 With the 1998 – 99 approaching , Malhotra had not yet signed an NHL contract with the Rangers by October . League rules stipulated that if he did not sign by October 8 , 1998 , he would be required to return to junior for the entire campaign . The night before the deadline , Malhotra and the Rangers agreed to a three @-@ year deal worth the rookie @-@ maximum of $ 975 @,@ 000 with performance @-@ based incentives that could have increased his salary to $ 2 million . Making the immediate jump from junior to the NHL at the age of 18 , he became the second player of Indian heritage to play in the NHL . Malhotra recorded eight goals and 16 points over 73 games as a rookie . 
