The
New York Rangers have a lot of personnel decisions to make this summer. A
number of those decisions will revolve around players going into the final year
of their contract(s) and whether the team should buy them out in order to create
more cap space this summer. Arthur
Staple of Newsday writes that one such player, Wojtek
Wolski, is “almost certainly” going to be bought out during the June 15-30
buyout window. Wolski was acquired by
New York in a trade with the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Michal
Rozsival. The trade, regardless of how
Wolski would play, was a win for the Rangers as it saved them money on the cap
next season and gave them the potential for a talented offensive addition. Wolski showed flashes of the talent, but the
inconsistency that has plagued his career would be the more frequent visitor in
his 37 games with the Rangers. Wolski chipped in with a line of 6-13-19
in 37 games for New York and helped secure some critical shootout wins.
The
combination of his inconsistency to produce offensively and his lack of fit in
the Rangers more defensive system had him in and out of the doghouse with coach
John Tortorella. The talent is certainly
there, but for $3.8-million salary next season the production and fit would
have to be as well, and it is not. Add
to that the rule that players under 26-years-old can be bought out for only
one-third of their cap hit and not the normal two-thirds and everything adds up
to Wolski getting shown the door this summer.
The
move to buyout Wolski would cost the Rangers $466K next season against the cap
and $666K for the 2012-13 season. The
$666K against the cap a year from now is a small price to pay to have an extra $3.33
million this summer when the team has to sign numerous restricted free agents
and looks to upgrade their talent level with the potential move for Brad
Richards.
The
move opens up cap space along with a roster spot on left wing that someone will
have to fill. Dubinsky and likely
Fedotenko would be the two main left wingers on the roster though the acquisition
of a Brad Richards could push a current center out to the wing as well. Mats Zuccarello is a candidate to take a spot
on left wing along with Carl Hagelin from the current crop of players not on the
NHL roster. Replacing the talent of
Wolski is not an easy thing to do, but replacing the production is not all that
difficult. Regardless of how Wolski’s
personal time in New York might be viewed if the buyout does indeed happen, the
trade was a win for New York as they got a talented player who helped get them
in the playoffs and saved $4.5 million dollars from the cap next season.
