Rangers GM: Shattenkirk 'left money on the table' to join team

For some NHLers, offering a club a hometown discount is a necessary sacrifice in order to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing in your own backyard. Such was the case for prized free-agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk when the New York Rangers came calling.

The New Rochelle, N.Y., native accepted a four-year, $26.6-million deal Saturday, capitalizing (sorry, Washington) on an opportunity that Shattenkirk feels may have only presented itself once.

"It's an opportunity that may only come once in my career, and I felt like this was my chance," Shattenkirk said, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "It's a team I'm extremely excited about. A lot of the factors outside of money and term came into play, and that's ultimately what won the decision for me."

The 28-year-old immediately provides the Rangers with an injection of offensive talent on the blue line, as Shattenkirk has registered 40 or more points in five straight seasons.

As the top free agent of the class, Shattenkirk was expected to command anywhere from five to seven years and at least $6 million to $7 million per season.

According to Shattenkirk, taking less money and term was worth it: " ... Obviously, there were some sacrifices to be made, but in my mind those sacrifices are what you leave on the table to live out a dream like this."

The hometown discount that Shattenkirk offered the Blueshirts played a key role in getting the deal done, a fact that New York general manager Jeff Gorton attributes solely to his newest defenseman.

"You have to give credit to Kevin on this one," Gorton said. "Here's a player who really wanted to be here and left money on the table. It sent a pretty strong message to us."

Shattenkirk is set to become an unrestricted free agent once again in the summer of 2021.