Rangers dominate....the worst contracts in the NHL list

Eric Duhatschek from the Toronto Globe and Mail did a great piece on the worst contracts in the NHL, and how they are handicapping their clubs.

The Rangers rule this list the way the Beatles once ruled the charts.

The full story can be found here.

The lowlights:

In an era when the salary cap will flatten this year and shrink next year, one man's view of the 10 worst contracts in the NHL right now.

1. Wade Redden, Rangers: His six-year, $39-million contract would not have been unreasonable compensation for an in-his-prime Redden who – for a five-year period between 2001 and 2006 – was a cumulative plus-123, while playing 25 minutes or so per night. But Redden's play fell off dramatically in his final two years with the Senators and everyone imagined he'd be looking at a hefty pay cut, until Rangers' GM Glen Sather came along. Don't these guys scout any more?

2. Scott Gomez, Rangers: Gomez's annual salary-cap charge of $7.357-million is ninth-highest in the NHL – he will earn $8-million in each of the next two seasons, before the numbers drop off to $7.5-million, $5.5-million and $4.5-million in the final three years of the contract. The Rangers signed Gomez, who led the league in assists in ‘04, to act as a set-up man for Jaromir Jagr, but the two never found any chemistry – and there isn't a pure sniper on either the current roster or in the system that would help maximize what Gomez brings to the table.

3. Chris Drury, Rangers: About the only saving grace with Drury's contract is its term – five years, which means there are only three years remaining. A cap charge of $7.05-million, any team interested in Drury would pay him $8-million in each of the next two years and then $5-million in the final year, a lot to pay for a player that has never scored 70 points in the NHL and conveniently managed his one-and-only season above 30 goals in his contract year with the ‘07 Sabres.

You got it, on Duhatschek's list of the 10 worst contracts, the Rangers have the top 3.