THANKS, KEVIN
Defenseman Klein retires giving Blueshirts much-needed cash to re-sign Zibanejad
Kevin Klein’s NHL days are over, and the Rangers now have added financial flexibility.
The Rangers defenseman announced his retirement from the NHL Friday after playing 627 regular-season games over the last 12 seasons, including the last 3½ with the Blueshirts.
Klein had one year left on his contract, which carried a $2.9 million cap hit for next season. With that coming off the books, the Rangers now have approximately $8.4 million in cap space for 2017-18. Likely more than half of that will go toward resigning restricted free agent Mika Zibanejad.
The Rangers acquired Klein on Jan. 22, 2014 from the Predators for Michael Del Zotto, and Klein made an immediate impact by helping the Blueshirts reach the Stanley Cup Final that season. He played a key role as the club then won a Presidents’ Trophy and advanced to a conference final in 2015.
His game wasn’t the same the last two seasons. He suffered a broken arm late in the 2014-15 season from an Alex Ovechkin slap shot. This past season he dealt with back issues and struggled. He was a healthy scratch for all but one playoff game.
“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. “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.
“I’d like to thank my parents for everything they have done for me and for their constant love and support. Most importantly, my wife Jodi and our boys, Joseph and Oliver, who have sacrificed the most over the years. ”
Klein had nine goals and 17 assists in both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, representing his career-highs with 26 points.
He finishes with 38 career goals and 116 assists. Klein was selected 37th overall in the 2003 draft by Nashville, and made his NHL debut on Dec. 3, 2005.
In 224 games with the Rangers, Klein had 22 goals, 50 assists and was plus-49. He played in 45 postseason games with the Rangers, scoring once and notching nine assists.