Kevin Klein, the veteran Rangers defenseman, announced his retirement from the NHL on Friday, and with one more year left on his contract, he saved the Blueshirts $2.9 million in salary-cap space.
There was no cap-recapture charge on his retirement. The 32-year-old walked away from a $2.75 million salary for 2017-18.
It leaves Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton with approximately $8.5 million in cap space, about half of which will be eaten up when restricted free agent center Mika Zibanejad gets a new deal. But now there is more room to maneuver, and Klein wasn’t figuring into the team’s plans on the back end anyway.
After buying out the contract of veteran righty defenseman Dan Girardi, Gorton then traded for 21-year-old right-handed defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, re-signed Brendan Smith and then made a huge splash by signing Kevin Shattenkirk. With Nick Holden still on the roster and youngsters Alexei Bereglazov and Neal Pionk coming into camp trying to win a spot on the third defensive pair, there was no place for Klein to play.
Yet it was a good career for the native of Kitchener, Ontario, drafted by the Predators in the second round (No. 37 overall) in 2003. Klein totaled 627 regular-season games played, putting up 38 goals and 154 points. He came to the Rangers in a lopsided 2013 trade that sent mercurial Michael Del Zotto to Nashville. Klein played an integral role during the Rangers’ run to the 2014 Stanley Cup final before his past two seasons were plagued with injuries.
“I would like to thank both the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers organizations for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing in the NHL,” Klein said in a statement released by the Rangers. “Thank you to the fans of both cities for their appreciation. I couldn’t have been happier to play in front of you. I will miss all the friends I’ve made along the way, from the staff to the guys I’ve played with.”
The beginning of the end might have come when Klein was hit by a neutral-zone slap shot from Alex Ovechkin on March 12, 2015, breaking his left arm. The Rangers were up, 3-1, and there were just 19 seconds left in the game.
Last season, Klein dealt with a lingering back injury that seemed to never fully go away. He was consistently a healthy scratch during the final stretch of the regular season, and played just one game in the playoffs before the Rangers were eliminated by the Senators in the second round.
Now Klein might move on to play in Europe. The Rangers get to focus on the defensemen they have, and Gorton gets to focus on the newfound cap space.
“I’d like to thank my parents for everything they have done for me and for their constant love and support,” Klein said. “Most importantly, my wife Jodi and our boys, Joseph and Oliver, who have sacrificed the most over the years. I am looking forward to many great years with my extended family.
“Again, Thank You.”