The New York Rangers needed cap relief now so they took the path of least resistance and executed the buyout that would save the most money this season. By buying out Kevin Shattenkirk, $5,516,167 comes off the books immediately.
The buyout was first reported by the Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post, but has not been confirmed by the Rangers. USA Today reports that they confirmed the report with Shattenkirk’s agent.
With the buyout, the team is now $1,359,701 under the $81.5 million cap. They still need to sign restricted free agents Brendan Lemieux and Anthony DeAngelo so there is more work to be done.