Valentenko to Attend Prospect Camp

As per Laurie Carr, Rangers prospect Pavel Valentenko will return from Russia for next season. Valentenko also plans on participating in the Rangers Prospect Development Camp in June. Valentenko, who was acquired along with Ryan McDonagh and Christopher Higgins for Scott Gomez in June of 2009, has one year remaining on his entry level deal signed with Montreal. As per Capgeek, the two-way deal is an $850,000 cap hit in the NHL, which includes $585,000 in base salary and an additional $350,000 in bonuses (signing and performance). His AHL salary is $62,500.

Valentenko is not listed highly on HockeysFuture, but he would provide what a healthy Michael Sauer would provide, a tough, physical defenseman who will clear the crease and provide some much needed physicality on the blue line. Valentenko would likely spend one more year in the AHL before coming a restricted free agent.