At 33 years-old, Wade Redden has quite possibly played his last game in the NHL.
The New York Rangers have placed the former Senators all-star on waivers, meaning any team can claim him by agreeing to pick up his $6.5 million-a-year contract.
It’s not going to happen.
Redden will go to the Rangers AHL affiliate in Hartford, and if he’s recalled NHL teams can grab him by taking on half of his salary.
That’s not going to happen either.
Redden, who became a first-time father earlier this week, will not refuse to report to Hartford – not unless he wants to walk away from the $23 million he’s owed on the four remaining years of his contract.
Rangers coach John Tortorella says Redden’s fall from grace has nothing to do with the defenceman’s effort level. Apparently, it’s been high at training camp.
Redden just isn’t the same guy who was selected second overall in the 1995 entry draft and, over 11 seasons with the Senators, established himself as one of the best blue liners in the league.
Meanwhile, Rangers GM Glen Sather said the move had to be made for the good of the organization.
So does the firing of Sather, if only for signing Redden to such an outlandish deal in the first place.
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I couldn’t believe it when Sather signed him to that contract. Redden was horrible his last season in Ottawa. It was almost as if neither Sather nor his scouts had seen him play in a few years before they signed him. he wasn’t even worth half of the 6.5 million a year he was signed to.
Don, you guys created the myth that was Wade Redden, while young he was a decent offensive dman,terrible in his own end. He was cushioned by the very good teams he played for. Soft and almost no hockey sense,remember the Devils series clincher where he couldn’t think to switch sides with Rachunek? Wade should give you and Bruce and the other “reportin” fellas a half mil of the 23 he’s gonna collect,you guys deserve it.
When was Redden ever one of the best blueliners in the league? He was paid as one of the best but never delivered as such. When did you ever leave a Sens game thinking wow! Redden really dominated tonight? When great players are on their game you have a sense they they take over the game. Never got that from Redden…never will.
Lots of rumours about his deteroriation.
He was never the best though. Never nominated for a Norris.
Like many players on our team, he was made to look much better because of Jacques Martin’s defensive system and Zdeno Chara.
Redden had a nice first pass but was pillow soft and needed Phillips or Chara to cover for him.
Karlsson is basically Redden-lite, with even less defensive awareness.
Redden was highly rated before the lockout. After the lockout, when defencemen were no longer able to hold up the forechecking winger, he was never the same platyer. You also have to wonder about how much he worked out during the off season. How Muckler let a 6’9″ workout fanatic leave for nothing is mistifying. Yes, Chara had just come off a poor playoff performance, and Redden apparently wanted to stay more, but a GM is paid big money to make those decisions., and that was a horrible on. You have to wonder if having Chara would have made a difference in the Stanley Cup finals against a bigger Anaheim team. Anyway, wiith poor trades such as the Hossa and Havlat deals, plus poor drafting, it’s no wonder Muckler never got another Gm job after Ottawa.
@Mike888 – actually, Chara offered to take less for Redden to stay. Redden declined. He wanted to move on.
Wrong Pav. Redden offered to take less for Chara to stay. Chara apparently liked Ottawa, and you have to think he would have stayed if Ottawa had offered him the maximum salary at that time which was 7.5 million.
Mike8888 – Actually you are right, my bad. I somehow turned it wrong in my head.
There should never have been a doubt who was better. Chara was a runner up to the Norris and eventually won one…Redden never did. As Mikey says, Chara is a specimen, his idea of splurging was eating a raisin and oatmeal cookie (really) and we all know about Redden’s issues. Chara loved physicality, Redden avoided it. Chara at 6′, 9″ was intimidating and with is reach can play for years…Redden is done. The real question is, after Redden, Drury, Gomez, and a few others whose names escape me now (one ex Devil defensive forward and another Russian defenceman), how does Sather keep his job?
Anyway, back to Redden. The writing is on the wall for him. He is done. I do not want to say anything bad about him, not for the fear of being wrong, but more of my comment being deleted. But ppl like Bobby, OD, Nancy and others knew of Redden’s ways….
Every time I see Chara play for Boston, it almost makes me sick.
@Mike8888 – really? It doesn’t bother me much anymore. The fact that they were up 3-0 last years playoffs and lost it in 7 kinda did it for me with the whole Chara thing. He didn’t do much in games 6 and 7. I know its a team game, but wearing the C, sometimes you have to put the team on your back and just win……
Anyways, where the heck is Nancy?!?!?!
I was just actually thinking about that Pav, right after I finished my last post. He hasn’t really won anything with pretty good teams with the Sens or Bruins. That being said, if they didn’t keep him, they at least would have been able to turn him into a few valuable assets rather than let him walk for nothing. Hey, what ever happened to Bobby?
Hey Don or bruce. Why are 2 of my posts still waiting for moderation?
*waves* Here I am!
I’m with Mike on this one. I never saw what was so great about Redden. He was completely – and I mean COMPLETELY – nonphysical out there. I was more physical as a D in a non-contact women’s league, for gosh sakes!
Sure, he was a smooth an efficient skater. Wasn’t all that fast, but he got the job done. He made a decent first pass out of the zone and seemed to have reasonable hockey sense. But that’s it. No good slapper from the point, no physical play, no rushes up the ice, he was too skinny to be a physical specimen or physical barrier between the opposition and the goal. Sure, he always looked cool and calm out there, but he never seemed to have any intensity, even in the playoffs.
Maybe there really was some truth to the rumours.
You must have said something about Parjaarvi-Svenson vs Cowen (Ottawa’s choice last year)!
Yes, this whole moderation thing is still around. Seems to take a few days, if ever, for any posts to show.