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Brad Richards waiting to find out if he’ll get bought out

Brad Richards

Brad Richards #19 of the New York Rangers controls the puck in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Prudential Center on May 21, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. (May 20, 2012 - Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s decision to buy out Vincent Lecavalier has only added fuel to the speculation surrounding New York Rangers forward Brad Richards.

Like Lecavalier, Richards is still a very talented player -- even factoring in his stint as a healthy scratch in the playoffs -- but his contract is an issue. Richards is 33 years old and comes with a $6,666,667 annual cap hit through 2019-20.

That being said, the Rangers haven’t made their intentions known and Richards appears to have been left in the dark.

“I have no clue,” Richards told the New York Post about the possibility of being bought out. “I’m just waiting.”

He did have a “great talk” with new Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, but it’s been “very silent” otherwise.

Richards would certainly attract plenty of attention on the free agent market. That being said, the Rangers could also choose to postpone this decision until the summer of 2014.