After buyout, Wade Redden lands with St. Louis Blues on 1-year, $800K deal

·Contributing writer

January 18, 2013 at 1:44 p.m.

Wade Redden hasn't played a game in the NHL since April 11, 2010. That was the infamous game where Olli Jokinen missed a shootout attempt for the New York Rangers, eliminating them and sending the winning Philadelphia Flyers to the playoffs.

So, yeah, it's been a while.

Redden's toiled away after having himself and his $6.5 million cap hit banished to the AHL by the Rangers in 2010. Now, thanks to accelerated compliance buyouts that were agreed upon by the NHL and NHLPA this week, he has his freedom and has inked a prorated 1-year deal with the St. Louis Blues.

From the Blues:

St. Louis Blues Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced the club has reached a deal in principal with defenseman Wade Redden.
Terms of the contract are one-year and $800,000.
“Wade is a solid two-way defenseman,” said Armstrong. “We believe his experience will complement and add stability to our defensive core.”
Redden, 35, has spent the past two seasons with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Connecticut Whale. Last year, he posted 20 points, including 4 goals and 16 assists in 49 games.

TSN's Bob McKenzie adds that a potential games played bonus could be worth as much as $200,000 extra to Redden. Due to these new buyout rules, the Rangers will still have his $5.6 million (post buyout) cap hit on their books for this season.

According to the team, Redden will take his physical on Sunday, which means he could be in the lineup for the team on Monday or Tuesday.

Now it's Scott Gomez's turn. His buyout was finalized on Thursday by the Montreal Canadiens and there's no doubt going to be some interest in the 33-year center on a short-term deal, much like his bought-out compadre Redden.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy