The $5.6 million cap hit still will apply this season, but the Wade Redden Saga will otherwise end for the Rangers within the next two days, probably tomorrow, when the Rangers exercise an “accelerated compliance buyout” of the 35-year-old defenseman’s contract.
The Rangers will pay Redden in full for this year — a pro-rated $3.341 million, including a previous $1 million signing bonus — plus two-thirds ($3.335 million) of the $5 million due in 2013-14, the final season of the six-year, $39 million deal he signed as a free agent out of Ottawa on July 1, 2008.
This was general manager Glen Sather’s folly. Redden struggled with pace from his first day on Broadway, and remained on the roster for just two years before spending the last two seasons with the AHL Wolf Pack/Whale after being waived through the NHL each year.
Players in the minor leagues (or Europe) did not count against the cap in the expired collective bargaining agreement. The new agreement tacks on cap costs for players in the AHL on one-way contracts.
With compliance buyouts originally unavailable until after this season, the Rangers had asked Redden to remain home rather than play in the AHL and risk an injury that would prevent the club from exercising the postseason buyout.
The NHLPA, which had been part of the conversation, joined more actively when the Canadiens made the same request of Scott Gomez. With the possibility of a union grievance looming, the NHL and NHLPA yesterday completed adoption of the “accelerated” mechanism.
Teams have two compliance buyouts available between now and the end of June 2014. As designed, postseason buyouts will not count against the cap.
The Bruins, Panthers, Senators and Maple Leafs have indicated at least some preliminary interest in Redden. The Rangers’ cap charge will not be affected if Redden plays in the league this year.
* Brad Richards missed his third straight day of camp with the flu. The Rangers will not skate today, so that leaves the center with two days at most of on-ice preparation for Saturday’s opener in Boston. “Is it ideal? No, but Richie right on through [the lockout] has been working on the conditioning part of it,” said coach John Tortorella.
Tortorella lauded his club’s top-five strength on defense, citing Michael Del Zotto among a group that features Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Anton Stralman and a healthy Marc Staal, the latter of whom missed last year’s first 36 games with post-concussion syndrome and then spent months playing catch-up.
“Having Marc is huge,” Tortorella said. “He’s a very good player, who is getting better, but we still need more. He’s still just a young man [26 two days ago]. You just lick your chops; he’s a really good player.”
Tortorella was asked if he might limit the ice time of his Girardi-McDonough first pair to accommodate the compressed schedule. Girardi was second (26:14) and McDonagh 10th (24:44) in average ice last year.
“We’re going to play the hell out of them,” the coach responded. “We are … we are going to try to win every game.”
As if anyone should have expected differently.