Drury had not signed with a team after his buyout from the Rangers. (Huntingj38 via Wikimedia Commons)

The Rangers bought out the last year of his five-year, $35.25-million contract in June for $3.3 million. He was acquired by the Blueshirts back in 2007 from the Buffalo Sabres, in the hopes that he would be a major positive influence on the team. Unfortunately for the Rangers, his performance during his time there was undistinguished, capped off by a 32-point campaign in 2009-10 despite playing in 77 games, and an injury-plagued 2010-11 season.

Drury would not talk further about his retirement decisions at this time. Drury played in 892 NHL games where he scored 255 goals and added 360 assists (615 points), and served 468 penalty minutes. The Quebec Nordiques drafted him in 1994. Once drafted, he attended Boston University for four years. Drury won the Calder Memorial for being the top rookie in the 1998-1999 season while playing for the Colorado Avalanche.

______________________

Reach Lauren by email, or follow her on Twitter.