Dudley Gets White Out to Erase Painful Memories of a Season Lost to Injury

As first "reported" by Michael Russo -- an old friend of GM Rick Dudley from their days in Florida -- on the twitter news oracle, the Thrashers managed to jettison center Todd White in a trade to the New York Rangers. Check zee tweet:

Via @Russostrib who tweeted this: According to sources, #Thrashers center Todd White has been traded to the #nyrangers. No word what the Rangers got back #nhl #nyr about 11 hours ago

As well as this: This will be good move for #nyr and Todd White. White's good, versatile player. One has to think former #mnwild GM Doug Risebrough endorsed about 11 hours ago <-- Yes, that would be 1:30 A.M.!! Duds is a night owl for sure.

White, who is coming off perhaps his worst season in the NHL -- in large part due to a rash of injuries that prevented him from hitting his stride -- did not really fit into Dudley's master plan in which the bottom two lines consist of rugged, physical (if not physically imposing) and hard-checking players. In addition to clearing some salary for the sake of saving some cash, the trade of White to NY for journeyman checking forward, Patrick Rismiller, and goon-enforcement extraordinaire, Donald Brashear, frees up a roster spot for a younger player in camp to make the roster this fall. Dudley is very high on prospect Patrice Cormier, who should have the early lead on the 4th line center spot when camp opens in September.

Also important to note is that, because of White's injuries and subsequent off-season shoulder surgery, he was not eligible for a buy-out by the Thrashers. Thus, the trade for Brashear, who was waived moments after the trade was announced, and Rismiller was more about moving a player who did not fit into the mix so that another painful chapter of the Don Waddell story could be closed. A bonus of the trade is that the Thrashers will save themselves roughly $734 K in actual cash as Whitey was slated to make $2.6 M this season. But in taking on Rismiller, who makes a cool million, and Brashear's $1.4 M cap hit -- he likely will clear waivers and get bought-out by the Thrashers -- Dudley gives himself a bit more margin of error when it comes to reaching the league-mandated salary cap floor of $43.9 M.

How Dudley plans on getting above the salary cap floor should reveal itself soon. But first, expect Duds to finalize the new contracts for RFA forwards Nicklas Bergfors and Bryan Little.