New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has claimed goaltender Alex Auld off re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars.
Auld, 29, has posted a record of 9-6-3, along with a 3.00 goals against average and an .894 save percentage in 21 appearances with Dallas this season.
For those out there who thought that this New York Ranger season would be properly written off with an eye to the future, you have my sympathies. By adding Alex Auld off the waiver wire, you can be assured that the Blueshirts will make a desperate grab at one of the final playoff spots. Other teams' fans may be reinvigorated by the move to bring in a veteran backup goaltender for a push at the postseason but here in New York, this is the same old story. The flawed franchise as it stands has zero chance at a Stanley Cup but will put just enough effort in to ensure some playoff revenue to keep their jobs, as the ownership sees only dollar signs.
The players may change but the director (Dolan), the producer (Sather) and the script (ultimate failure) remains the same.
Sather went the familiar route of tossing aside a perfectly capable youngster for a veteran, and one who has been in the playoffs just twice - with Vancouver before the lockout. Auld went 1-2 over four appearances in those postseasons but he went
2-0-1 while allowing just three goals in '08-09 against the Rangers and that is all Sather remembers.
But it is not like Auld will see much action; John Tortorella will ride Henrik Lundqvist until the King breaks to ensure those home postseason revenues, while Chad Johnson gets banished back to Hartford. The likely thinking is that DosNueve's development is better starting down there (with Miika Wiikman sent to Charlotte) than it would be with him getting splinters in his ass up here. And you know, it is probably right as Hartford, like the Rangers, is a few points outside of playoff position and will make an attempt at extending their season. Of course, nothing would be better for the kid than to get some starts with the big boys but Torts doesn't trust him so its back to the bus league for the youngster.
Up here we will pray that the King can hold up the castle on his own and put up the bucks until the bitter end - as we always do. Because we are diehards, because we love that sweater, because we bleed blue.
"And this one will have to last a lifetime ..."
Take the good: Auld, like Christensen, was another cheap waiver-wire acquisition who jumped in and filled a need. John Tortorella felt he needed a veteran backup and he got one in Auld. The new netminder came right in and held the Caps to just two goals in a fantastic performance at the Phone Booth. 
