There is a great article on Yahoo! by Dan Hickling catching up with former San Jose Shark defenseman Kyle McLaren. For those of you who don't remember him, he used to push the Rangers around as a blueliner on Boston. He isn't flashy, he doesn't put up big numbers but he hits people and keeps them away from the crease. And, according to Hickling's piece, he still does that - just in the AHL. It is a shame that a player of his skill set is languishing in the bus league.
He would be the perfect pickup for the Blueshirts.
Someone has to defend Hank, and McLaren can do it. While he isn't likely to be the locker room luck charm that Jason Strudwick was last season, McLaren is better than Struds was on the ice and his presence certainly would push Rozy, Redden and Kalinin. He has the strength to battle the big boys and keep them away from the paint while being capable moving the puck. He would be the closest thing this team has had to Jeff Beukaboom since the big man had his career end prematurely.
And you have to figure, with his salary of $2.5 million, he could be had for Petr Prucha. Let's face it, no matter how much everyone is pushing for Mats Sundin, it would take a minor miracle to fit in his salary demands. Even with the brave Prucha gone, McLaren would push the Rangers cap, but it would be well worth it.
8 comments:
Totally agree, man.
Agreed. How about Gomez for Cheechoo?
I remember Kyle, good defenceman, you are right. Wonder if they could do it, pretty sure Prucha will be traded (a year of saying that), though as always I wish not but that was based on the big if of him actually playing.
But $2.5 mil is still a fair bit more than Prucha's $1.6 mil.
blow - according to NHL Numbers, the Rangers have 1.365 mil left of space ... the move would leave them waaaay close but I think it would be well worth it ... then again, if they could get the Sharks to take Kalinin too ...
McLaren can hit with the best of 'em. Richard Zednik learned that the hard way.
HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE PLANS OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL SLATS! BOW DOWN AND SHUT YOUR PIE-HOLE, BLOGGER! SLATS KNOWS WHAT IS BEST...
or at least that is what I think would go through his head if he actually was involved in Hockey anymore. Oh wait, he's our GM. Ugh...
Dishing Kalinin off to someone would be a great idea. There is always some team in need of a defenceman.
Thanx for noticing the McLaren story...Kyle has always been a standup guy...I remember him facing the music after the Zednik hit...and "manning up" in Worcester...the funny thing was that I had originally called Doug Wilson to get thoughts on Claude Lemieux (that piece is now up on Yahoo!), and happened to ask about Kyle...he went to great lengths to compliment McLaren (I don't think he was blowing smoke), and I might not have done the story in the first place if Wilson hadn't been so forthcoming...At any rate...All the best!....Dan Hickling
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