New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent defenseman Dmitri Kalinin. Kalinin, 27, appeared in 46 games with the Buffalo Sabres this past season, registering one goal and seven assists for eight points, along with 32 penalty minutes. He tied for fifth on the Sabres in blocked shots (52) and finished ninth on the club in average icetime (17:20). He established a career-high with three assists on January 18 vs. Atlanta, which also tied his personal-best for points in a single game. Kalinin tallied points in consecutive games from February 1 at Atlanta to February 5 at Boston, collecting two points (one goal and one assist) over the span. He missed 36 games this past season due to knee and shoulder injuries. In 2006-07, Kalinin led Buffalo defensemen in goals (seven) and shorthanded goals (one), tied for second in points (29) and tied for third in assists (22). He ranked fifth on the club in average icetime (19:30) and tied for sixth in plus/minus rating (19), which established a career-high. He also finished second on the team with 148 blocked shots, tying for 27th among all NHL skaters while appearing in all 82 games. Kalinin posted four multiple-point games and registered two, three-game point-streaks, including a three-game assist-streak from March 18, 2007 at Atlanta to March 23, 2007 vs. Toronto. In the 2007 playoffs, Kalinin recorded career-highs in games played (16), goals (two), assists (three), points (five), and penalty minutes (14) helping Buffalo advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished second on the team with a plus-nine rating. The 6-3, 215-pounder has skated in 466 career regular season contests with the Buffalo Sabres, registering 34 goals and 111 assists for 145 points, along with a plus-11 rating and 289 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in goals (10), assists (24), points (34), shots (118), and game-winning goals (four) during the 2003-04 season. In addition, Kalinin led the Sabres in defensemen goals three times (2002-03, 2003-04 and 2006-07). In 2000-01, he finished tied for 12th in the NHL among rookies in assists (18) and tied for 19th in points (22). In post-season play, Kalinin has appeared in 37 career contests with the Sabres, registering two goals and seven assists for nine points, along with a plus-18 rating and 20 penalty minutes. In 2000-01, he ranked second among rookies with a plus-five rating. Internationally, Kalinin was a member of the Gold Medal winning Russian team at the 2008 IIHF World Championships in Canada. He has also represented Russia at the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 World Championships, as well as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. The Chelyabinsk, Russian native was originally Buffalo?s first round choice, 18th overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.