The Dallas Stars wasted little time in beginning the process of ridding themselves of Sean Avery by placing him on waivers just after he was re-instated to the Stars roster by the NHL. Avery has completed his league mandated anger management counseling stemming from his 6 game suspension for comments back in November about his ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert and her current beau, Calgary Flames' Defender Dion Phaneuf.
TSN is reporting the Rangers may indeed be a destination, with a backdoor deal to assign Avery to the Rangers' AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolfpack. The Stars could place Avery on re-entry waivers at any time and could do so in concert with the NY Rangers' wishes, if the Blueshirts have an interest in the super pest at the time.
First reported by Larry Brooks in the NY Post on Thursday, the deal would cost the Rangers half the cost of Avery's remaining contract - 4 years @$15.5 Million. That would break down to just under $2M per - which is what Glen Sather intimated Avery was worth when he didn't resign him in the off season - and the Rangers would pay a prorated salary for the remainder of the year.
Bucket of Pucks Fantasy Spin:
Well, we knew this day would come. The league freaked out and threw the book at Avery for his comments, but remember, this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. He had worn out his welcome in the Dallas locker room FAR before he waxed philosophmoric about his ex. And there have been rumors linking Avery to The Rangers through crazy trades since it all went down, despite the fact that Avery became a non-asset once he uttered "Sloppy Seconds".
However, if the Rangers give Avery a chance, he'll be on a short leash. He'll be expected to be a team player and to be a team representative. If he can keep the sideshow antics under control, I'll go out on a limb and say that Avery could be the spark plug that brings some grit to the Rangers lineup and creates a little room on the ice for the top 6.
Sean Avery "screening" Marty Brodeur, 2008 Playoffs, Rangers vs. Devils, by Troy Parla
It'll take Avery 2-3 weeks before he gets clearance and goes through re-entry waivers. Make no mistake, a team with a better waiver ranking could step in and block the rangers from snagging Avery on re-entry, but that is an unlikely scenario.
However, despite Avery's history with the Rangers and his love for NY, and even if the speculation is true, I wouldn't waste my time picking up Avery just yet.
There are too many intangibles to work out just yet to justify carrying an ineligible player on your roster for a few weeks. Avery could be a viable pickup for the stretch run - he'll still get his penalties and put up some points, but for now I would advise a wait and see approach before wasting a roster spot on him.
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