Eric Duhatschek
Globe and Mail Update Published on Tuesday, Jul. 01, 2008 8:00PM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 8:14PM EDT
The San Jose Sharks were in there pitching, as were the Calgary Flames, but in the end, the New York Rangers won the bidding war for ex-Ottawa Senators defenceman Wade Redden, signing him to a six-year contract, worth $39-million (all currency U.S.).
That matches the $6.5-million that Redden earned from the Senators last year and means he didn't need to take a pay cut, even after enduring a sub-par 38-point season, one of the poorest of his NHL career.
However, Redden thought he could bounce back in New York, telling TSN: "I'm coming off a year I can definitely build on — to say the least — and I'm looking forward to going to a new team and having a fresh start. I'll be ready to roll come September."
The Rangers also re-signed Michal Rozsival, one of their own free agents, to a four-year, $20-million contract, thus bolstering a comparatively weak defence corps. The Rangers were also said to be in the bidding for one of the three premier forwards — Jaromir Jagr, Marian Hossa and Mats Sundin — and were hoping to land one, which would effectively cap them out for the upcoming season.
The Senators, meanwhile, will be in the market to replace Redden with a free-agent defenceman at some point later in the week.
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