The Rangers Roll The Dice And Bring Back Brad Richards

It seems as though the Rangers hiring of a new head coach extended the career of Brad Richards in New York.

The Rangers announced they will not amnesty the high priced Richards as many believed they would, instead they will bring back the assistant captain for another season.

The Rangers could have amnestied Richards and wiped his salary off their books, but rather they made the prudent move and did not act in haste based on Richards poor season last year.

With the hiring of Alain Vigneault the Rangers figure to be more an offensive club then they have the past few years under former coach John Tortorella. Richards had a nice 1st season in New York but last year was a mess, highlighted by his benching in the playoffs and lack of production. Richards scored only 1 goal in the playoffs and was benched the final 2 games against Boston.

According to the new labor deal teams can amnesty 2 players and not face the salary cap hit. These moves need to be made in the 1st 3 years, meaning the Rangers can still cut loose Richards after the 2014 season if they choose.