Nothing in this post indicates that you truly do understand the reality here.
Even in a blow it up and rebuild situation, the Rangers aren't going to be struggling to hit the cap floor. You have to have players on the team and you can't build an entire roster out of guys on ELCs.
in 6 years when the rangers have rebuilt the team to have a 1.5 million dollar noose hanging over their head, on a team that always gives out idiotic contracts, people will be pining for that cap relief. right now, over the next 4 years, they will not compete, you dont need to take on salary. rebuild, hold on to girardi if you cant find a moron to take him back, and let him rot. he will eventually be off the books and gone just as the rangers should be turning it over and around to the new "Core". 6 years is a loooong time. the Islanders will be paying Dipietro till 2029...they are lucky its not a cap hit for that full time.
That 1.5 mil does mean the difference between role players and guys like Car Hagelin and Brian Boyle. The thing is a 5.5 million dollar cap hit is higher and would prevent the Rangers from more good players.
Keeping Girardi in Hartford makes zero sense. It is just petty, it would be worse than the Redden situation because the team has little benefit from burying Girardi. Saving $950,000 on a cap hit is not a big deal. It could cause animosity on the team with the other veterans getting pissed that Girardi is being treated poorly. It could cause younger players to hesitate before signing a long-term contract with the Rangers. "If they treat Girardi like that, it could happen to me".
5.5 mil for the next 4 years, when i (And most of us i would suspect) expect the rangers not to compete and therefore not "need" the salary cap space wont matter...6 or 7 years from now when they should, if they did this right, be back into competing form, that money will be big. agree to disagree on this.
Didn't even think of that.
I'd rather just buy him out.
i wouldnt. my obvious preference would be to find someone to take him off our hands, or to have Las Vegas claim him if its allowed..not sure what the rules will be on that. i think every wasted dollar you have adds up. Tanner Glass makes 1.5 mil. subtract 1.5 mil from this roster and subtract Eric Staal from this roster, and you have Carl Hagelin in a Rangers sweater.