The New York Rangers have bought out the contract of defenseman Dan Girardi. This isn\’t surprising to many, since both Girardi and fellow defenseman Marc Staal are both on bad contracts, and one of them were expected to be bought out. I thought it would be Staal, but the Rangers thought he\’s better than Girardi. But it\’s also a little surprising they bought him out with defenseman Kevin Klein most likely retiring.
Girardi, 33, scored 15 points (four goals and 11 assists) with 107 hits and 166 blocked shots in 63 games this year. He has 230 career points (46 goals and 184 assists), 1762 hits and 1650 blocked shots in 788 games over his 11 year NHL career, all for the Blueshirts.
\”I want to thank all of the Blueshirt faithful. You are one of the best and most passionate fan bases in the NHL. I appreciate your support over the years,\” Girardi said in a message released by the team [full message here].
\”I would like to thank Dan for everything he has given of himself to the Rangers over 11 seasons. He has become one of the key contributors to our success over the past decade. We have the utmost respect for Dan and wish him all the best going forward,\” Rangers GM Jeff Gorton said via Rangers Twitter.
Girardi was signed through 2022-23, with a cap hit of $5.5 million. His cap hit will be $2.61 million this next year, $3.61 million for the next two years, and $1.11 million for the last three. It will cost the Rangers $1.11 million each year for the next six seasons.
CarterHud 