- Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Rangers Wade Redden will sit out the year at the Rangers request and will be bought out after the season. The Rangers didn’t want him playing in case of an injury.
- Larry Brooks via twitter: Don Meehan was given permission by the Rangers to talk with other teams about Wade Redden. Redden won’t be invited to the Rangers camp. Redden received a $1 million signing bonus and has a $5 million salary. That is pro-rated to $2.34 million this year, and a hypothetical compliance buyout of $3.335 million after the season. The Rangers will get a $5.6 million cap hit following putting Redden on waivers. The Rangers could retain some salary/cap hit if they were able to trade him somewhere.
- Stu Cowan of Hockey Inside/Out: Canadiens Erik Cole said that family considerations and unhappiness of the new CBA will force him to review his situation after this season.
“I enjoyed my time at home and the kids are in school here until the end of June and we’ll reevaluate things after that,” said Cole, who first raised the prospect of early retirement in October.
“I want to have a conversation with the (players association) about some of the escrow stuff and some of the fearsome things in the new CBA. Family-wise it’s a transition year with my daughter in school next year and I think it’s something to be considered and everybody should consider this when they look at the new CBA, not just the way it affects the group but how it affects you individually.”
Cole is in the 2nd year of a 4 year deal. He has a cap hit of $4.5 million.
- Pavel Lysenkov via twitter: Ilya Kovalchuk will return from Russia on Jan. 15th.
- Chris Nichols via twitter: Capitals Nicklas Backstrom was skating with teammates yesterday morning, a couple days after seeing a specialist. Stephen Whyno via twitter: Backstrom said he has no concussion.