Searching for Sean Avery: Wade Redden

Things have slowed down a bit on the Sean Avery search front, but something I found a little interesting showed up in the mailbox this weekend. It had to do with some comments Avery made earlier this summer about the Rangers signing Wade Redden and Markus Naslund this offseason. It's just one shot fired Redden's way recently and that came up in an interview the defensemen did with the Ottawa Citizen.

While he remained a top-line player, he lost some playing time in key situations.

Last season, he scored only six goals (his lowest output since the 1996-97 season) and had 32 assists. All of that made the Rangers' contract offer shocking to many observers.

Redden probably won't be surfing SI.com for his hockey updates, considering the website labelled him as the No. 1 free agent most likely to be a bust in 2008-09.

And he won't be thanking former Ranger Sean Avery for his parting shot about the Rangers signing Redden and Markus Naslund.

"It's going to be an interesting situation; certainly I'll sit back and watch," Avery said earlier this summer. "New York is a tough place to play. Markus Naslund is going to have a tough time, so is Wade Redden. New York fans aren't going to put up with those guys. I don't think that they're going to live up to the expectations."

Redden has heard his share of criticism before, of course, and he says he's prepared for whatever comes his way.

"I'm going to go in there with an open mind and be ready," he said. "I will get a lot of opportunity there -- I guess it's the same role I've always had. I just have to go in there and do what I can do, and work hard and play well."

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