Rangers buy out D-man’s contract
Shattenkirk had 2 years left
The New York Rangers made a big salary-shedding move Wednesday by buying out defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk’s contract, multiple outlets reported.
The 30-year-old had two years remaining on a fouryear, Us$26.6-million freeagent deal signed in 2017.
The buyout will save the Rangers $5.17 million this season with $1.48 million counting against the salary cap, according to Capfriendly.com. The cap hit balloons to more than $6 million in 2020-21.
Shattenkirk, a first-round pick by Colorado in 2007 and an all-star with St. Louis in 2015, tallied two goals (a career low) and 26 assists in 73 games in 2018-19.
He has 349 points (75 goals, 274 assists) in 609 career games with the Avalanche, Blues, Washington Capitals and Rangers.
The Colorado Avalanche signed 21-year-old defenceman Samuel Girard to a seven-year contract extension that extends through the 2026-27 season. According to reports, the deal is worth $35 million.
Girard played in all 82 regular season games for Colorado in the 2018-19 season, extending his consecutive games streak to 150. He tallied four goals and 23 assists and finished sixth on the club in average ice time (19:53).
World No. 3 Lexi Thompson apologized to her fellow competitors after a caddie carrying 38 LPGA players’ bags from France to the Woburn Golf Club for the Women’s British Open was delayed because she had left her passport in her golf bag.
Ian Wright was forced to stop en route and wait until Thompson’s caddie met up with him to retrieve the passport. He missed a ferry as a result of the three-hour delay and the players were unable to practice Monday because he arrived after the course closed.
“I can’t apologize enough,” Thompson said. “I didn’t realize I was going to cause so much delay with the bags for other players.”
Tiger Woods will return to action for the first two legs of the Fedexcup playoffs, which will mark only the second time all year he has competed in consecutive weeks.
Woods, who has committed to playing a reduced schedule in hopes of preserving his health, said on Twitter he will tee it up at the Aug. 8-11 Northern Trust in New Jersey followed by the BMW Championship in Chicago the following week.