Had to be done, though.
In a move that allows the struggling Rangers to add a player from the minors, Darius Kasparaitis has been waived.
If he clears, the veteran defenseman, 34, will be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he previously spent a two-week conditioning stint.
Kasparaitis, who has one year (at $3.3 million) remaining on his contract, was in South Beach and could not be immediately reached for comment.
A healthy scratch for several games before the All-Star break, Kasparaitis has appeared in just 24 games this season (2-2-4, minus-1). He had both abdominal and shoulder surgery in the off-season and had definitely slowed on ice.
Kasparaitis has said that he felt "under scrutiny" all season, and wondered if his time with the team was drawing to a close. But he said he feels he can still contribute---even with another club.
The transaction opens a spot on the 23-man roster for either another defenseman or a forward, or borth, depending on whether another move is made by the club before the Flyers game on Saturday.
Comments (8)
I wish they would have waived Marek Malik. He's terrible.
Malik is far and away the most reliable dman on the team-- he doesn't hit like kaspar, but he doesn't cough the puck up or make terrible passes... he's the best guy at moving the puck out of the zone, and he never panics..
Question... do you think Kaspar was waived to clear cap room for Forsberg???
I'm not sure what team you are looking at, but Malik is far from reliable. He's inconsistent, at best. He can't skate, and has committed some inopportune giveaways that have definitely led to goals. The best thing he has going for him is his reach, and that didn't help him against Kovalchuk last Saturday. This year, Tyutin has been the most reliable Dman, but he hasn't been great either and he can't do it alone. The defense is so weak, it just sets up Henrik for target practice for the rest of the league. Unfortunately, Kasper was probably next on the depth chart after Ozo to get the boot. Let's hope they bring up some improvement from Hartford. If another Dman has to be let go, my vote is Malik.
So what D-man will step up from Hartford? Maybe we'll see Staal fresh off of a great showing in Sweden?! Young blood could breathe new life into the team, and Staal is sure to be a solid 2-way D-man.
I'm guessing Immo is on the short list to be called up too on the other side of the ice.
Renting Forsberg for the balance of the season is very appealing, but he is likely to be hurt the whole way through.
Gord: Maybe you have been watching old games from 05-06 and haven't seen any games from this season, wehre the slow-as-slugs Malik is constantly caught out of position, facing the wrong way, hooking because he's so slow, and making blind passes that land on the opposition's stick.
Mike: I don't think Staal can get called up. He's not in the AHL, and I think there's some weird rule where 18 and 19 year olds can't get called up from the OHL. I think he'd have to make the team from training camp until he turns 20 when he can play for the AHL team. I can be wrong though.
While they're waiving people, maybe Aaron Ward can be the next to go. We can only hope. Just shows that winning a Stanley Cup doesn't mean you're a "champion" player. Take Bruce Driver for example.....
Come to think of it, Aaron Ward does look like Bruce Driver.
Zach you are correct re Staal