The New York Rangers may well have cleared the way to allow Sean Avery to make his return to the Big Apple by assigning forward Mark Bell to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL on Monday.
Avery was placed on waivers by the Dallas Stars' earlier in the day, with all signs pointing towards the Rangers willing to pick up the controversial forward for his second tour of duty in New York. By sending Bell to the AHL, the team has freed up some space under the salary cap.
The 28-year old Bell was claimed off of waivers from the Maple Leafs last week after spending the entire season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. In 56 games this season with the Marlies, Bell has 12 goals and 15 assists.