default-cbs-image

The biggest name of NHL free agency is headed to the Big Apple.

Kevin Shattenkirk has signed with the New York Rangers, according to the team.

The news was first reported earlier by NHL Network's Kevin Weekes, then later confirmed by TSN and NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Weekes, sharing "unofficial" word via Twitter Saturday morning, said he believed the Washington Capitals defenseman and March trade deadline acquisition would ink a four-year contract with the Rangers that averages $6.9 million per season. And now, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli, Shattenkirk has officially inked what amounts to a $6.65 million-per-year agreement.

Shattenkirk signing with New York isn't necessarily a surprise as much as it is a fulfillment of offseason speculation. The Rangers had long been considered a logical landing spot for the former St. Louis Blues D-man, especially after New York bought out Dan Girardi's contract and then cleared the way for a potential big-money addition with the recent trade of Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes.

A surprise, however, is a deal between Shattenkirk and the Rangers averaging less than $7 million per season. That's no small total itself, of course, but considering the potential that existed for a Shattenkirk suitor to overpay for the 28-year-old's services, New York bringing in top-line scoring talent on defense -- not to mention on a contract that would reportedly not tie the Rangers to Shattenkirk into his mid-30s -- is a victory.

No, Shattenkirk did not live up to expectations as a Capital, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But his value as a top-four D-man with scoring prowess stood tall as an impending free agent, and New York nabbing him without breaking the bank is a Grade-A offseason move for a team looking to make another run in 2017-18.