MexiCan't.
While my thoughts of a deal to Colorado were quickly shot down in the previous post here, Pierre LeBrun of ESPN said today that Gomez may be welcomed in Lala Land (h/t to Kukla and PD).
Kings search for a star
The Los Angeles Kings have been linked all spring to Tampa Bay star Vincent Lecavalier, but we're told those talks have cooled off for now. One Eastern Conference source told us Saturday the New York Rangers have made Scott Gomez available around the league, but we're not sure how interested the Kings are in him. It's a heck of a big contract.
Now that is an understatement but the Kings have the cash. Despite the nasty looks that Mr. LeBrun seemed to give me for no apparent reason in Detroit and Pittsburgh (I even held an elevator for him), I have to say I like his proposition as it make sense on many levels outside of money. The Kings would get a Latino player to market to the nation's largest Latin population. They would also get someone who instantly would gain locker room respect with two Cups under his belt. And, finally and most importantly, he would help take some of the heat off of Anze Kopitar, who faltered a little bit last season after gaining so much attention with a 77 point 07-08 season. Just how could this deal be made to work? I have my idea - which I'll pitch in a sec - but use the comments to take the cigar from Sather's mouth and make your proposal.
Now, get ready to rip me, but how about Gomez and a second round pick for the right to negotiate with RFA disgruntled defenseman Jack Johnson and a fourth round pick (LA has three)? We might have to pick up Tom Preissing as well as he has a long contract and was banished to Manchester but the Rangers can afford to pay him to play in Hartford. Of course, seeing as I can't find any indication of a prior relation with Glen Sather, I can't imagine Dean Lombardi making a deal with the Rangers but you never know! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed ...
20 comments:
That trade doesn't make much sense for the Rangers. They're going to get Jack Johnson who is a whopping -42 for his career and is such a big threat on the PP that he has 3 goals on the man advantage in addition to adding a contract and losing a draft pick.
Johnson is looking for a raise around $4 million dollars. Yes he's young, but his past history says he's a bad locker room guy and has an attitude. As much as you hate Gomez, he's the teams first line center and they're better with him than without him in the lineup. The Rangers have enough young defenseman, young CHEAP defenseman that they've spent first round draft picks on. They don't need another.
The Rangers need to add offense this summer, not subtract it. There aren't any worthy centers in free agency this year to replace him. Drury isn't a first line center and neither is dubinsky or anisimov at this point.
Your insatiable hate for Gomez is clouding your judgement.
Sather and Lombardi have plenty of history. It was these two who made the trade that sent Sean Avery to the Rangers for the Jason Ward pu-pu platter. The fact that Sather came out the winner of that trade makes this something that must be done.
I hate to defend Gomez, but don't you think if we got someone to play along with him that whe would improve? I mean like getting a finisher who could connect with Gomez and put the puck in net. Gomez does know how to get the puck up the ice, but I would at least try to get a finisher before getting rid of him.
I can see your point in trying to get rid of him now because he is a complete dirtbag when it comes to interviews, but not for anymore defensemen from other teams...we have good defensemen coming up.
We should be more concerned about Redden then Gomez, lol.
TMG - can't deny the hatred but Johnson has upside as a defensive defenseman, something completely lacking in the organization. We still have yet to replace Beukaboom and I don't want to tempt fate but Hank was ran an awful lot last season.
Schram - who to get? He failed with a future hall of famer in Jagr, he failed with Zherdev, he failed with Drury, Antropov, Callahan, Straka, etc ...
And I cant imagine anyone, anyone taking Redden at his salary. Some Habs fans were considering it over at Eyes on the Prize, but only of the prive was 2 mil a year ...
Getting someone to take Gomez's contract - and getting a player who could be serviceable to great in Jack Johnson - would be a "Get out of Jail for Free" card. People keep mentioning next year, but Gomez's contract is as lengthy as it is overvalued.
I'd make that move in heart beat, but then again, if I was Sather I'd just be on a beach in Hawaii for the rest of my life. So take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
No way. JJ is overrated as hell, has been marked as a bad locker room guy on more than one occasion and he was rumored to be thinking about going to the KHL this offseason because he's probably not going to get the $4 mil he wants.
Regardless of your disdain for Gomez, he's still a good center who just has no finishers. And removing our top center leaves a huge void. If we get rid of him, we need another forward to replace him, not another overpaid, overrated defensemen.
Well, as far as being a "bad locker room" guy is concerned, I recall someone else who was a bad locker room guy who came to NY and has worked out pretty well (Avery, of course). Still, does this team need two Sean Avery egos? Probably not.
I'll tell you why this trade won't happen. In a word: Slats. I made the point in the last posting that all trades this off-season will depend on Slats' opinion of where he wants to be in a year or so. My bet is that Sather is considering retirement, and will only make trades that will have a direct and positive impact this next year or two. The other option is that he only makes safe, innocuous deals, so no one can rip him apart this year like they did last year. Besides, to trade Gomez to LA for draft picks and someone the likes of JJ is pretty much the same as Sather admitting the Gomez deal was a bust. Can anyone imagine Sather doing that?
If Vinny is still going to be dealt, what about a three team trade between NY, the Kings and the Bolts? with us getting LeCav, the Kings getting Gomer and the Bolts getting young talent and a couple draft picks?
I like that idea a lot.
We are having salary cap issues with Gomer at seven mil per year cap hit. Vinny is due to make 10 next season. Unless the package includes Redden or Dru, foggetabatt it.
I like Vinny, but if you think Gomer is overpaid, wooooweee.
Honestly, with the overpaid collection of has-beens and never-was (weres? what the hell!?!) there's really no single elite player that can make this team click.
Gomez and "a second round pick" to LA......we already traded our 2nd round pick for Antropov, all we have left is the Cherepanov compensation 2nd round pick. I'd rather keep that then just try to get rid of Gomez for a defensemen we don't even need now that we have the young depth from MDZ, Gilroy and i guess you can throw in Sangs and Sauer.
The amazing thing about that is that among the guys you named - MDZ, Gilroy, Sangs and Sauer - only Sauer has NHL experience, the only one who is half capable in the Ranger zone and his confidence has to be shot after what happened last season. I would rather have someone to defend the goaltender than Gomez and a pick. We can rave about the recent prospects but they are all just prospects. Johnson has shown an ability to play in the bigs and that will help defend Hank a helluva lot better than some kid that may be ready in three or four seasons. By the time these kids can play and we are out from the noose that are the Redden/Drury/Gomez contracts regular fans won't be able to afford to watch them.
How come Dolan isn't mentioned in the poll?
While Vinny L's salary is higher than Gomez, his actual cap hit ($7.7 million) is only slighter higher than SG's. I don't know how much the Rags are penny pinching, but I figure a star oriented, huge market, wealthy franchise might be willing to take a front-end deal like Lecavalier's. Kind of an interesting scenario.
true, scotty. but i believe if we wanted someone with experience who's not playing top minutes, we could opt for Chelios at a low low salary and cap hit. Johnson just doesn't seem to have the right attitude. Gomez for Johnson straight up would be ok, i'm just not down for giving up 1st and 2nd round picks....post-tramatic stress from the dark years...
who woul be our "first line center" with gomez gone for a dman? Dubi is capable if we have a Jagr-esque type winger but the thought of signing Gaborik frightens me.
Heatly for Gomez...winger for center but whatever. Heater can finish....or C for C....gomez for spezza
Schram - Dolan is an owner, he isn't likely to retire. Plenty of owners maintain control until their 70s and 80s (Snider), or up until their death (Wirtz).
James - Vinny's cap hit was at seven but it goes to 10 next season when his extension kicks in.
Sully - I hear you on the post traumatic stress but a pick is just a pick and Johnson can play. Sadly, as he has shown in these playoffs, Chelios is done. Jason Strudwick was too slow. Johnson can skate, has a taste of NHL play, and has a lotta years ahead of him. And Chris Drury could be the first line center, Dubi second, Anisimov and Betts.
Jim - I wouldn't mind Spezza, but can't imagine that trade because it is just too even - neither team gains something appreciatively.
Dru has shown us all season why he is NOT a first line center, though. Captain Clutch was neither a captain or clutch, and you can seemingly see that the pressure is getting to him. The reason he strived in such places and Buffalo and Colorado is that in Buffalo, it was a smaller market, and in Colorado, he was playing with Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Milan Hejduk, as well as an even larger distribution of star power amongst the roster that the Rangers haven't had since 1994.
Either way, next season looks like it will be a disappointment, driven by Sather's contract debacles, yet again.
Seriously, how do the Dolans employ this guy and think he's doing a good job?
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the Dolan's don't care one iota about hockey, and New York "Fans" (the real Fans and the corporate season ticket buyers) will shell out the money to come to the games either way. Let's face it, it's been a long time since this team has missed the playoffs...if all he's looking to do is collect money, Sather's doing a great job for Dolan.
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