Matthew Lombardi back in the NHL with two-year, $1.6 million deal from NY Rangers

Geneve-Servette of the Swiss league were hoping that Matthew Lombardi would stay for the upcoming season, but when an NHL team comes calling it’s tough to say no.

That NHL team turned out to be the New York Rangers, who signed the forward to a two-year, $1.6 million deal on Wednesday, adding to their depth up front.

The Rangers made the Stanley Cup Final last season in part because of their depth. That area of strength up front took a hit this summer with the departures of Brian Boyle, Brad Richards and Benoit Pouliot. Lombardi will join Derek Stepan, current restricted free agent Derick Brassard and Dominic Moore down the middle.

It's a low-risk, high reward move for general manager Glen Sather. When healthy, Lombardi showed a scoring touch, with his 53-point year in 2009-10 before injuries derailed his career.

Those injuries limited Lombardi to 92 NHL games from 2010-11 to 2012-13. But last season he was productive leading the Swiss league in scoring with 20 goals and 50 points in 46 games.

It's also a cheap signing that gives Sather and the Rangers just over $13 million, according to CapGeek, to play with as they look to re-sign RFAs Chris Kreider, John Moore, Mats Zuccarello and Brassard.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy