10:21AM: Katie Strang tweets that Bill Daly says that the Rangers have been advised they are within their rights to prohibit Wade Redden from playing in the minors this season.
9:27PM: At ESPN.com, Pierre LeBrun writes that the NHL and NHLPA are looking into a solution where both Redden and Gomez can continue their career, but come off the Rangers and Habs salary caps.
He adds that there is no bad blood between the Rangers and Redden/Don Meehan and that the two are trying hard to find a solution.
8:04PM: Katie Strang tweets “As with Gomez/MTL situation, NHLPA is reviewing Redden/NYR. Team has been in touch with agent, league. Multiple options discussed”
7:36PM: According to a tweet from Larry Brooks, the Rangers and Wade Redden’s agent Don Meehan explored many different scenarios that would see Wade Redden NOT have to sit out the season.
Brooks says though that the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a solution that would benefit both sides.
2:47PM Larry Brooks tweets “Told that Gomez was shocked by Montreal decision to send him home with pay…”
11:47AM Bob McKenzie tweets “Scott Gomez was personally informed by MTL GM Marc Bergevin this morning at 7:30 am ET that Gomez’s services no longer required iin MTL.”
Scott Gomez has been told by Montreal not to report this season.
Montreal intends to buy out Gomez this summer and don’t want him to risk getting injured and preventing the buyout.
The Rangers are doing the same with Wade Redden.
8:10PM: Brooks says that the Rangers would only be willing to absorb part of the cap hit for THIS season and not next. He is unsure if that is allowed in the CBA.
8:06PM: Brooks says that the Rangers are willing to retain some portion of Redden’s cap to make a trade but won’t add in any prospects to sweeten the offer.
8:04PM: Brooks says that the Rangers paid Redden a bonus of $1 million and is owed $2.34 million for the rest of this season. If Redden were traded and then bought out over the summer, the actual cost to the team would be $3.55 million. That money wouldn’t be against the cap.
7:59PM: Larry Brooks tweets that the Rangers have given Redden’s agent Don Meehan permission to speak with NHL teams about Redden.
Adam Rotter: The Rangers concern with Redden is about not having him on the cap for next season. Sitting him out the year and then buying him out accomplishes that. So does trading him and retaining some salary for this year, but none for next year. There are always teams looking for defensemen and I think that if the Rangers and another team are willing to be creative then Redden could be moved.
9:05AM: According to Larry Brooks in the NY Post, the Rangers are planning to ask defenseman Wade Redden to sit out the rest of the season to ensure that he doesn’t get injured and stop the Rangers from using one of their compliance buyouts on him over the summer.
Because of new rules in the CBA, Redden will count against the Rangers cap.
The Rangers had Redden stay home during the lockout, rather than put him on waivers and send him to Hartford, to erase any fear of him getting hurt.
For more on Redden and the Rangers options with him, CLICK HERE.
8:04PM: Chad Kolarik of the Whale tweeted that he wants Redden to be sent to Hartford and join the Whale.
7:59PM: At TSN, Bob McKenzie says that the Rangers have three options for what to do with Wade Redden since he is a player that is “not remotely part of John Tortorella’s plan.”
The first option would be for the Rangers to use draft picks and prospects to try and get a team with lots of cap space to take Redden.
He says that the Rangers don’t want to do this because they don’t want to lose any assets or pieces for the future.
The second option would be for the Rangers to send Redden to the minors, carry his cap hit and then use an amnesty buy out over the summer.
McKenzie writes though that there is concern over this because if Redden were to be injured during the season and it carries over to the summer the Rangers will not be allowed to buy him out. They will then be stuck with Redden’s cap hit next season when the cap drops to $64.3 million.
The Rangers didn’t place Redden on waivers before the lockout, to send him to Hartford, for fear he would get injured and the team would not be allowed to buy him out.
The third option, and one that McKenzie thinks is the most realistic, is for the Rangers to absorb his cap hit this season but not play him anywhere. They would then be in the clear to buy him out over the summer.
See more on Redden in THIS SECTION.
12:47PM: Craig Custance tweets that the Rangers are meeting with Wade Redden’s agents today to help try and clarify his future.
12:28PM: According to Cap Geek, based on some new rules in the CBA, the Rangers will be charged with a cap hit of $5.6 million for Wade Redden even if he accepts a demotion to the Whale.
With Redden on the cap and without Michael Del Zotto signed, Cap Geek has the Rangers with $5.34 million in available cap space for this season.
Redden could refuse the demotion, forfeit the remaining two years on his contract and become a free agent.
It is also expected that the Rangers could sign Matt Gilroy to an NHL contract, he is currently on an AHL contract with the Whale.
They are also reportedly looking at bringing in another depth forward according to Larry Brooks.
At ESPN.com, Craig Custance goes team by team and lists out the most likely candidate for each team to use their compliance buyout on.
Custance only thinks of seven candidates that could be cut but only lists two as “extremely likely.” Those players are Wade Redden and Scott Gomez.
Custance lists no other possible candidates for the Rangers to use the amnesty on and says that Redden needs to go to make room for the contracts of Michael Del Zotto, Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh.
In the NY Post, Larry Brooks writes that with some of the new rules and regulations that the NHL is proposing for the CBA will have big impact on how the Rangers construct their team.
Wade Redden’s cap hit will stay with the team even if he is sent to the minors, which is all but certain to happen unless he is claimed on waivers, and will leave them around $5 million or so in the transitional cap to fill out the rest of the team.
Redden’s cap hit will be $5.85 million, instead of $6.5 million, because the league proposal asks for the cap hit to be the difference between the players cap hit and the proposed minimum salary of $625,000.
Brooks writes that it is unnecessary for the league to make teams wait until June to use the compliance buyout as if a player they plan to buy out is seriously injured and thus made ineligible to be bought out.
Bruce Garrioch, in the Ottawa Sun, spoke with an executive who said “Not all the teams are going to like this. They’re going to have their work cut out for them if this becomes a reality,” said a league insider. “You’re going to see a lot of players on the move, with teams trying to scramble to that kind of cap.”
At CBC, Elliotte Friedman writes that if allowed the Rangers have all but guaranteed that they will use a buyout on Wade Redden.
Friedman says that it is hard to get a read on what will happen with amnesty buyouts but says that Gary Bettman is reportedly against doing anything that doesn’t count against the salary cap.
He does say that there appears to be some interest in Redden and some teams think he can be a good value at a low salary number.
It was reported back in October that the Rangers would be willing to eat the cap hit of $6.5 million and send him to Hartford so he wouldn’t be on the roster. The CBA is likely to include a clause stating that players who are in the AHL and have a salary over a a certain amount will count against the cap.
In the NY Post, Larry Brooks writes that if there is no amnesty buyout in the new CBA, Wade Redden would be sent to Hartford and the Rangers would manage their team with $6.5 million in dead cap space.
Brooks writes “They are not adding him to the roster.”
The NHL’s offer to the players included a clause saying “we propose that to facilitate more trades and create increased flexibility in managing Cap Room, Clubs be allowed to allocate portions of a contract’s Cap charge (and related salary obligations) in the context of a Player Trade. This will facilitate additional Player movement and trades between teams as they manage their respective Caps and Payroll Range obligations.”
Part of the NHL’s proposal included a clause that when explained, states “We are proposing that the salaries of minor league Players on NHL contracts (above a threshold of $105,000) be counted against a Club’s Cap. This provision is intended to prevent Clubs from “stashing” or assigning players to the minors (or any other professional league) for “Cap management” purposes. We are not proposing that any salary paid to minor league Players on NHL contracts be counted against the Players’ Share.”
At ESPN Insider, Craig Custance writes about how that rule, named by many as the Wade Redden rule, would impact the Rangers who would need to carry Redden’s cap hit on their roster for the final two years of his contract.
The NHL offer provides teams one year to transition to a lower salary cap so Redden could be on the Rangers roster this year, the Rangers are currently at $62 million and still need to sign Michael Del Zotto.
Custance writes that the issue would be after the season when Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh are both due raises, but the NHL proposal does try and curb how much players can make in their second contract.
The NHL proposal would allow the Rangers to be able to trade Redden but still absorb some of his cap hit.
Adam Rotter: I don’t worry about this and at worst, if the Rangers need to carry Redden this season, it will be another body to add for defensive depth. Overall though, I don’t see Redden every playing for the Rangers again. Either an amnesty buyout will occur, as it should to help teams in the transition period, or the Rangers will find someone willing to take him on to meet the salary floor and add a veteran on defense. Redden’s actual salary is down to $5 million per year over the final two years of the deal and defensemen are always at a premium. Something will be worked out and Redden won’t be a problem for the Rangers.
