NHL

Rangers place Biron, Asham on waivers

Martin Biron’s 14-year NHL career might have come to a conclusion, with the 36-year-old goaltender pondering his fate after being placed on waivers by the Rangers on Monday.

“I’ll have to take some time and think about it,” said Biron, who is expected to clear at noon on Tuesday. “I’ll talk to my family and get advice from many people and see what comes out of it.

“I think there are many options ahead of me. I’ll see what fits. This is not the best-case scenario, obviously, but I’ll figure it out.”

Biron, who was informed of the Rangers’ move on the ice by coach Alain Vigneault as Monday’s practice ended, has been unsteady in two games — one in relief of Henrik Lundqvist in San Jose, the other as a starter on Saturday in St. Louis, where he was pulled after 40 minutes — in allowing nine goals on 38 shots in 70:41 for a 7.61 goals against average and .763 save percentage.

“This is a performance-based business and the organization felt that Martin’s first two performances were not what we expected,” Vigneault said. “So the decision [was made to] put him on waivers and we’ll see where we go from there.”

Biron, who made his NHL debut as an 18-year-old with the Sabres on Dec. 26, 1995, is in the final year of a two-year contract with a $1.3 million cap hit that is pricey for a backup.

Cam Talbot, the 26-year-old the Blueshirts recalled from the AHL Wolf Pack to be Lundqvist’s understudy, has a cap hit of $562,500. If Biron reports to Hartford, he would count $375,000 against the cap.

That exchange would thus net the cap-stressed Rangers approximately $362,500 in space, though Vigneault stressed the financial ramifications did not enter into the move.

“The only thing that played a role in this decision was performance,” the coach said.

Biron, though, could opt to retire rather than toil in the AHL. His wife and four children are living in their permanent family home in Buffalo. There is little doubt that a broadcasting job on a French language network would await the loquacious one.

There is also the more remote possibility Biron could refuse to report to Hartford, have his contract thus voided by the Blueshirts, and then seek to sign as a free agent with an NHL team for a reduced salary.

If Biron either retires or does not report, the cap charge would be entirely erased from the Rangers’ ledger.

“I didn’t see it coming, but I had a talk with [Vigneault] a few days back, and I knew my situation,” Biron said. “After the St. Louis game I had an inclination this possibly was going to happen.

“I tried to pick myself up, but it just didn’t happen,” said the goaltender, who allowed two soft goals among the four that beat him the first two periods. “I knew something was on the line.”

Biron has compiled a lifetime NHL record of 230-191-52 with a 2.61 goals against average and .910 save percentage with the Sabres, Flyers, Islanders and Rangers. He is in his fourth season as Lundqvist’s backup. He played an integral role in the club’s first-place regular-season finish two seasons ago, going 12-6-2 in 20 starts.

“I feel for him as a friend and a teammate,” Lundqvist said. “We’ve been working together for a number of years and have a great relationship.

“It’s a tough part of the business, to see how things can change really fast. You have to be ready for it.”

Biron apparently was.

“My lizard brain was telling me it could happen,” the goaltender said, borrowing a line from the character Dexter Morgan of the TV series, Dexter. “It’s all very raw and fresh right now.

“I need time to process this and see where I go from here.”