Buzz: Interest In Anton Babchuk
Beyond the Blueshirts tra
nslates a Russian interview with restricted free agent Anton Babchuck, where Babchuk says that the Rangers are interested in him.
Babchuk says that he has turned down his qualifying offer from Carolina for $1 million and that seven or eight teams are interested in the 25 year old defenseman.
- Anton, have you really turned down a million [dollar] contract for the season?
- Yes, I believe that I deserve more. And I’m prepared to justify my point of view. Look at my statistics for the season. I had a pretty good season. I was fourth in goals scored among NHL defenseman. And in Carolina I was first among defenseman in this category. And second in points. [I was] also first on the team in plus-minus (+13). I don’t know why the management in Carolina has not assessed all of these facts appropriately.
- Would two million [dollars] suit you?
- At this stage I don’t want to give a concrete figure. I have defined certain requirements, which I put forward through my agent Jay Grossman. But Carolina didn’t want to move forward, and last week Grossman worked through options for my trade to other teams.
- Who are among the contenders for [your services]?
- Jay has informed me that seven or eight NHL teams have shown interest in my services. Among them, for example, are the Rangers and Vancouver. So I look to my future with optimism.
Babchuk doesn’t dismiss the idea of going to the KHL but says he would like to continue his NHL career at this time.
He scored 16 goals and had 19 assists last season for Carolina, 15 of which were on the powerplay.
…Babchuk is interesting but it all depends on how much he would cost. Maybe the Rangers could offer a pick and a low prospect to secure his rights because a bidding war could ensue if seven or eight teams are in the running and the compensation could run relatively high.
