'Allo Vigneault

The decisions has been made, Glen Sather has made the call: Alain Vigneault is the new head coach of the New York Rangers.

Yet again, the Manhattan team has settled for mediocrity instead of reaching for something better. Vigneault has been to the Stanley Cup Finals just once in 10-plus NHL seasons, and lost that one time with the Canucks being bested by the Bruins. He has one career championship, coming a quarter-century ago in the QMJHL.

But we don't care about championships in New York, we care about corporate money and that will come with consistent regular season success - something Vigneault had in his seven seasons in Vancity. Unlike his predecessor, AV is affable and easy going, and an easy sell to the suits. And, frankly, that is all that the Blueshirt bosses care about nowadays. They need to grab as much big business money as they can to help pay off the fan-unfriendly renovation.

Like his predecessor, Vigneault stuggles to make strategy changes and is a big fan of line juggling. He leans heavily on his stars and his team goes as far as they will take them. In Vancouver he was primarily a three-line guy, so don't expect the Rangers to pull a page out of the recent Cup winners' playbook and suddenly be a four-line team. He will give the forwards more freedom, to be sure, but that could expose our atrocious bottom three defensemen even more then they had been in the last few seasons.

Vigneault's power play, despite the telepathic link between the Sedins, went a below-average 15.8% ... the Rangers went 15.7% and the teams were 22nd and 23rd overall. For fellow fight fans, who knows what we will get: Vancouver had 28 majors last year to the Rangers' 18, but the season the Canucks went the distance they were 23rd overall (with 29, the Rangers were sixth with 62).

This particular coach is not big on this generation of kids: of the 36 players drafted by Vancouver from 2006-2011 just seven have played in the NHL and just two are regulars ... both with other teams (Hodgson and Grabner). This last season just five Canucks 25 years old or under played more than three games in the big league. That being said, there were plenty of home-grown Canucks on the roster - the Sedins, Burrows, Edler, Bieksa, Schneider, Kesler, Raymond, Hansen, etc.

Frankly, the hiring of Vigneault just looks like the NHL coaching carousel is going around, rearranging chairs on the deck of sinking ships. Sadly we know that with Glen Sather at the helm, the SS Rangers is not aiming towards the tropical waters of paradise but sailing through known seas simply trying not to hit icebergs.

Ding Dong, Torts Is Gone

Glen Sather sent another coach packing today, as he issued a pink slip to John Tortorella. That's the fifth bench boss of the general manager's time atop the Ranger ladder, if you count Sather himself.

But as the Stealth GM - as the Pundit calls him - survives to smoke another cigar, Torts now has more time to spend with his dogs. Good riddance. It was a long time coming, and yet a surprise just the same. If any coach had excuses for a disappointing season, it was Torts. No training camp, new players to integrate, injuries to prime players, few top prospects ready to fill spots ... all solid justification for bringing him back in the fall.

Sather didn't see it that way, and the firing helps the tin hat folks who are searching for c-o-n-spiracies. The coach and the GM had a fight, the GM was offended by the coach's comments, the GM was scared at the reports that the King might not come back. My theory? It goes back to what I said when Brad Richard$ was brought in: Dolan needs a winning team to fill the fixed-up Garden. The reno is finishing this summer and the Blueshirt brass need to start paying it off. Doing that will require massive corporate money and massive corporate money comes with Cups.

The scary part of that is it makes it all but certain that Sather will sign a 'name' coach to step behind the bench, with Alain Vigneault and Lindy Ruff the biggest candidates. Neither one have won a Cup and, frankly, neither one is likely ever to. Both have failed in the Finals once, both lasted past their expiration dates at their former jobs and both were given all the talent in the world by their bosses and botched it. Other top options being floated are Dave Tippett, Dallas Eakins and Ken Gernander. Kenny G and Dallas are great AHL minds but have yet to be blooded at the elite level and the likelihood of Tippett leaving Phoenix now that his boss and buddy Don Maloney has re-upped is slight. He is a great, great coach, but why would he leave what he has built for Broadway? Money does move the world but the Yotes' ownership saga may be nearing its end.

The guy I would bring in for an interview would be Davis Payne. The assistant coach of the L.A. Kings spent two-plus seasons in St. Louis as the head coach and left with a solid 67-55-15 record despite having an unremarkable, rebuilding Blues squad. Working against him is that he isn't a "name" and the fact that he is still with a team active in the playoffs so the interview will be quite close to Sather's deadline of the draft.

Whoever it ends up being, at least he won't be the tumultuous Tortorella. His errors were egregious, his ego tremendous, his results mediocre. For all the talk about last season's success, Torts' mismanagement was the singular reason why they fell short of Stanley. And, as written here a few days ago, losing to Boston wouldn't be shameful if the team had played to the utmost of their ability. They didn't, so the bench boss had to pay.

Hopefully the next guy will find better results. 

Disappointing Opening Day Of Free Agency

Wow, is that a redundant headline or what? I mean, every opening day of free agency of Glen Sather's term has been disappointing to some degree or another. As the saying goes Trader Sather is a genius, Signer Sather is a fool.

And that fool continued to trouble Ranger fans as he tinkered with the team's roster. While he can't be blamed for Brandon Prust's greed, he can be hung for his idea of a replacement: Arron Asham. As he did with Donald Brashear, Sather signed one of the most loathed members of the opposition (who is all but certain to disappoint). Check that, two of the most loathed members - he also added Islander Micheal Haley.

Given that Asham has be-Deviled, be-Flyered, be-Penguined, be-Islandered the Blueshirts in the past all we can hope is that he does the same dirty, infuriating things against everyone else.

The signs are not good, especially when compared to the man he is replacing. In his career Asham has played in MSG 27 times and racked up all of one goal, one assist and 33 PIM. Asham has not played a full 82 game campaign his entire career; despite his injuries Prust did the last two seasons. Prust had nine shorthanded points in his last 164 games; Asham has three in 756. Asham blocked 40 total shots over the last three years, Prust blocked 51 this season. HOWEVER, the one good quality they share is that their teammates respond when they fight. I've mentioned the Prust stat a few thousand times and the Pens went 6-1-1 last season when Asham dropped the gloves (and he won too, going 7-1 in those bouts).

As for Haley, he is no more than a minor league neanderthal. With the group of prospects hitting Hartford this fall, it will be Haley's job to protect them. He has a long record with a good number of victories so hopefully he will intimidate the other teams into giving the kids who have futures some room.

Sadly Jonathan Audy-Marchessault won't be among them. The mite-sized scorer earned himself a spot in the Ranger franchise, earned himself a spot in the AHL All Star Game and Sather let him get away. It would have been nice to see JAM get a real shot with the Rangers, but that unlikely with Torts so at least Columbus will use him.

Another guy who had no future with the Rangers was Chad Johnson. Dos Nueve never earned the organization's trust but our old pal Maloney saw something and picked him up for the Coyotes. Like Al Montoya, he can go try to ply his trade in the desert.

John Mitchell is headed to the mountains as Colorado handed him a two-year deal. Tortorella may have loved him but few others did as he made some glaring mistakes and added virtually no offense.

Following that thread, Stu Bickel was re-signed by the Rangers. Tortorella's scapegoat, Stu will be back for two more seasons - or roughly a half hour of ice time - under the head coach's reign.

Kris Newbury also decided to return, taking a two-year, two-way contract. Heard he was a good team guy with the Whale so that will be good for the future Blue.

The near future is certain to see more moves, whether they be signings or trades. Gabby will be out for a while and, given the type of surgery, may never be the player he was again. So there is a mighty Nash/Parise/Whoever-sized hole in the lineup. It will be interesting to see which side of Sather addresses it.

Why Not Arnott?

The saying goes that sometimes the biggest moves are the ones you don't make. What usually goes unsaid is that it cuts both ways.

Today the Devils reacquired Jason Arnott in a deal with Nashville for a second round pick next year and right wing Matt Halischuk, a low-level prospect. Glen Sather either did not get in on the negotiations for Arnott's services or he decided that the Predator captain wasn't worth it. Either way, the Rangers are less off for not swinging the deal.

Let's look at why:

*Adding Arnott would have given the Rangers a first line center. Having a depth chart of Arnott-Dubinsky-Anisimov-Drury would have made the middle a position of strength. (Yes, Drury would be manning the fourth line; as he showed at the Olympics, that is where he excels.)

*While his leadership was questioned in Nashville, he still brings 1,205 NHL games, 939 points and a Stanley Cup ring to the table (numbers include playoffs).

*At 6'5, 220 Arnott would have provided size the Rangers need, and at a far higher skill level than Brian Boyle. Boyle should go to Hartford, directly to Hartford, without passing go and without collecting a NHL salary.

*His experience as a big man and his particular skill set would have provided a perfect role model for Brandon Dubinsky, who did not particularly progress in his development last season.

*While waiver wire addition Erik Christensen showed some chemistry with Marian Gaborik, he certainly did not draw the defenders to him. Everyone watching knew Christy was going to look for Arnott 49 times out of 50 before taking things himself - after the defense has secured the zone. Arnott forces teams to take notice of him and is willing to go hard to the slot - something that would open more ice up for our Slovak sniper.

*With one year left on his contract, Arnott would have bought the Rangers a season for Derek Stepan to learn the pro game in either the AHL or the WHL.

*Despite a string of injuries the last few years, Arnott still has averaged better than 0.7 points per game. Drury, by the way, averaged 0.42 last season. And if those injuries were a concern, well, look at Gaborik last season.

*On the Devils, Arnott will make himself quite familiar with the front of the crease in front of Henrik. Not good. Not good at all.

As the move was not made, the Rangers are still without a top pivot. If they want to re-sign Christensen, that works but they can't give the lip service that they are going to make the playoffs and make a run for the Cup. And that is fine - this team is long (long, long, long) overdue for a rebuild. Let Prospal walk, re-sign Brodie Dupont and give him a shot at the roster, bring up Bobby and Dane and Dale (Weise), trade Rozy for picks (or a bag of pucks) and banish Redden from Broadway.

But let's face it, that is about as likely as Dolan selling the team and Sather offering an official apology for his reign of ridiculousness. It is still far, far too early to condemn him for the coming season but letting Arnott go to Jersey may be the biggest move he made.

Interpreting Sather-Speak

If you have yet to see it, Larry Brooks caught up with Glen Sather (likely in Philadelphia after the GM meetings) and the Ranger GM actually spoke to him. Sather didn't call him out, nobody got beat up at the bus stop ... actual quotes about the Rangers. Now, let's face it, Glen's MO is to ignore the press and do whatever he wants so why now?

Well, the season subscription renewal date is Monday, June 14th.

My guess is that they aren't getting the numbers they wanted so the big brass told Glen to open the door a little to give the common folk a ray of hope. Seeing as the wait list disappeared over the course of last summer and attendance last season was at its lowest since before the lockout, something had to be done.

And that brings us back to the article. Let's go through it, blow-by-blow, and interpret what Sather was saying:

“We can go over and over why we failed to get the one point that would have put us in, we can find a lot of excuses for it, but losing [Ryan] Callahan and [Sean] Avery the last couple of weeks really hurt our forecheck, and not having [Marian] Gaborik at full strength after the Olympics was a major blow for us.

Or 'I built a good team and my coach did a good job butcha can't do nothin bout injuries ... the hockey gods are cruel bitches.'

"But you know, every team can find excuses why they fell short. We just weren’t quite good enough over the course of the season. But if we had won that final game, would we have been tough enough to compete in the playoffs the way the Flyers have? Could we be where they are now? I think so.”

'You do realize that I built teams that have won Cups before so of course this team could have won the Cup, had things worked out.' Do you think he would say anything else? "If we had won that final game"? C'mon. If I had just picked the right numbers, I would have won the lottery.

“We have to get better,” Sather acknowledged. “And the way we’re going to get better is by staying within our organization and giving our prospects the time to grow and the opportunity to play in New York."

'Because we missed the playoffs and lost the extra revenue, Dolan won't let me overspend on any big free agents like I want to so I'm stuck with what we have. And kids are the only ones who will fit under the cap thanks to the contracts I gave Redden, Rozy, Drury, Gabby and Hank.'

“This has been a long process, and it’s ongoing, but as we go into this summer, our plan is to keep our own players. I can tell you one thing — we are certainly not going to overpay for free agents. If we can improve with a signing that makes sense, we’ll look into it, but we want to give our guys the first shot.”

'You have waited a decade for me to build a winner, so what is another year? And if I can figure out a way to sneak a signing past the boss - or can come up with some convoluted excuse - you had better believe that I am spending money.'

“I told Donald [Brashear] this week that he would not be playing for the Rangers,” Sather told Slap Shots. “After the statements he made, absolutely not; that was the end of it.”

'After I gave him that much money, he hurt my feelings and the big meaniehead can rot in the minors.'

On defenseman Marc Staal and Dan Girardi: “Those two guys are part of our core; of course we’re signing them.”

'The options on the market aren't as appealing as these guys, especially since they are RFAs and I can screw them if I want to.'

“We want to keep Shelley, it’s just a question of whether and when we can get it done,” Sather said. “We want to keep Vinny, and I think we should be able to do that if the contract request isn’t out of whack.”

'If these two guys don't want raises, we will bring them back. Vinny has to take a discount though.'

On Wisconsin senior defenseman Ryan McDonagh and junior center Derek Stepan: “We’d like to get them in and have them earn jobs.”

'If McDonagh makes it, it helps justify my Gomez deal and Stepan was good at the WJC so I remember his name.'

“We’re excited to see whether [Evgeny] Grachev and [Dale] Weise and some of our other kids can earn jobs.

'Jim Schoenfeld is excited to see if Grachev and Weise and some of the other kids can earn jobs and he won't shut up about it.'

“We just didn’t have enough last year, and certainly after the Olympics, Gaborik — our best player — was just a shadow of himself. He just didn’t have the explosiveness or speed."

'Damn Olympics, I hope Bettman takes my players out of that silly tournament. The games were past my bedtime.'

“But we’re looking forward. And we’re excited about it. We’re building an organization where we’re going to have serious competition for jobs at training camp. There are 23 spots and they’re going to the best 23."

'Please buy season tickets. Pretty please?'

“A player’s contract isn’t going to get him a spot on the team if he doesn’t earn it, and that goes for everyone. Everyone is fighting for a job. They all know that. If they don’t, they should.”

'Jimmy D threatened my job and shit rolls downhill so someone had better step up because I am sure as shit not going anywhere. Muahahahahaha.'

Yes Glen, It Is Time For A Change (Again)

Back when Tom Renney got canned at the end of February '09, I posted a list of Glen Sather's track record and in honour of his 10 year anniversary today, I felt it was worth re-posting. Mind you, since then Glen signed Donald Brashear and Ales Kotalik but also added Marian Gaborik, Jody Shelley and Brandon Prust - earning a C from me since I saw it as a season where he broke even - after all, the horrific signings of John Tortorella, Chris Drury and Wade Redden were all prior to July 1st, the date the new season begins (for me at least).

Well, now that Glen Sather has managed to shove the blame for his failings upon someone else yet again, I figured it might be good to look at just what he has done. Sather was officially hired by the Rangers June 1st, 2000. Let's take a look at some of his more memorable works - both good and bad - using Outside The Garden's transaction listings ...

July 1st, 2000 - Signed Vladimir Malakhov for four years for $14 million

June 24th, 2001 - Traded Adam Graves to San Jose for Mikael Samuelsson

August 20th, 2001 - Traded Jan Hlavac, Kim Johnsson, Pavel Brendl and 2003 3rd Round Pick to Philadelphia for Eric Lindros

March 18th, 2002 - Traded Igor Ulanov, Filip Novak, 2002 1st Round Pick, 2002 2nd Round Pick and 2003 4th Round Pick to Florida for Pavel Bure and 2002 2nd Round Pick

March 19th, 2002 - Traded Mike York and 2002 4th Round Pick to Edmonton for Tom Poti and Rem Murray

June 26th, 2002 - Traded Theo Fleury to San Jose for a 2002 6th Round Pick

July 1st, 2002 - Signed Bobby Holik for five years for $45 million

July 2nd, 2002 - Signed Darius Kasparaitus for six years for $25.5 million

December 12th, 2002 - Traded Tomas Kloucek, Rem Murray and Marek Zidlicky to Nashville for Mike Dunham

January 8th, 2003 - Traded 2004 4th Round Pick to Chicago for Boris Mironov

February 10th, 2003 - Traded Samuelsson, Joel Bouchard, Rico Fata, Richard Lintner and cash to Pittsburgh for Alexei Kovalev, Dan Lacouture, Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson

March 11th, 2003 - Traded Radek Dvorak and Cory Cross to Edmonton for Anson Carter and Ales Pisa

August 14th, 2003 - Re-signed Tom Poti for two years at $5.9 million

September 3rd, 2003 - Signed Boris Mironov for one year at $1,925,000

January 23rd, 2004 - Traded Anson Carter to Washington for Jaromir Jagr and cash

March 2nd, 2004 - Traded Alexei Kovalev to Montreal for Josef Balej and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 3rd, 2004 - Traded Briant Leetch and a Conditional Draft Pick to Toronto for Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a 2004 1st Round Pick and a 2005 2nd Round Pick

March 3rd, 2004 - Traded Petr Nedved and Jussi Markkanen to Edmonton for Dwight Helminen, Stephen Valiquette and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 6th, 2004 - Traded Chris Simon and Conditional 2004 7th Round Draft Pick to Calgary for Jamie McLenna, Blair Betts and Greg Moore

March 8th, 2004 - Traded Matt Barnaby and a 2004 3rd Round Pick to Colorado for Chris McAllister, David Liffiton and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 8th, 2004 - Traded Vladimir Makarov to Philadelphia for Rick Kozak and a 2005 2nd Round Draft Pick

March 9th, 2004 - Traded Martin Rucinsky to Vancouver Canucks for R J Umberger and Martin Grenier

March 9th, 2004 - Traded Greg de Vries to Ottawa for Karel Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux

August 10th, 2004 - Signed Michael Nylander for three years for $8.9 million

July 29th, 2005 - Paid out Bobby Holik

August 2nd, 2005 - Signed Marek Malik for three years for $7.5 million

August 2nd, 2005 - Signed Martin Straka for one year for $3 million

October 7th, 2005 - Traded Jozef Balej to Vancouver with conditional pick for Fedor Fedorov

January 8th, 2006 - Traded Maxim Kondratiev for Petr Sykora and 2007 4th round pick

March 9th, 2006 - Traded 2006 3rd Round Pick to Anaheim for Sandis Ozolinsh

July 1st, 2006 - Signed Matt Cullen for four years for $11.2 million

July 3rd, 2006 - Signed Aaron Ward for two years for $5.5 million

July 9th, 2006 - Signed Brendan Shanahan for one year for $4 million

February 5th, 2007 - Traded Jan Marek, Marc-Andre Cliche and Jason Ward for Sean Avery and John Seymour

July 1st, 2007 - Signed Scott Gomez for seven years for $51.5 million

July 1st, 2007 - Signed Chris Drury for five years for $35.25 million

July 17th, 2007 - Traded Matt Cullen to Carolina for Andrew Hutchinson, Joe Barnes and a 2008 3rd Round Pick

February 26th, 2008 - Traded Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to Phoenix for Fredrik Sjostrom, Josh Gratton and David LeNeveu

February 26th, 2008 - Traded 6th Round pick to St. Louis for Christian Backman

July 1st, 2008 - Signed Aaron Voros for three years for $3 million

July 1st, 2008 - Signed Wade Redden for six years for $39 million

July 2nd, 2008 - Traded Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman to Columbus for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche

Tom Renney came in just prior to the lockout to finish off a terrible season, and then guided the franchise through the "new" NHL and into the playoffs three straight years. If/when John Tortorella fails to bring in a even playoff team this year he will be let off the hook. But no Cup by 2012? Let's hope that Sather is the one to take the fall then ...

Remarkably, Torts got the team to the playoffs (and knocked them out of them himself) in '09 and then failed to make the postseason by a point in '10 and was let off the hook both times. It is the Garden's MO to turn a blind eye to pathetic administration but how could they possibly ignore no playoff revenue?

Well, easily.

Sather starts season number 11 under seemingly the same accountability his coach demanded from his players: none. Looking back at the last decade of epic disasters, I can't imagine what the next 10 years will hold for us. But, that being said, we keep buying tickets for this ride aboard the Hindenburg, despite the fact we've been going down in horrible, burning flames for years so the question is who is the bigger failure - Sather or us?

Seriously, WTF?

RANGERS ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN JYRI NIEMI
Rangers and Islanders Complete First Trade in 37 Years

New York, May 25, 2010 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Jyri Niemi from the New York Islanders in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers and Niemi have agreed to terms on a contract.

Niemi, 19, skated in 50 games with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) this past season, registering eight goals and 21 assists for 29 points, along with 67 penalty minutes and a plus-nine rating.

The 6-3, 210-pounder has appeared in 159 career regular season contests for Saskatoon, registering 29 goals and 66 assists for 95 points, along with 198 penalty minutes and a plus-27 rating.

Internationally, Niemi has represented his native country in several international tournaments, most recently serving as Captain for Finland at the 2010 U-20 World Junior Championship. He finished the tournament tied for second among all defensemen and ranked second among Finnish skaters in goals (three), and tied for third on the team in points (five).

The Hameenkyro, Finland native was originally selected as the New York Islanders’ third round pick, 72nd overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers and Islanders last completed a trade on November 14, 1972, when the Rangers sent right wing Ron Stewart to the Islanders in exchange for cash.

If the Flames and Oilers can make deals, then I guess anyone can but someone is going to have to give this guy a radiation shower to scrub the Islander stink off of him. I will leave it to Jess at Prospect Park to write up something about Niemi's upside (EDIT: and he did) but I have a hunch good ole Glen has this guy mistaken for the Blackhawk goaltender. If this guy isn't good enough to make the Islanders ...

13-13-1: Losing In Front Of Legends

Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and Wayne Gretzky were all in the Garden Monday night as the Ranger limbo continued - how looooooow can we go?!? They witnessed yet another disgraceful performance by the Blueshirts, who lost 5-2 to Crosby and company.

Mike Rupp, Mike f--king Rupp scored a hat trick. A hat trick! Mike Rupp. Can you get more humiliating? Outside of David Clarkson or any Islander, I can't imagine a hat trick by anyone else to make me more ashamed of being a Ranger fan.

But getting back to Gretz, No. 99 received a nice ovation when he was spotted along with his wife in the first period. The discussion in my section - and as I am sure it was elsewhere in the building - what kind of odds do you think Janet got on the game? She had to be betting on over/under because there was no chance the Rangers were going to win. And they didn't.

It's not that the Rangers lost that has me outraged but the manner in which they did it and how they acted and reacted as they were losing. Marian Gaborik, the one man on the roster worth what he is getting paid, got knocked around not once, not twice but three times in the third period and no one did anything. Check that, I caught P.A. Parenteau shove Cindy behind a play. Oooo, that sends a message. And even though Hank was horrible, no one did a thing to defend him for yet another game when he was bumped in his crease.

John Tortorella was willing to throw away the Washington series last spring to send a message - that players need to know that it is team first. It is a message that clearly has fallen upon deaf ears. It is one that very easily could have been reinforced with a little eye-for-an-eye retribution tonight but there was none of that. What was the worse that could have happened? Sending Boyle/Voros/Brashear out to chase down and attack some of the stellar Penguin talents could have gotten them suspended. Oooo. That would hurt not to have one of them for an extended amount of time. But there is no such thing as old time hockey anymore and the game is all the worse for it.

Some other observations and things that are grinding my gears:

*This loss is easy to hang on Hank's shoulders. How/why he falls to his knees before pucks are even shot on goal is beyond me and it leaves the upper corners open. And hey, look, the Pens saw that and were talented enough to exploit it. Even Mike Rupp. Mike f--king Rupp.

*Maybe there is some kind of Messier curse on the captaincy on the Rangers. He left for Vancouver and Brian Leetch took the mantle. It turned Leetch into a terrible player so he gave it right back when Mess returned. Jagr took the C after a good season and he dropped from 123 points to 96 to 71. His alternates, Marty Straka and Markus Naslund also saw similar declines. Chris Drury was given the C and went from a mediocre player to a poor one. And ever since Cally and Prospal put A's on, their games have suffered. So it is all Messier's fault. Damn you Messiiiiiieeeeeerrrr!!!!!!!

*Now, I must say, ladies love Cindy Crosby; there were an elevated number of attractive young women in attendance.

*There was also an elevated number of Penguin fans in general. They cheered loudly and their triumphant "Let's Go Pens" chants at the end of the game added insult to injury but most of the Ranger fans had already bounced by then, having seen enough disappointment for one night.

*Mike Rupp.

*Brian Boyle had one hit in the first period and really wasn't seen again. His teammates even left him behind walking out of the Garden as he graciously signed some autographs. How someone so huge can be so invisible is beyond me. Then again, Torts hardly used the fourth line - I saw Voros tripping over himself in the corner in the third period and didn't notice Kotalik at all.

*The over-sized Arty Anisimov was clearly visible, granted it was when he was losing big faceoffs but at least he was there. Then again, I would gladly give up the kid's bulk for Corey Locke's under-sized scoring acumen. Then again, I would gladly get rid of everyone on this roster outside of Gaborik right about now. But Arty is fourth (after Redden, Brashear and Rozy) because he has been nothing but a liability. Put him back in Hartford to let him help Geno Grachev grow and bring in Locke, who helped P.A. score 10 goals and 10 assists in 13 games with the Pack this season.

*Did I mention that Mike Rupp had a hat trick? Because he did. I'm not kidding. Mike Rupp. Really. Two goals by Crosby, no surprise. Three by Mike Rupp. Shocking. Disgusting.

*Donald Brashear took a bad penalty, didn't fight to defend his teammates, didn't fight to spark his team ... and yet he was one of the best forwards in blue after Avery and Gabby. That is how far we have sunk. For shame. Let me point out that Brash yet again could have fought Eric Godard but didn't, seeing as Godard would kick the crap out of him.

*Talking about crap, Rupp.

*I am thinking we will be able to get a fifth or sixth rounder for Higgins at the trade deadline. What do you think? We will be well out of the playoff hunt by then and he certainly isn't going to be re-signed so a fifth rounder would be fair, right?

*Chris Bourque had one great shift in the second period where he burned in on the left wing with some amazing speed, forced a turnover and got a great shot off. We can expect the same from his brother Ryan in two years, he will be a nice addition to the team.

*Mike Rupp.

*For the second game Torts jumbled the defensive pairings. It was long past due but what he changed them to is just not good. Staal and Rozy are the top pairing, leading to way too much ice time for Rozy. MDZ and Girardi don't seem to be comfortable with each other and Hobey Gilroy and Bobby Sanguinetti are too much of the same thing. Especially since Bobby hasn't gotten his NHL legs under him yet.

*You know what the great thing is about the Rangers not playing until Saturday? They can't lose any more games until then.

*Drafted by the Islanders and the Devils, helped the Devils to a Cup, played with the Danbury Trashers of the UHL during the lockout because he is garbage himself: Mike Rupp.

*How the hell was Girardi's bump on Rupp a boarding? Or, more precisely, how soon until body contact is eliminated from the NHL?

*Well, at least Gena Malkin didn't do anything.

*PHW Three Stars
3-Sidney Crosby - two goals and one assist.
2-Marian Gaborik - two goals.
1-Mike Rupp - hat trick.

Scotty Hockey Three Stars
3-Gaborik - The Lone Ranger.
2-Crosby - Cindy can score, that's for sure.
1-Rupp - A hat trick. There is no god.

As Expected ...

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent defenseman Alexei Semenov.

Semenov, 28, skated in 47 games with San Jose last season, registering one goal and eight points, along with 57 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in games played, assists (seven) and points. In addition, Semenov skated in his 200th career NHL game on March 7 at Vancouver.

The 6-6, 245-pounder has skated in 211 career regular season contests with the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and San Jose Sharks, recording seven goals and 26 assists for 33 points, along with 249 penalty minutes. In 2003-04, Semenov represented Edmonton at the NHL All-Star Weekend as a participant in the NHL YoungStars Game, registering one assist in the contest. As a rookie in 2002-03, Semenov notched his first NHL assist on January 20 at Calgary and tallied his first NHL goal on February 7 against Calgary.

Prior to joining the professional ranks, Semenov skated in 158 career OHL contests over three seasons with the Sudbury Wolves, registering 30 goals and 80 assists for 110 points, along with 269 penalty minutes. He captured the Max Kaminsky Trophy, as the most outstanding defenseman as voted by the OHL general managers, following the 2000-01 season.

The Murmansk, Russia native was originally Edmonton’s second round choice, 36th overall, in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Wow, Glen Sather signing a Glen Sather draft pick. What a surprise. Semenov has showed some skills during the preseason but has also shown just how bad he can be. He will be fine for a seventh defenseman but I have a bad feeling that he will become Igor Ulanov and end up as a hated part of the regular rotation. At least he comes cheaper than Ulanov did; Gross says one year, just over 500k. Still, he isn't a defenseman opposing coaches have to plan against ...

”The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.”

A Bronx Tale was a great movie and that line by Bob De Niro has never rung so true now that the Nik Zherdev era has ended in New York. This morning the Rangers officially told Zherdev to walk away, as expected. It's no big shock, and definitely not heartbreaking.

If you want heartbreaking, read this.

But there is hope on the horizon, not for Redden, but for the Rangers. Ales Kotalik should prove to be an able stopgap while Evgeny Grachev learns the professional game. The cap space left in Z's wake should go to whoever will be first-line center - whether that be in the form of re-signing Brandon Dubinsky or dealing him for someone more experienced and not as brash and cocky. We'll just have to wait and see what Sather has up his sleeve next ...

Disgraceful

All of the massive goodwill that Glen earned by dealing away the MexiCan't is now gone as Sather has signed Donald Brashear.

Brashear is the worse kind of criminal in hockey and has no place on a NHL roster, much less ours.

The Washington Press tried to spin Brashear's idiotic actions as a product of his hard luck story but the fact is this - Brashear is an animal. Tortorella at times would give Andre Roy one shift per game, Brashear doesn't even deserve that.

If this is some kind of nonsensical PR trick to appeal to the Ice Hockey in Harlem kids, it won't work (Al Montoya anyone?). Color and creed doesn't matter, what is done on the ice does and what Brashear has done is inexcusable and has no place in New York.

I feel sick to my stomach. It is a good thing that the Rangers forced us to pay up front for our season tickets because I wouldn't have renewed.

NHL Draft '09 Late Reaction

Since I posted earlier, the Rangers drafted four more guys and made a pair of trades. Let's take a look:

Fifth Round
127th overall - Roman Horak - A Czech who played for HC České Budějovice last season, he saw some guest action with the men but primarily played junior. Hockey's Future makes him sound like the second coming of Nik Zherdev - good skills but unmotivated. Great.

140th overall - Scott Stajcer - A big goalie who managed a .500 record on a terrible Owen Sound squad in the OHL. Much like the second round pick Werek, Stajcer had to have a big CHL Top Prospects game to draw some heads and did. Being able to take advantage of big opportunities is a good skill and it is nice to see the Rangers recognize that. There is an interesting audio interview with him here.

Sixth Round
170th overall - Daniel Maggio - A decent-sized kid from Sudbury (6-3, 198), the defenseman is trying to get over knee problems and will definitely return to the OHL next season. I won't even begin to guess at skills and upside so make sure to head to Prospect Park later for a real evaluation as I am sure Jess actually saw him play.

Seventh Round
200th overall - Mikhail Pashnin - Pashnin was the first overall pick in the KHL draft so you have to imagine he won't be joining the Blueshirts. But, just in case, the Rangers added the rights to the slick-skating defenseman. Just in case.

Trades
*The Rangers dealt their third fifth-round pick, No. 151 overall, to Pittsburgh Penguins for a goalie: Chad Johnson, a 2006 fourth-round pick from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Just like Matt Zaba, this kid put up good numbers in college and received some accolades but still has a way to go before becoming a NHL goaltender. But, considering we were worried about organizational depth in net, getting Johnson and Stajcer in the same day was good work by the brass.

*The Rangers traded next year's third round pick to L.A. for former first round pick Brian Boyle. At 6'7, 250 Boyle is massive. He also isn't particularly good. For the Kings this is a steal as they get a return for someone who couldn't even make their terrible team despite a distinct hole up the middle. I had him in fantasy hockey and was all-too-often disappointed last season. For the Rangers, they get a big body to throw out on the ice to get pummeled in Colton Orr's place. Boyle will stand up for his teammates but isn't a enforcer. As a former defenseman, Boyle is more of a fourth line defensive center - essentially Blair Betts' replacement.

Zipay spoke to Sather, who said that Betts could be wooed by Edmonton. Yet again I get to watch my favourite player leave the team. And you guys wonder why I dislike this team so ... Sather also told Zip that he didn't qualify RFA Freddie Sjostrom so say goodbye to the NHL's top penalty kill. But considering that the team will be so much more disciplined - following the example set by the coach - we won't have to worry about killing penalties, right?

NHL Draft '09 First Round Reaction

Much like the NBA on Thursday evening, the biggest news to come out of the night of the NHL's draft came in the form of a big trade. The Philadelphia Flyers dealt their future for Chris Pronger. Lupul, Sbisa and a host of top picks for Pronger, who is perfect for Philly. He is mean, he hits hard, he cheats and he isn't very bright. To quote Slap Shot, as I so love to do, "for the sake of the game, they oughta throw him in San Quentin. He is a criminal element!" Pronger is as much as a goon as Chris Simon ever was and has skated off virtually scot-free because he is one helluva hockey player.

And now he is in the Atlantic Division with us.

As my buddy Eric said, now we have to keep Colton Orr. Orrsie has always been huge in keeping the Flyers in check and always stepped up his play against them. And now they have a monster on defense. Not good, not good at all.

Speaking of not good at all, my loathing for the Isles knows no bounds. Forget Tavares, hearing them make deal after deal and then select an idiot who can't even put a hat on his head properly made my night. Calvin De Haan? Really? Terrible pick for a terrible franchise.

Then again, De Haan will actually get a shot at the NHL in the next two, three years. The kid the Rangers picked should make the team right around the time that Wade Redden's contract comes up. Chris Kreider may be the top skater in the draft but it has to be mentioned that he has looked so good skating for Andover - a U.S. high school - against kids two, three years younger and while playing just 26 games. Bring up Brian Leetch all you like, Leetchie dominated averaging three, four points a game and played in three World Juniors. He then played a year in college and a year against top competition with Team USA before getting an Olympics under his belt. This Kreider kid will not see anything remotely close to professional-quality play for a long time.

Maybe he will turn into a NHL star, maybe he won't - we all know this is a crap-shoot and I am not going to bet against him. My biggest issue with the decision to pick Kreider is that it shows that the Ranger organization has no feasible plan. No direction. Are they looking to win right now? Are they looking to win a few years with Callahan and Dubinsky? Is Sather just killing time until retirement? Which should come right around the time this project player is ready for the NHL (hopefully, then again Iron Maiden sang that 'evil seems to live forever').

The prevailing thought is that the Garden brass doesn't believe in rebuilding, they want a winner. If that was the case, then the Rangers should have dealt the pick. If Tortorella is to be believed in that they have to build a winner (and thus justifying his decision to bench Avery), then they draft to fill a need and a power forward like Caron or Ashton would have been ideal. If they have no clue, then they throw a dart at the wall and hope that it sticks. Tonight they went that way and the dart landed on a virtually-unknown quantity that is a American high school player.

As someone who bent over and took the MSG ticket increase right in the wrong spot, I am disappointed by the decision to pick Kreider. By the time he makes the team I will almost certainly be priced out of the building and will be that much more sore for having gone through the experience. Perhaps Sather and the Rangers will pull something off tomorrow or next Wednesday to provide some lotion heading into this season. Man do I hope, cause this hurts ...

Four Free Agents Worth The Fight

We all know the big names out there - Gaborik, the Sedins, Bouwmeester, etc. - but there are some others that are coming out of contract that could certainly help the Rangers. The hitch? The players have ties to their markets and might not be so willing to bounce to Broadway. Glancing at the list, I saw four guys I think that the Rangers should look at:

1- Steve Sullivan, Nashville: Let's get this right out of the way, no matter how well he says he is, Sullivan is an injury risk. He missed basically two seasons of hockey due to back problems and is beholden to Nashville for their patience in letting him take his time to make a comeback. He is also 34 and undersized at 5'9. However, he is a gritty hard worker who puts points on the board. He can score timely goals and kill penalties while setting a good example for teammates - basically a better version of the Chris Drury we had last season and he was only paid $3.2m. At his age and with his history, he should be willing to take a big pay cut while getting an incentive-laden deal.

2- Johnny Oduya, NJ: Sure the Rangers are deepest at defense, but you can't pass up the opportunity when a well-rounded player like him becomes available. Just 27 years old, the Swede is solid in all situations being smart in his own zone and a smooth puck mover. He made just $600k and even with a deserved raise should still be a bargain. And just think about how great it would be to take such a valuable asset away from the Devils! Poor Lou, it would be sweet justice for letting us take Gomez away (more on him later).

3- Chad LaRose, Carolina: A rough and tumble power winger who is unafraid to shoot or go to the tough areas to make plays, LaRose can't fight but shows a never-say-die attitude out on the ice. He is entering his prime at 27 and made $875k last year. He had just 31 points in 81 regular season games but stepped up his level of play in the postseason and collected 11 in 18. Canes fans call this guy the Chuck Norris of hockey and let's face it, that's pretty damn awesome.

4- Mikael Samuelsson, Detroit: This offseason will see just how greedy the former Ranger is. Because of the cap situation in Detroit, Samuelsson could very well be left on the outside looking in if he is hoping to double his $1.2m salary. But it is Detroit and most folks would be foolish to leave the best franchise in North American professional sports. At 32, the winger may have reached his peak as a secondary scorer but he is quite capable on the power play, something no Ranger was last season.

And while I am just throwing stuff out there, how is this for a trade proposal: Rangers trade Scott Gomez and one of their second round draft picks to either Colorado or Atlanta for their first round pick (third or fourth overall). Since Joe Sakic may just retire, his $6 mil will come off the Aves' books so they would be able to handle Gomez's contract and he could slide in behind Paul Stastny as the second line center he has always been with speedy wingers like Svatos or Wolski to work with. Bleacher Report had a post pitching Drury to be dealt back to Denver in a blockbuster with Bobby Sanguinetti for the pick and Milan Hejduk but I can't see Dru fitting in under the new regime, Bobby being traded or Hejduk willing to come to NY. In Atlanta Gomez would give Kovalchuk the puck distributor he has been missing since Savvy went to Boston.

As for the Rangers, they would get the game-breaking talent player they need so badly. If its the three spot, then stud center Matt Duchene would be the pick. Duchene has played with Future Blue Bobby and Evgeny Grachev and THN calls him "one of the best two-way prospects outside the NHL." If a deal with Atlanta goes through, the Rangers could grab Luke Schenn's brother Brayden, who can score and has his sibling's toughness. THN said scouts liken him to Mike Richards, and you all remember just how good Mike Richards is.

Päivää Ilkka

As you may have read, the Rangers followed up the Hobey Baker signing of Matt Gilroy by adding a defenseman to possibly work with him in Ilkka Heikkinen.

"The 6-2, 200-pounder has appeared in 283 career SM-liiga games with Lukko Rauma and HIFK Helsinki, collecting 31 goals and 82 assists for 113 points, along with 255 penalty minutes." - official NYR release

This is a move that actually broke earlier over on Hfboards, where some of the loyal lions offered a breakdown, along with the news. As far as I can tell, Heikkinen is a little bit of a tougher version of Christian Backman - some offensive potential with a deficient willingness to put it all on the line ... ok, maybe Backman, maybe Nik Zherdev. But unlike Zherdev, there is no real pressure on this kid to perform, no highlight reels of drool-inducing moves. There are some Youtube clips where it is hard to see him, and where it is very hard to compare the level of play considering the Finnish league is far from the NHL.

So we really don't know exactly what we have here and just have to rely on the skill of head Euro scout Christer Rockstrom to say he will be worth the jersey. The last Scandic import, the Avery-replacement wanna-be/never-was Andreas Jamtin didn't last too long on this side of the pond. Two good things - both of which are quite unrelated and are significant stretches - that work in Heikkinen's favour is that another Ilkka (Sinisalo) had himself a nice career in the NHL and the last Finnish defenseman that I can think of who came to Broadway was Reijo Ruotsalainen, a player Glen Sather lusted after and cherished back in his former, actually successful life on Edmonton.

Now we know that Sather's recent signings have been ... lacking ... and he seems to be building up a stable of blueliners on a team in desperate need of scorers but perhaps there is a master plan and Illka will be part of it. This time of year, we are forced to wait and see and hope and pray and fret and second guess and look at the teams still playing with jealous eyes.

Man, I hate the offseason.

Stalk Or Let Him Walk?

The Rangers have a slew of free agents-to-be come July 1st. Puck Central did his look at them last week and I figured I would throw my $.02 in on which players Glen Sather should Stalk and which he needs to decide to Let Him Walk.

First off, Valley has already apparently signed an extension for next season already to remain as the backup goaltender. As he will make the same salary - $725k - this isn't a bad deal. He went 5-5-2 with four bad games - early season losses to Toronto (the five goal blitzkrieg), Ottawa and the 10-2 Dallas disaster and the shootout loss/Ilya Kovalchuk show in Atlanta. They say he is good in the room and he clearly shows up to work so I guess it is a good thing. Still, you have to wonder a little about the future as this shows that Benoit Allaire didn't feel either Miika Wiikman and Matt Zaba were ready despite both putting up solid seasons in the AHL (.920 save percentage for Zaba in 41 games? Wow.).

Taking the goaltender out of the equation, NHLNumbers still has 14 players heading to free agency, half of which are restricted. NHLSCAP has even more but seeing as they have a deal with Hockey Buzz, I don't trust them. So let's take a quick alphabetical gander at the guys we know are out - there aren't a whole lotta surprises:

Nik Antropov: He's big, he can score and he seems to care. At the same time, he doesn't hit and he has been hurt in the past. If the price tag is $4 mil or less a year (he made $2.15 this year), I say Stalk.

Joe Barnes: Forget about him? He is one of the guys we got back for sending Matt Cullen back to Carolina. He suffered a major knee injury last season and a major concussion this season but beyond his inclusion on Charlotte's IR, I can't find any news on him. His cap hit was all of $17,000; he won't be missed - Let Him Walk.

Mark Bell: The big Bell came over late and did well in Hartford at the end of the regular season - collecting 14 points in 18 games. Then he managed just one goal in five playoff games (missing one with injury). He made $2.5 mil on his last deal which is way more then he will get this time. Unless he was 18 ways of wonderful with the Pack kids, Let Him Walk no matter how little he will take to return.

Blair Betts: My opinion of Bettsy is well known - he is my favourite player. The best penalty killer, the calm and composed Betts rarely takes penalties and is one of the best in the biz in killing them off. He made 615k this season and deserves a raise - at least above Voros money (a cool mil). While I don't think Sather will give it to him and will let him go (just because that's my luck), I definitely think he should be Stalked into staying.

Ryan Callahan: The winner of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, Cally was the best player on the team from wire to wire. He made $600k and is a RFA so a three, four year deal at $3 million wouldn't be terrible - especially considering his durability and upside. Stalk.

Brandon Dubinsky: Now, Dubi has an even bigger upside but struggled through a rollercoaster of a sophomore season. He may just be capable of being a Ranger captain down the line, but if he wants a long term deal for stupid money, you have to see if anyone will sign him to an offer sheet. As he hasn't played four NHL seasons, he can't go to arbitration and he was a WHL Tom Renney favourite. Should Renney get installed as Edmonton's coach, perhaps they will try to poach him. Still, if he will accept a reasonable deal, I say Stalk.

Lauri Korpikoski: The Korpedo had some good moments this season. He also had some bad ones as he was plagued with rookie mistakes and a coach who couldn't decide where or how to use him (Renney). As an RFA, he is entitled to a qualifying offer of 105% of his $984k and getting another season to see how he progresses may be worth the extra bucks. Stalk.

Paul Mara: The lumberjack has professed his love for NY and made just under $2 million. Seeing as he was the steadiest defenseman this season, he is certainly worth bring back but not for much more than what he was making. Considering he saw second unit power play time and we know how the special team fared, he might not be a big target for other teams so getting him for a discount may be possible. Stalk, with an eye on letting him walk if he doesn't flourish in NHL season No. 2.

Derek Morris: Seeing as Mike Sauer and Corey Potter proved jut as capable as playing as Morris did, the overpriced veteran can be shown the door. Had he come in and scored a dozen power play goals with that shot that they claimed he still had and hit everything that moved, I would say try to get him at a half price from his $3.95 mil salary but he didn't so see ya ... Let Him Walk.

Colton Orr: While us fans loved having one of the best bruisers in the business, the head coach clearly didn't trust him and benched him in the playoffs. Seeing what happened without him, you have to hope that even the obstinate Tortorella was able to learn a lesson and will insist Sather bring him back. Stalk.

Corey Potter: Tom Renney didn't trust him but Renney was a fool. Poised with the puck, Potter did well with his limited time and, as an RFA, certainly should be qualified to give him a chance to challenge for a spot on the Blueshirt blueline this fall. Stalk.

Pat Rissmiller: The former Shark didn't do anything for the Rangers but was a regular top line player on the farm. If he can find another team to give him one more kick at the NHL can, you have to say Let Him Walk.

Freddie Sjostrom: Just 25 years old, Sjoey hasn't found his scoring touch but his relentlessness and defensive acumen are certainly there. A restricted free agent who has been in the league for a while, he can go to arbitration. That should be avoided but knowing Sather it won't and the curmudgeon of a GM will point out his dearth of offense. Still, the affable Swede was solid on the ice and tight with Hank off of it so you gotta say Stalk.

Nik Zherdev: Another candidate for arbitration, if the Rangers don't take Zherdev there I would be shocked. Making $2.5 million now and ending up one of the leading scorers on a team that could hardly put the puck in the net, Z's agent could make a good case for a raise. While many of you guys appear to be entranced with his talent and youth (as seen in the comments of my report card), I have no patience for players with no heart and no fortitude. Let Him Walk.

NHLSCAP has five other free agents (all down on the farm) in Vlad Denisov, Dane Byers, Greg Moore, Matt Zaba and Pierre Parenteau with PA being the only UFA. If another team will give Moore a chance to make their NHL roster, let him go. I believe Denisov got a three year entry level contract before last season but could be wrong; he is a mediocre AHL guy so I would Let Him Walk if not. Byers, Zaba and Parenteau all should be Stalked - Byers has a huge upside and could become a Torts favourite, Zaba broke out when Wiikman was hurt and Parenteau can score. The Rangers need to make sure that if they are going to re-sign him they need to make sure he won't have to go through waivers to be called up (duh) - he would have been a nice addition to spark the Ranger offense during the midwinter doldrums.

Coming soon: a look at some free agents to be who might be worth checking out.

Yes Glen, It Is Time For A Change

Well, now that Glen Sather has managed to shove the blame for his failings upon someone else yet again, I figured it might be good to look at just what he has done. Sather was officially hired by the Rangers June 1st, 2000. Let's take a look at some of his more memorable works - both good and bad - using Outside The Garden's transaction listings ...

July 1st, 2000 - Signed Vladimir Malakhov for four years for $14 million

June 24th, 2001 - Traded Adam Graves to San Jose for Mikael Samuelsson

August 20th, 2001 - Traded Jan Hlavac, Kim Johnsson, Pavel Brendl and 2003 3rd Round Pick to Philadelphia for Eric Lindros

March 18th, 2002 - Traded Igor Ulanov, Filip Novak, 2002 1st Round Pick, 2002 2nd Round Pick and 2003 4th Round Pick to Florida for Pavel Bure and 2002 2nd Round Pick

March 19th, 2002 - Traded Mike York and 2002 4th Round Pick to Edmonton for Tom Poti and Rem Murray

June 26th, 2002 - Traded Theo Fleury to San Jose for a 2002 6th Round Pick

July 1st, 2002 - Signed Bobby Holik for five years for $45 million

July 2nd, 2002 - Signed Darius Kasparaitus for six years for $25.5 million

December 12th, 2002 - Traded Tomas Kloucek, Rem Murray and Marek Zidlicky to Nashville for Mike Dunham

January 8th, 2003 - Traded 2004 4th Round Pick to Chicago for Boris Mironov

February 10th, 2003 - Traded Samuelsson, Joel Bouchard, Rico Fata, Richard Lintner and cash to Pittsburgh for Alexei Kovalev, Dan Lacouture, Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson

March 11th, 2003 - Traded Radek Dvorak and Cory Cross to Edmonton for Anson Carter and Ales Pisa

August 14th, 2003 - Re-signed Tom Poti for two years at $5.9 million

September 3rd, 2003 - Signed Boris Mironov for one year at $1,925,000

January 23rd, 2004 - Traded Anson Carter to Washington for Jaromir Jagr and cash

March 2nd, 2004 - Traded Alexei Kovalev to Montreal for Josef Balej and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 3rd, 2004 - Traded Briant Leetch and a Conditional Draft Pick to Toronto for Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a 2004 1st Round Pick and a 2005 2nd Round Pick

March 3rd, 2004 - Traded Petr Nedved and Jussi Markkanen to Edmonton for Dwight Helminen, Stephen Valiquette and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 6th, 2004 - Traded Chris Simon and Conditional 2004 7th Round Draft Pick to Calgary for Jamie McLenna, Blair Betts and Greg Moore

March 8th, 2004 - Traded Matt Barnaby and a 2004 3rd Round Pick to Colorado for Chris McAllister, David Liffiton and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 8th, 2004 - Traded Vladimir Makarov to Philadelphia for Rick Kozak and a 2005 2nd Round Draft Pick

March 9th, 2004 - Traded Martin Rucinsky to Vancouver Canucks for R J Umberger and Martin Grenier

March 9th, 2004 - Traded Greg de Vries to Ottawa for Karel Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux

August 10th, 2004 - Signed Michael Nylander for three years for $8.9 million

July 29th, 2005 - Paid out Bobby Holik

August 2nd, 2005 - Signed Marek Malik for three years for $7.5 million

August 2nd, 2005 - Signed Martin Straka for one year for $3 million

October 7th, 2005 - Traded Jozef Balej to Vancouver with conditional pick for Fedor Fedorov

January 8th, 2006 - Traded Maxim Kondratiev for Petr Sykora and 2007 4th round pick

March 9th, 2006 - Traded 2006 3rd Round Pick to Anaheim for Sandis Ozolinsh

July 1st, 2006 - Signed Matt Cullen for four years for $11.2 million

July 3rd, 2006 - Signed Aaron Ward for two years for $5.5 million

July 9th, 2006 - Signed Brendan Shanahan for one year for $4 million

February 5th, 2007 - Traded Jan Marek, Marc-Andre Cliche and Jason Ward for Sean Avery and John Seymour

July 1st, 2007 - Signed Scott Gomez for seven years for $51.5 million

July 1st, 2007 - Signed Chris Drury for five years for $35.25 million

July 17th, 2007 - Traded Matt Cullen to Carolina for Andrew Hutchinson, Joe Barnes and a 2008 3rd Round Pick

February 26th, 2008 - Traded Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to Phoenix for Fredrik Sjostrom, Josh Gratton and David LeNeveu

February 26th, 2008 - Traded 6th Round pick to St. Louis for Christian Backman

July 1st, 2008 - Signed Aaron Voros for three years for $3 million

July 1st, 2008 - Signed Wade Redden for six years for $39 million

July 2nd, 2008 - Traded Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman to Columbus for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche

Tom Renney came in just prior to the lockout to finish off a terrible season, and then guided the franchise through the "new" NHL and into the playoffs three straight years. If/when John Tortorella fails to bring in a even playoff team this year he will be let off the hook. But no Cup by 2012? Let's hope that Sather is the one to take the fall then ...

I Hate You Glen

Just Make Him Stop!

As the Rangers prepare to play the Isles, the beat writers have decided to pick up on the story that RFA-to-be Nik Zherdev and the Blueshirts have begun negotiations for a new contract.

Unfortunately the "him" in my headline is not Nik Zherdev. It's Glen Sather.

Giving Glen the ability to negotiate contracts, especially long-term deals, is like giving the keys to a 95 year old man who can't see over the steering wheel. He may have once had the ability to drive, but that day has long past and now he can't even see the road.

Talking to Z is a lot more reasonable than, say, handing a six year deal to an underachieving 31 year old defenseman who was ran out of his last city. But the only thing that mercurial Zherdev has proven thus far in his tenure as a Ranger is that he is unreliable. To hand a player like that a long term deal is simply dangerous. Yes, Z could turn into a game-breaking skill forward like Ilya Kovalchuk. He could also get bored of the NHL in a year or two and run home like Alexei Morozov. Or he could simply turn into an albatross around the neck of the Rangers like ... I donno, Scott Gomez.

Big money, long-term contracts should be reserved home grown products who have bright futures. They should not be handed to players heading into the downside of their careers (Redden), players who have never averaged a point per game (Chris Drury), players who have no heart (Gomez) or players who were other teams' problems (Z).

While the thought of allowing a player with Z's talent slip away is a little saddening, as an RFA the Rangers would get draft picks in return. Then again, if he would be so inclined to come back on a one or two year stint at a reasonable rate then, sure, bring him back. But to just throw cash blindly at players of dubious talent/character/motivation is just foolish.

Glen, please, put the pen down and step away from the desk. Slowly, slowly, slowly ...

Are You Kidding?

This is ridiculous:

[Toronto] has acquired forward Lee Stempniak from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo and forward Alex Steen.

The Leafs utterly rob the Blues, getting a solid young American scoring winger for Thomas Steen's disappointing son and Don Cherry's favourite, the oft-injured Colaiacovo. That is insane. Glen Sather couldn't get Stempniak for a package of Prucha or Dawes and/or the oft-injured Mike Sauer or picks? This is twice this franchise passed up on getting Stemper - the first being the mistaken drafting of his Dartmouth teammate Huge Mistake Hugh Jessiman. Ugh.