Fifth Update 9:55pm: Glen Sather held a conference call to talk about today’s moves. Here is what he said about Brashear, per Andrew Gross.

Sather on signing Donald Brashear instead of Colton Orr to be the Rangers‘ enforcer: “I think Brashear gives us a couple of other things. He’s quicker, he can get in on the puck a little faster. The style of game we’re going to be playing, he’s going to be a little more effective for us.”

Sather on whether Brashear will have problems in the Rangers room after his blindsind playoff hit on Blair Betts: “I think our players are excited to have him in the room. They know he’s going to be the man. It’s a tough job to do. Colton is a good guy, he works hard and he deserves every cent that he got.”

Fourth Update: Press Releases are out. Deal is DONE.

Third Update: Deal is two years, 1.4 million per year.

Monzo: Just spoke to a source, and this is done.  Waiting for confirmation from NYR.

Second Update: Many reports now saying that Brashear has signed with the Rangers.

UPDATE: Daren Millard reports, on twitter, that the Rangers replaced Orr with Brashear.

The Fan590 is reporting that noted goon Donald Brashear has signed with the Rangers.

Monzo: Are you kidding? We replace Colton Orr with Brashear — I guess Blair Betts is 100% out?

RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH

FREE AGENT FORWARD DONALD BRASHEAR

New York, July 1, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent forward Donald Brashear.

Brashear appeared in 63 games with the Washington Capitals last season, registering one goal and three assists, along with a team leading 121 penalty minutes.   He placed fourth on the club, and second among team forwards, with 119 hits.  Washington posted a 4-0-0 mark in games that Brashear posted a point.  He tallied the game-winning goal on December 4 vs. the New York Islanders, his first game-winner since December 14, 2002 vs. Buffalo (as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers).

In 2007-08, Brashear led the Capitals with 119 penalty minutes and ranked fourth on the team with 133 hits.  Brashear recorded five goals and three assists while skating in 80 games.  The Capitals were 4-0-1 when he tallied a goal, and 6-0-1 when he registered a point.  Brashear notched his 200th NHL point on March 3 vs. Boston, and skated in his 900th career game on February 5 at Columbus.  On December 12, he posted his first multi-point effort since October 22, 2005, collecting two assists vs. the Rangers.  In addition, Brashear tallied two points (one goal and one assist) in seven postseason contests with Washington.

The 6-3, 237-pounder has skated in 989 career regular season contests with the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals, registering 85 goals and 119 assists for 204 points, along with 2,561 penalty minutes.  He established career-highs in assists (19), points (28) and shots on goal (127) as a member of the Canucks during the 2000-01 season.  Brashear tallied a career-high, three assists/points on December 8, 2000 at San Jose.  In 1999-00, Brashear notched a career-best 11 goals in just 60 games.  As a rookie in 1993-94, he recorded four points (two goals and two assists) in 14 games with Montreal.  He registered an assist in his NHL debut on November 15, 1993 at Ottawa, and tallied his first career goal two days later against Edmonton.

In post-season play, Brashear has appeared in 60 career contests with Montreal, Vancouver, Philadelphia, and Washington, registering three goals and six assists for nine points, along with 121 penalty minutes.  He skated in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals as a member of the Flyers, recording four points (one goal and three assists) and 61 penalty minutes in 18 games.  His three assists, four points and 61 penalty minutes were all career-highs.

The Bedford, Indiana native was originally signed as a free agent by Montreal on July 28, 1992.

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