Dubi at the Blueshirt Bulletin reports..."Ivan Baranka has signed a contract to play in Russia next season with Spartak Moscow (Spartak is Russian for Spartacus, the legendary Roman figure being a hero in the Soviet Union for leading a slave revolt). The initial report, which has been propagated from Europe to North America, appeared at hokej.cz, a Czech web site -- even Slovakia's premier hockey site, hokej.sk, has referred to hokej.cz's report, and Baranka is Slovakian. So far, there has been no announcement on the Spartacus web site nor confirmation from the Rangers.
The move by Baranka might not exclude him from consideration for the NHL, as these types of contracts often have "out" clauses, but it does mean that he does not want to consider a return to Hartford for a fourth season in the AHL. The Rangers' second round pick (50th overall) in the 2003 draft played on game in the NHL last season at a pro-rated NHL salary of $521,667 and registered one assist. A series of injuries have limited the defenseman to no more than 62 games in any one season (last season). He turns 23 this coming Monday and is a restricted free agent."
...I actually thought Baranka would have a chance to compete for a spot on the Rangers next year. Guess not.
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