While the Rangers were still mulling their choices, the Devils may have made theirs.
Sources indicated the Rangers yesterday were leaning towards keeping both Bobby Holik and Darius Kasparaitis, although it was stressed by others that the decisions were still being pondered as today’s buyout deadline loomed.
The Devils, however, appear to have made Norris Trophy holder Scott Niedermayer their re-signing target, and seem unlikely to have enough salary-cap room to fit in fellow unrestricted Brian Rafalski, too.
New Jersey is believed to have made a strong pitch to Niedermayer, who was to have received an arbitrated salary of $7 million last season, and becomes unrestricted Aug. 1. One guess is that the Devils are offering Niedermayer $6.8 million per season on a long-term deal that could range from two to five years or more, at his discretion.
Niedermayer, however, is expected to await offers from other teams, looking for the league maximum salary of $7.8 million this season.
Even if the Devils fail to qualify Viktor Kozlov and Jan Hrdina, and they become unrestricted, New Jersey’s payroll will top $30 million before unrestricted Niedermayer, Rafalski and Scott Stevens are added. Signing Niedermayer at $6.8 million would leave some $2 million under the cap to split among Stevens and Rafalski. Rafalski made $3 million in 2003-04 and is hoping to receive major money as an unrestricted. The Devils’ qualification of winger Jeff Friesen at $2.2 million made the return of both Niedermayer and Rafalski more unlikely.
If the Rangers retain both Holik and Kasparaitis, as well as Jaromir Jagr, they will be spending some 45 percent of their allowable payroll on three players.
It would cost the Rangers $9.3 million to make Holik an unrestricted free agent and create $6.76 million of salary cap room in each of the coming two seasons. Kasparaitis could be paid off with $6.48 million to free cap room of $3.3 million, $3.3 million and $3.1 million in the coming three years.
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The U.S. Olympic team has included Devils defenseman Paul Martin, the unrestricted Rafalski, and forwards Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Zach Parise, as well as Islanders forward Jason Blake and goaltender Rick DiPietro among 39 invitees to its orientation camp Sept. 5-8 in Colorado Springs . . . Devils have only one game west of the Mississippi this season, and that only by a mile or two – Jan. 17 in St. Louis.