had some personal challenges off the ice and he has met them and he feels he's in a good position to come back with an organization that is going to support him in every way possible."

...

"I knew the type of player he was and he's also a great kid in the dressing room," Loiselle said. "To us it is a good story to see him trying to get back on track. He's been out of hockey for two and a half years and starting off with the Marlies is a good way to get him back into the game. When he played with Dan Boyle, he was a pretty good player. When he's on his game he's a top-four defenceman who can move the puck. He's a smart player that can play the power play. When I spoke with him last week he was really excited about this."

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2012/08/21/maple_leafs_sign_paul_ranger_journey_back_to_nhl/

[CarltonTheBear]

So it's apparently a 2-way deal.  Good for him.  Second chances. 

I haven't seen anything from anyone with any credibility saying it's anything other than an AHL only deal.

Yeah, it's definitely not a NHL contract.

[RedLeaf]

Could be a real good pick up if he can find his old form.

[draeko17]

So it's apparently a 2-way deal.  Good for him.  Second chances. 

I haven't seen anything from anyone with any credibility saying it's anything other than an AHL only deal.

Yeah, it's definitely not a NHL contract.

You're likely correct.  Still, this is possibly good opportunity for him to make his way back.