Rangers Looking to Waive Redden?

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Arthur Staple of Newsday released his thoughts on the Rangers in an article today, and among those thoughts he stated that the Rangers waiving highly paid defenseman Wade Redden is not out of the question, in fact he said it was almost "certain". It would be wise to take this with a grain of salt because there have been many rumors of Sather sending Wade to the waiver wire in the past, but this is the first time we are hearing it from a beat writer.

Here is what Staple had to say in his Newsday article today:

There is more room on defense, where Wade Redden is almost certain to be waived and sent to Hartford when training camp ends. "He's been discussed," Sather said.

So not only is a beat writer reporting it, but general manager Glen Sather is not denying it either. "He's been discussed" leads me to believe that the Rangers brass as well as the coaching staff has considered all options when it comes to the former Ottawa Senator, and they are finally realizing his a detriment to the club. Staple is likely hinting at something because that quote would not be inserted into that section of the article for no specific reason. There may be something that we do not yet know about...until now that is.

Waiving Redden would not only clear $6.5 million in cap space, but also gives Sather a bundle of cap space to play with, whether that means Ilya Kovalchuk or Anton Volchenkov. Certainly Sather's comment of not wanting to put tampering accusations out there when asked about Kovalchuk on Saturday at the draft suggests he has considered the option, maybe more heavily than many believe. Kovalchuk would bring in a large sum of money and the only way to accommodate that would be by dumping Redden.

Waiting until after training camp to make the move would allow youngsters to beat out Redden in training camp, so then Slats will have a legitimate reason for his decision. Head coach John Tortorella wants nothing to do with him, the fans want nothing to do with him, and Sather probably feels the same way but is hesitant on admitting it. It is a move that would greatly benefit the team moving forward.

Again, I wouldn't fully believe this is going to happen just yet because you then would be setting yourself up for potential disappointment. However, it is at least giving us some closure knowing that the Blueshirts have considered the prospect of waiving Redden behind closed doors. This is something the fans have been calling for since early last season. Glen Sather may finally be answering that call.

Credit to my co-writer on Blueshirt Banter, Joe Fortunato, for finding this.