Gomez, Redden become NHL’s first CBA casualties
Scott Gomez (center) and Wade Redden (6) are now paying for Rangers GM Glen Sather’s mistakes. (Seth Wenig/AP)
By Stu Hackel
The new CBA, the result of a bitter struggle between the owners and players, has begun claiming victims. Wade Redden and Scott Gomez, a pair of conspicuously poor free agent signings by Rangers GM Glen Sather, find themselves being paid not to play during this upcoming shortened season.
UPDATE: NHL, NHLPA come to agreement on Gomez and Redden allowing them to potentially play this season.
Both have been told to go home, Redden by Sather, who last week reportedly allowed Redden’s agent to try engineering a trade to another club, and Gomez on Sunday by new Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, who inherited the veteran center via the lopsided trade Sather made with Bob Gainey in 2009, one that sent rising star defenseman Ryan McDonagh’s rights to New York.
Gomez and Redden will be bought out next summer for two-thirds of the remaining value on their contracts when the CBA permits two buyouts per club that won’t count against the salary cap. With the cap going down next year, space is needed and overpaid underachievers are most vulnerable.
