An option that didn’t exist for Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has suddenly become available.

But is it too late for the Red Wings to a make a pitch for puck-moving, right-shooting defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk? And is it worth it?

The salary cap-strapped New York Rangers bought out the final two years of Shattenkirk’s contract on Thursday, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Shattenkirk, 30, was one of the top players in the 2017 free-agent class. The Rangers signed him to a four-year, $26.6 million contract, but he was made expendable due to his lack of production and their acquisition of Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg, who the Rangers inked two weeks ago to a seven-year, $56 million extension.

A knee injury limited Shattenkirk (6-0, 206) to 46 games in 2017-18, when he tallied 23 points. He appeared in 73 games last season, picking up only two goals and 26 assists.

The Red Wings plugged on hole on their blue line by signing stay-at-home defender Patrik Nemeth to a two-year, $6 million free-agent deal on July 1.

He joins a defense that features Mike Green, Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley, Filip Hronek and Madison Bowey. Finnish free agent Oliwer Kaski and Dennis Cholowski, their top pick in 2016, will be competing for a spot in training camp.

Yzerman said he would sign Niklas Kronwall for another season if the 38-year-old wants to continue playing. No decision apparently has been made.

Whoever signs Shattenkirk will surely get him at a lower cap hit and shorter term than what he had from the Rangers ($6.65 million).