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As Rangers second buyout window approaches, Wojtek Wolski watch begins

Toronto Maple Leafs v New York Rangers

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 19: Wojtek Wolski #86 of the New York Rangers skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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When the Rangers got the deal done with Ryan Callahan this afternoon for three years and nearly $13 million, they were able to get their forward lines all squared away and under contract. With Callahan also being their last restricted free agent to be signed, it also means that their second buyout period is set to begin at midnight.

With the Rangers being at just over $700,000 under the salary cap, the Rangers might be seeking out a little extra room under the cap. With the Rangers having a few extra forwards under contract and only 12 spots for starters, there are a few guys that could be getting a long look in regard to their salary cap hits. The main guy that could find himself on the chopping block is Wojtek Wolski.

With Wolski coming with a $3.8 million cap hit this season, buying him out would give the Rangers a nice cushion of cap space. As Andrew Gross from Rangers Rants tells us, however, don’t expect the Rangers to be too busy over the next 48 hours during their final shot at buyouts.

But not only is there no buyout of Wolski coming over the next couple of days, it’s almost a near certainty he will not be traded between now and the start of training.

The trick may come if the Rangers want to start the season with both Tim Erixon ($1.75 million) and Michael Del Zotto ($1.09 million) on their roster. They have approximately $700,000 left in cap space including Erixon as one of the six defensemen on the roster but not including Del Zotto. However, it also includes center Erik Christensen ($925,000) who may find himself squeezed from a roster spot now that the team has signed Brad Richards. The Rangers currently have 14 forwards, including Mats Zuccarello ($1.75 million) and could opt to carry just 13.


It’s a curious plan for the Rangers, but dancing near the cap is nothing new for competing teams. We saw the Devils handle things rather poorly last season while trying to balance how to handle having Ilya Kovalchuk’s deal as well as other bloated contracts on the roster to go with it. The Rangers do have enough flexibility with their contracts that they can get away with some lineup juggling if need be, but if minor injuries pile up and players can’t be placed on long term injured reserve, trouble managing the cap could arise.

The Rangers are better off having that offensive depth and while the addition of Brad Richards will help perk up their offense, they’ll need more goals from all their lines to win. Keeping Wolski as well as Erik Christensen and others who could be cap casualties is key for New York since they don’t have the minor league depth to help support them offensively if things go wrong. Losing Wolski could help the Rangers financially, but he’ll be able to give some help scoring and who knows... Perhaps playing in the final year of his contract will help motivate him to play focused regularly.