Waive Redden

It’s been made official: the soon to be Connecticut Whale… err… the Hartford Wolf Pack will now feature the best first pass in the AHL. Today it was announced that former Ottawa Senator, Wade Redden, has been put on waivers. With four years left on a contract that features egregious $6.5 million per season cap hit, the likelihood that another team puts a claim in on Redden is nil. You know things don’t look good for Wade when the Carey Price situation in Montreal has a better chance of ending well.

It’s not like I want to revel in this career setback either. (Ed. note: Granted, it is a tad easier on the conscience when an athlete accrues $39-million by the time his current contract expires.) It’s a sad reality of the salary cap era that Wade’s contract might be the only thing that keeps him from playing hockey in the NHL this season.

I know that for a number of Senators fans, Redden’s name will forever be synonymous with Zdeno Chara because of John Muckler’s inability to ink the Big Z. As easy as it is to shit on John Muckler and Redden proponents for:

• Buying into the League’s emphasis on opening up the game and believing that the speedy, smaller and successful Buffalo Sabres team was the model of the future.
• Ignoring the fact that Chara finished the season with a broken wrist.
• Poor taste.

I’ll use this opportunity to ask the question:  Isn’t it a bit more ironic that Sather and Muckler, two of the esteemed Edmonton Oilers braintrust members during the dynasty years, both got it wrong?