In advance of a Thursday home game vs. the Iowa Wild, Cleveland’s Lake Erie Monsters signed veteran center Manny Malhotra, an 18th-year pro, to a professional tryout contract.
Selected by the New York Rangers with the seventh overall pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Malhotra tallied one goal, four points and 12 penalty minutes in 58 appearances for the Montreal Canadiens last season.
A 6-foot2, 207-pound native of Mississauga, Ont., Malhotra, 35, has posted 116 goals, 295 points and 451 penalty minutes in 991 career NHL appearances for the Rangers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal spanning parts of 16 seasons.
In 48 career AHL appearances with the Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers, Malhotra has accumulated six goals, 17 points, 88 penalty minutes and a plus-3 rating. He tallied one goal and two assists in 23 postseason games while helping Hartford to a Calder Cup championship in 2000.
