In Sean Allen's Fantasy Hockey Top 75 for ESPN.com, he has this to say about Wade Redden...
Wade Redden, D, Rangers (48): I find it astounding that this guy can get such a bad rap after one bad season. Redden finished last season with 38 points, but the disappointment stems from the fact that he did that while playing in 80 games. The previous season, Redden had 36 points in just 64 games, and in 2005-06, he scored a ridiculous 50 points in only 65 games. While last season a little bit of a let down, the way the Sens let Redden walk after the year was ridiculous. It was just two seasons ago when the brass in Ottawa said the only reason they traded Zdeno Chara was that they knew they needed money to lock up Redden and couldn't afford both. If anything, we should look at last season as a sign of good things to come thanks to Redden playing 80 games for the first time since before the lockout. Bottom line: The Rangers breed good plus/minus, Redden is a lock for 60 penalty minutes and he has a chance to quarterback a very good power play. That makes him a decent No. 1 defenseman in my book.
...Allen makes some great points in his analysis. I can't believe how down Ranger fans are on this guy. I've seen thousands of posts on numerous Ranger message boards killing Redden. While I think a lot of it has to do with the contract, not necessarily his play last year, Ranger fans should start taking it easy on him as he's locked up for six more years.
...one thing Ranger fans might not be aware of is Redden can fight. Check out this video...
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