The Rangers placed 36 year old forward Jeff Halpern on waivers yesterday, and today he was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens. The veteran played just 30 games for New York in this lockout shortened season, registering just a solitary assist.
Primarily a penalty killer and face-off winner, Halpern was second on the team behind Brian Boyle with a 56.6 win ratio in the circle, though was used on a limited basis, averaging just 9:10 of ice time over the season.
The remainder of his $700,000 contract will come off the books, meaning New York will be able to take on some additional cap space over the next two weeks as the April 3rd trade deadline approaches.