Nylander signed a ridiculous contract with the Caps that he never lived up too.
Martin Rucinsky Played 90 games over 2 seasons with the blues and put up 17 goals and 49 points. He went back to Europe and was never heard from again.
Straka went back to Europe after his contract with the Rangers expired.
We dodged 3 bullets by letting these guys go when we did.
These departures had more to do with these players who were at the end of their NHL careers and looking to cash in one last big payday in Europe.
Naslund's one year with the Rangers was respectable.
Redden was a waste of cap space.
Naslund was a shadow of what he had been. That season was anything but respectable - 46 points in 82 games.
As for the Czechs and Nylander, they always had good chemistry with Jagr. Rucinsky was someone who always overperformed in NY, which was the opposite of most players this team brought in.
Not overpaying Nylander was a fair point, but then to overpay Gomez and Drury after was not the answer either. Just goes to show no matter how much the personnel making these decisions change, the decision making process doesn't.
I never understood the desire to sign Redden especially once it became obvious that his best years were just picking up helpers feeding the puck to Chara for 100+ MPH howitzers.