Rangers' McDonagh 'excited' to play with Shattenkirk

The New York Rangers made the biggest splash of the day when free agency opened on July 1, in a move that's still resonating with captain Ryan McDonagh.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk joined the Rangers on a four-year, $26.6-million contract, carrying a cap hit of $6.65 million.

"I think everybody was pretty excited when we heard the news (he was joining the Rangers), and we're looking forward to seeing him at camp and having him contribute to the success of this team," said McDonagh, according to Jessi Pierce of NHL.com.

While his defensive play has been questioned in the past, Shattenkirk's specialty is well known to his new teammates.

"I think everybody knows how strong he is on the power play," said Brady Skjei.

Shattenkirk is one of the NHL's best when it comes to power-play production, totaling 146 power-play points in 490 regular-season games. He'll help a Rangers special teams unit which scored just three times in 39 opportunities in the 2017 playoffs.

McDonagh isn't typecasting his new teammate.

"His skill set, his experience and just his all-around ability as a player is a huge asset to any team he's on ... He plays the puck well whether you are down a man, up a man or even strength. He's a guy you can count on to excel whatever unit you have him on," said the captain.

With Shattenkirk expected to join McDonagh on the Rangers' top defensive pairing, it'll be an overdue reunion according to the incumbent leader of the defense corps.

"Being able to play with him in past tournaments and teams, I know the type of guy he is and he's going to fit right in with our room perfectly. We were drafted the same year (2007) and we've been in the league together the same amount of years, so I'm just excited to have this chance to play together," said McDonagh.