Report: Oilers, Rangers had interest in signing Predators' Ribeiro
In the summer of 2013, freshly minted Nashville Predators center Mike Ribeiro was the top scoring unrestricted free agent on the open market. He ultimately signed a four-year, $22 million contract with the Phoenix Coyotes.
Just over a year later and the Phoenix Coyotes changed their name (to the Arizona Coyotes), and put an abrupt end to the Ribeiro era. The club terminated Ribeiro's contract in late June with a pricey ordinary course buyout and general manager Don Maloney blasted him on his way out the door. This summer, there were no suitors lining up to offer Ribeiro serious term or money in free agency.
He did have a small handful of interested suitors though, according to a report from TSN's Ryan Rishaug:
Am told Oilers had interest in Ribiero on short deal, as did Rangers. No state tax in Nashville helps.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) July 15, 2014
The Oilers and Rangers would've both been sensible destinations for Ribeiro, considering their respective needs at center.
The Oilers dealt last season's second-line center Sam Gagner for a winger this summer and may have to lean on 2014 first round pick Leon Draisaitl in their top-nine this upcoming season. Though the last thing the Oilers need is theoretically another undersized forward, Ribeiro would've been an obvious upgrade on a player as inexperienced as Draisaitl, or as limited offensively as ideal fourth-liners like Boyd Gordon and Matt Hendricks.
The Rangers, meanwhile, reluctantly lost Brad Richards to the necessary evil of a compliance buyout this summer and still have to get likely second-line center Derick Brassard under contract. So Ribeiro missed out on an opportunity to be deployed as an offense-only center by progressive Rangers coach Alain Vigneault while playing in the Eastern Conference. You can't even design a more perfect "rebuild your value" situation for a player like Ribeiro.