Wade Redden will be placed on waivers in a little under an hour, practically ending one of the worst contracts in NHL history. The 33 year old and his massive $6.5M annual cap hit and four remaining years, is not expected to be claimed, and he will be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The widely anticipated move means that Glen Sather has once again effectively rid the team of another bad contract, making this a pretty active year when it comes to removing unwanted players.
As for Redden, he’s now faced with the choice of reporting to Hartford and continuing to earn his contract, retiring, or perhaps moving to Europe where the Rangers would split the difference with whomever would be willing to take him on.
With a new daughter born this week to he and his wife Danica, it would seem unlikely that a trip to Europe is an appealing option.
When asked about the timing, Sather noted that he wanted to give the young guys some more room to compete for the open spots, and that there was no sense in waiting. In regards to Redden’s play, he suggested that it looked as if the defender was playing with the “world on his shoulders”, and was thinking too much.
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