NEW YORK -- The Rangers bought out the contract of veteran forward Brad Richards on Friday, creating much-needed salary-cap space and parting ways with New Yorks de facto captain one week after the club was eliminated from the Stanley Cup finals. Both the Rangers and Richards agent, Pat Morris, confirmed the move. "Tough last few days," Richards said in a statement released by the team. "I loved being a Ranger and living in New York and playing at MSG in front of great fans. Ive met many new friends, excellent teammates and staff, and I have memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. "(General manager) Glen Sather, the management and owner, Mr. Dolan, are all class acts. I want to thank them for letting me be a part of New York life and the Rangers family. With this decision finalized, I can now look forward to starting the next chapter in my career." The 34-year-old Richards had six years remaining on the nine-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2011, and this move will remove his $6.67 million salary-cap charge. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Richards will receive two-thirds of the remaining money to be paid out over 12 years -- a total of $12.6 million. Richards will also be paid $8 million in signing bonuses over the next three seasons. He didnt have to clear waivers before the buyout because his contract had a no-movement clause. The Rangers used their second and final compliance buyout on Richards after using the first on former defenceman Wade Redden last year. They had to be used before July 1. "We would like to thank Brad for everything he has done for our team on and off the ice during his time here," Sather said in a statement. "This was an extremely difficult decision to make because of how much respect I have for him. "Brads leadership and guidance for our young players was invaluable to the organization. We are grateful to have had the professionalism and experience he brought as an example for our team to follow. Brad has been a very good player for us and an even better person. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours." New York has numerous unrestricted and restricted free agents this summer, and will need as much cap space as possible to bring back key players and perhaps add others on the market. "Were going to work on putting a good team on the ice, but every year is different," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said Monday when the Rangers cleaned out their lockers. "Next years team is going to be different, and youve got to go through the same process. Its going to be a challenge to make the playoffs, and then you take it one series at a time." Richards was demoted to the fourth line in the finals against Los Angeles. "I am a big fan of Brad Richards," Vigneault said. "He is a classy, classy individual. If you look at Brads overall season he had a real good year. "I am very happy with what he brought to the table. A veteran player from Day One that was a real good extension of the coaching staff in the dressing room. He should walk away from this season very pleased with how he played and how he contributed to our team." Richards had 20 goals and 31 assists in 82 games this season -- the lowest point-per-game average of his career -- and added five goals and seven assists in New Yorks 25 post-season games. He had only one assist in the five-game finals loss to the Kings. Richards took on a bigger leadership role after captain Ryan Callahan was traded to Tampa Bay for St. Louis in March. His voice carried in the room even as his play declined as the playoff run got deeper. In 210 regular-season games with the Rangers, Richards had 56 goals and 95 assists. He was benched in last years post-season by former coach John Tortorella during New Yorks second-round loss to Boston. Richards earned his contract when he hit the free-agent market after having 28 goals and 77 points during the 2010-11 season with Dallas. Fake Puma Jerseys . Hattestad managed to avoid the carnage midway through the mens final, as a crash took out three skiers, essentially leaving two men vying for gold. The Norwegian posted a time of 3:38.39, outlasting Swedens Teodor Peterson, who took silver with a time of 3:39. Fake Baseball Jerseys . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. http://www.fakejersey.com/fake-soccer-jerseys/. They were expecting him there all along. 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Spencers agent, Jordan Woy, says doctors have a "good idea" what type of surgery but were still considering options. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke earlier on his radio show, saying Spencer was likely to have microfracture surgery. The 29-year-old Spencer is on a one-year contract with the franchise tag for the second straight season, so he will be a free agent when hes healthy again. Hes making $10.6 million this season. Spencer originally injured the knee in off-season workouts and aggravated it during a conditioning test the day before training camp. He had arthroscopic surgery July 25 and missed the preseason and the opener against the Giants. Last years leading tackler for the Cowboys returned and played more than half the game in Week 2 against Kansas City before he was sidelined again. "Heres a case of a guy, you almost have to tie him up to get him off the field," Jones said on his radio show. "He was so diligent in his rehab. The individual that I have the most empaathy for is Spencer because of the type of person he is.dddddddddddd" Microfracture surgery is a procedure to repair cartilage that provides cushion for bones in knee joints. The recovery time is usually at least four months but can be career-threatening for pro athletes. Spencer, who had career highs last year with 106 tackles and 11 sacks, has described his injury as a bone bruise. He had just two days of limited participation in practice before playing 34 snaps against the Chiefs. Going into the game, he didnt think he would play more than a dozen or so, but he based that more on conditioning than the status of his knee. "It didnt seem like it was bothering him at the time," coach Jason Garrett said Monday. "You cant go back eight days ago and say, Hey lets have him make 16 plays instead of 30. We thought we were doing the right thing by him and our football team." Journeyman George Selvie, who signed several days into camp after it was determined Spencer needed the first surgery, has been a strong replacement and complement to standout end DeMarcus Ware. Selvie has two sacks and five quarterback pressures. ' ' 'easons.He kills left-handed pitching. He can play first and play the outfield, Collins said.NOTE: The Mets agreed to a minor league deal with left-hander Scott Rice. Rice was 1-2 with a 5.93 ERA in 32 games for New York before being demoted in June. He had season-ending elbow surgery July 23. ' ' '