page_title: Chris Higgins (ice hockey)
section_title: Rangers, Flames and Panthers (2009–2011)
hierarchical_section_title: Chris Higgins (ice hockey) / Playing career / Rangers, Flames and Panthers (2009–2011)
caption_attribution_description: English: Calgary Flames forward Christopher Higgins prior to a National Hockey League game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
context_page_description: Christopher Robert Higgins is an American former professional ice hockey winger and current assistant director of Vancouver Canucks player development. While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He finished a two-year career with the Yale Bulldogs, earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before turning professional for the 2003–04 season. After two seasons with the Canadiens' minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League, he joined the NHL in 2005–06. He recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 2009. After brief stints with the Rangers, Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers, he joined the Vancouver Canucks in February 2011. Internationally, Higgins has competed for the United States in two World Junior Championships and one World Championship.
context_section_description: Coming off what was the lowest statistical season of his career, he was traded by the Canadiens, along with Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt and Michael Busto on June 30, 2009. A restricted free agent at the time of the trade, he agreed to a one-year, US$2.25 contract with the Rangers six days later. He scored his first goal with the Rangers on November 3, 2009, against the Vancouver Canucks, his team's lone marker in a 4–1 loss. His offensive struggles continued in New York (he recorded 15 points in 55 games) and he was subsequently traded to the Calgary Flames on February 2, 2010. Higgins was dealt, along with Aleš Kotalík, in exchange for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. He scored his first goal with the Flames on March 9, an empty netter, in a 4–1 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Two days later, he suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for the remaining 14 games of the regular season. Splitting the season between New York and Calgary, he had eight goals and 17 points over 67 games.
  Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, Higgins signed a one-year, US$1.6 million deal with the Florida Panthers on July 2, 2010. He had considered re-signing with Calgary, but cited new Florida Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon's experience as a strong factor for joining Florida (Tallon was largely responsible for assembling the Chicago Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup the previous season). In December 2010, he was sidelined four games with a Staphylococcal infection in his foot, an injury that was misdiagnosed first as "skate bite," then a spider bite. Higgins later missed an additional seven games the following month with a hamstring injury.
caption: Higgins while a member of the Calgary Flames
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