How Does Chris Drury Stack Up Against His Predecessors?

Before I begin, I'd like to state for the record that I am, by no means, an apologist for Chris Drury. I make it a point never to hold anyone's water. It's just that with all the vitriol the man has been getting over the last few weeks, a sober and objective look at his tenure as Rangers GM seemed to be in order. 

One of the advantages of being 64 years old is that I've had the "pleasure" of living through a litany of Rangers general managers over the last six decades, and with a couple of notable exceptions, their track record makes Drury look like Sam Pollock. By the way, if you don't know who Sam Pollock is, that might be your problem. I couldn't help but notice that the vast majority of the Drury haters on Twitter were probably in diapers or grade school the last time this franchise won a Stanley Cup. Perspective for many people these days is a four-letter word.

Anyway, one of the best ways to evaluate a general manager is to compare him with his predecessors. So with that in mind, I thought I'd go all the way back to the mid-1970s and start there. Hopefully this will help some of you through your "grief."

John Ferguson (1976 - 78). Ferguson replaced Emile Francis as GM in January of '76 and tore down what was left of the core Francis had assembled. His most "memorable" moves were trading Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge and (I hope you're sitting down for this one) bypassing Mike Bossy in the '77 Amateur Draft for Lucien DeBlois. Yep, you heard right. Ferguson could've had one of the greatest pure goal scorers in NHL history and elected instead to take a player who couldn't carry Bossy's skates. Lucky for Fergie they didn't have Twitter in those days. Grade C

Fred Shero (1978 - 80). The Fog, as he was known, gets credit for signing the Swedes - Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg - and for coaching the Rangers to the Cup finals in '79. But he also lost Nick Fotiu and Pierre Plante in the expansion draft that summer, took Doug Sulliman over Brian Propp in the Amateur Draft and overpaid for Barry Beck. A painful reminder of why GM - head coaches rarely make it in the NHL. Grade B-

Craig Patrick (1980 - 86): After coaching the team to a surprising appearance in the '81 semifinals, Patrick hired his former boss Herb Brooks to run the bench. From '82 to '84, the Rangers had the satisfaction of knowing they were probably the second best team in the Patrick Division. Unfortunately for them, the Islanders just happened to play in the same division. The Blueshirts lost four straight years to their suburban rivals. Despite all that, Patrick did an outstanding job assembling an otherwise good team. He also drafted Mike Richter in '85 and Brian Leetch in '86. Grade A-

Phil Esposito (1986 - 89): Trader Phil's tenure in New York was marred by questionable trades and equally questionable hires. The worst of those trades was Mike Ridley and Kelly Miller for Bobby Carpenter. He then flipped Carpenter for Marcel Dionne. He gave up a first round pick to hire Michel Bergeron as coach, only to fire him on April Fool's Day. Espo might well have traded Brian Leetch had he not been fired in '89. Grade C-

Neil Smith (1989 - 2000): Without question, the franchise's best GM since Emile Francis, Smith's acquisitions of Jeff Beukaboom, Adam Graves, Mark Messier, Esa Tikkaknen and Kevin Lowe turned the Rangers into bonafide contenders. But it was his decision to hire Mike Keenan as coach in '93 and his deadline trades for Stephane Matteau, Brian Noonan and Craig MacTavish in '94 that helped end the Blueshirts 54 year Cup drought that spring. To be fair, though, he passed on the chance to land Brendan Shanahan in '96 and was principally responsible for driving Messier out of town in '97. Grade A

Glen Sather (2000 - 15): Perhaps the most polarizing GM to ever hold the position. During the first four years of Sather's reign, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs. His free-agent signings of Wade Redden and Bobby Holik are considered to be the two worst in franchise history. He also traded away Brian Leetch on his birthday after he pleaded with Sather not to trade him. It wasn't all doom and gloom during Sather's tenure. He hired Tom Renney, John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault as coaches, and under Vigneault, the Rangers advanced to the finals for the first time since '94. He also hired Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury as assistants. Grade B

Jeff Gorton (2015 - 21): Ironically, his claim to fame was that infamous 2018 memo informing the fanbase that the team was going into rebuild mode. He then ended the rebuild early by trading for Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox and then signing Artemi Panarin. But when it looked like the Rangers were going to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season, owner James Dolan grew impatient. After the Tom Wilson incident at the Garden, he finally had seen enough. He fired both Gorton and his boss, team president John Davidson. Ironically, most of the current roster consists of players Gorton acquired either through the draft, trades or signings. Grade B+

Chris Drury (2021 - Present): The book is still out on Drury. He beefed up the team his first summer, and has used the trade deadline effectively to improve his team's prospects in the playoffs. But he's also had a couple of questionable free agent signings. After a disappointing loss in the Eastern Conference finals last year, Drury decided the core needed an overhaul. He successfully managed to unload the contracts of both Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba without any salary retention, he re-acquired J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks and he's revamped the defense corp. Regardless of whether the Rangers make the playoffs or not, he will need to make further changes to the roster over the summer. By far, this will be the most consequential offseason of his tenure. Grade B+

So there you have it: every GM the Rangers have had going back 49 years. The good, the bad, the ehh. Any reasonably objective assessment of Drury would conclude that he is far from the worst this organization has had. Indeed, one could argue that given what he's had to work with, he's done a fairly good job, hence the B+ grade.

But then what do I know? I'm just an old fart who's been watching this team since Richard Nixon was in the White House. And for your edification, that's a fucking long time!

It's Miller Time

Make no mistake about it, the New York Rangers were twenty minutes away from not only losing their fourth straight game, but from finding themselves on the exit ramp as far as the playoffs were concerned. After a crushing loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the final seconds of regulation, the Blueshirts followed that up with two uninspiring performances against the Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins. The reason they were only trailing the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 going into the third period was because Jonathan Quick was keeping them in the game. Their postseason hopes were on the brink.

That's when the prodigal son came through. With the Rangers on the power play, J.T. Miller took a cross ice pass from Artemi Panarin and fired a shot towards Adin Hill that he was unable to handle. Mika Zibanejad pounced on the loose puck and deposited it in the back of the net to tie the game. A few minutes later, K'Andre Miller blasted a shot from the left point that beat Hill cleanly to give New York a 3-2 lead. And with under two minutes left in regulation, and the Rangers on another power play, Panarin scored the insurance goal to ice the game. J.T. Miller assisted on that goal as well.

In just two games since returning to the Rangers, Miller has two goals and two assists. He was the lone bright spot in Boston, scoring twice and leading the team with six shots on goal. Against Vegas, he was a plus 2 and was on the ice for three of the Rangers four goals. His presence has been felt both on the bench and on the ice. How significant has Miller been? Mika Zibanaejad had his best game of the season with a goal and two assists, playing on Miller's right side with Panarin on the left. The trio combined for two goals and six assists. It's no exaggeration to say that every time that line was on the ice they were creating scoring chances. 

Peter Laviolette has gotten a lot of criticism this season - most of it justified - for the way his team has played. But his decision to unite his three best offensive players is, for now at least, an unqualified success. Most coaches would've just buried Zibanajead on the third line given the way he's played, but Laviolette realized - correctly, I might add - that if this team is going to make a run at the playoffs, it will need contributions from number 93. Credit him for that much.

But it wasn't just the three points Zibanejad registered that was noteworthy. He looked like a man possessed out there. He battled all game long. He kept the puck in the zone on the Rangers first power play goal. Frankly, I haven't seen him play with this much intensity in well over a year. If Miller can motivate this guy, this might just go down as the most consequential Rangers trade since October of 1991. Yes, I went there. But before you get on my case, I'm not suggesting that J.T. Miller is Mark Messier. I may be old but I'm not senile. What I am suggesting is that Miller, like Messier before him, is a passionate player who can't stand losing. I'm positive that's what led to his "leave of absence" earlier in the year, which eventually led to his exit out of Vancouver. Sometimes you're the cancer; other times you're the cure. In this case, Chris Drury is hoping it's the latter.

And speaking of Drury, his detractors might end up eating crow before the season is out. Since last summer he has unloaded both Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba without retaining a cent of their respective salaries; acquired two stay at home defensemen in Urho Vaakanainen and Will Borgen who have solidified a blue line that was as leaky as the RMS Titanic; and landed a number one center in Miller for a player whose next shift might well be his last and a lottery protected first round draft pick. 

As a result of his wheeling and dealing, the Rangers currently have $9.3 million in available cap space, which translates to $16.5 million in deadline cap space, meaning if the Rangers actually do make a run at the postseason, Drury will have a boatload of cap space at his disposal to further tweak this roster. Maybe he isn't Mr. Congeniality, but the guy knows his shit. He's ten times the GM Glen Sather ever was. 

But all that may be irrelevant if the Rangers don't make the postseason. After last night's win, they're currently five points out. Between now and the NHL trade deadline on March 7, the Blueshirts play eleven games. All but three are against teams that are currently in the playoffs. Conservatively speaking, New York will have to win at least eight of those games in order to get within striking distance of a wildcard spot; no small feat given how erratic they've been. 

Indeed, for the Rangers to avoid being only the third team in NHL history to miss the playoffs after winning the Presidents trophy the season before, they will likely have to go 21-8-1 over their last 30 games. They would then finish with a record of 46-31-5 for 97 points. And even that might not be enough to get in. That's how tight the playoff race is in the Eastern Conference this year.

The problem with digging a hole halfway to China is that sometimes you wind up closer to downtown Beijing than you do to midtown Manhattan.

Rangers In A Free Fall

I have watched the New York Rangers since 1971. Trust me. I have gone through my fair share of downturns. 1976-78, 1987-89, 1998-04 & 2018-21. The 1998-04 period was particularly rough. No playoffs and some of the worst trades in franchise history. But in all that time I have never seen what happened Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The team I have followed since I was 10 years old did the equivalent of a lay down in front of 18,000 loyal paying fans. It was a pathetic performance from a group of players that last season won the Presidents' Trophy. 

I have tried as hard as I can to wrap my head around what is going on here and quite frankly I'm stumped. Not only is this team not playing well, it doesn't appear to be even trying. Against the LA Kings, they looked listless and uninspiring; as if they didn't give a shit. Small wonder they were booed off the ice after the game.

The Rangers have lost 9 of their last 12 games. At 15-13-1, they are currently in 5th place in the Metropolitan Division. Not only would they fail to make the playoffs if the season ended today, with 31 points, they are actually closer to the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference than they are to the top. Thank God for the Montreal Canadiens and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

I've heard all kinds of explanations for the dumpster fire currently residing at Penn Plaza. It's Chris Drury's fault for mishandling the Barclay Goodrow waiver and the Jacob Trouba trade; it's Peter Laviolette's fault for not being tough enough with his players. I call bullshit on both. 

True, Drury could've done a better job with both situations, but what was he supposed to do? The Rangers needed cap space badly and, let's face it, Goodrow and Trouba were the logical choices to be moved over the summer. The same people who are now bemoaning the way Goodrow and Trouba were treated couldn't wait to send them packing a few months ago. It was nothing short of a miracle that Drury got every penny of their cap hit off the books without surrendering anything of value in exchange. But by all means let's make him the bad guy.

Did you see what happened down in Tampa Bay? Julien BriseBois did everything except drive Steven Stamkoss to the airport; then turned around and signed Jake Guentzel to replace him. Stamkoss had played his entire NHL career with the Lightning and BriseBois showed him all the love and respect of a worn out lightbulb. Last time I checked the Bolts were in 4th place in the Atlantic Division, currently holding onto the number one wild card spot.

Spoiler alert: players get waived and traded all the time in professional sports. It's part of the business. Yes, Trouba was the captain. Guess what? Captains get traded too. Ask Brian Leetch what being a captain means. He was traded to the Boston Bruins literally on his birthday, two weeks after he asked Glen Sather not to be. General managers aren't paid to be guidance counselors or therapists; they're paid to put a competitive team on the ice. And in a league that has a hard salary cap, sometimes they have to make tough decisions about who stays and who goes.

Regarding Laviolette, yes, I'd like him to be tougher on his players. But last season this head coach, who, it should be noted, guided three different teams to the Stanley Cup finals and one to a Cup championship, was principally responsible for this team not only winning the Presidents' Trophy but setting a franchise record for most wins and points in a single season. Had they not faced the Florida Panthers, they would've made it to the finals. All of a sudden he's fucking Jean-Guy Talbot? Please spare me. 

David Quinn was too tough; Gerard Gallant wasn't tough enough. What's the excuse with Laviolette? He parts his hair on the wrong side? I agree with Larry Brooks: this core doesn't get to fire another coach. Besides, the way this team is playing, Scotty Bowman wouldn't make a difference. If you're looking for someone to put the blame on, how about the players? Last time I checked, they're the ones wearing the uniforms. Is it Laviolette's fault that Mika Zibanaejad can't hit a wide open net? Or that Ryan Lindgren can't back check worth a damn? Or that Chris Kreider has become a statue on the ice? Or that the only goal Adam Fox has scored all season was an empty netter? How is it that on a team with this much talent, its best player is Will Cuylle?

Enough with the excuses; enough with the rationalizations. It's time this group of players took a long, hard look in the mirror and manned up. It is inconceivable that a team that went to the conference finals twice in the last three years could've fallen off the cliff this quickly. So the answer must lie elsewhere. 

What isn't the answer is firing the coach and/or GM. The truth is there's more than enough talent on this team to still make the postseason. Whether there's enough pride is another matter. 

Drury Nails His First Trade Deadline

Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan this wasn't. But then this isn't 1994 and these New York Rangers aren't a couple of players away from winning a Stanley Cup.

But while they may not be Cup contenders just yet, they are a far cry from last year's disappointment. Indeed, this group of players has proven to be one of the most resilient teams in the NHL, and as GM, Chris Drury had a responsibility to do what he could to enhance their prospects in the postseason, while also not mortgaging its future.

The trick was how to thread the needle, especially in what proved to be a seller's market. With visions of J.T. Miller and Patrick Kane dancing in the heads of Rangers fans, and teams like the Florida Panthers overpaying for rentals like Ben Chiarot, Drury bided his time and didn't panic. And for his patience and prudence, he was justly rewarded; he managed to fill not one, but four holes without sacrificing a single high-valued prospect.

Below are the players Drury acquired, all of whom are pending UFAs, what they bring to the table, and what they cost him.

Frank Vatrano, a 28 year-old forward from the Panthers who can play on either wing, brings size, speed and a deceptive shot. He scored 24 goals a few seasons back, but was being under utilized this season. While considered a bottom six player, head coach Gerard Gallant will probably use him on the second line with Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin until Kaapo Kakko returns sometime in April. Drury was able to pry him away for a fourth round pick in 2022. 

Justin Braun, a 35 year-old defenseman from the Philadelphia Flyers, who on a bad team was still a plus 3. His specialties include shot blocking, hits and clearing the slot. With a hundred playoff games under his belt - most of them for the San Jose Sharks - Gallant will use him on the third pairing with Patrik Nemeth. Since he's a righty, that means Braden Schneider will likely sit, which is a pity. Drury gave up a third round pick in 2023 to get him.

Tyler Motte, a 27 year-old winger from the Vancouver Canucks, has 7 goals this season and is another bottom six player. Gallant will probably use him on the second penalty-kill unit with Barclay Goodrow. With a healthy Kevin Rooney at center and Ryan Reaves at right wing, the Rangers will finally have a fully functional and effective fourth line going into the playoffs. A fourth round pick from 2023 was all it took to land Motte.

Andrew Copp, a 27 year-old center from the Winnipeg Jets. The pièce de résistance for Drury, Copp is a Swiss Army knife who can play center or either wing and has 13 goals and 35 points this season. With the Jets he played with Mark Scheifele, so it's not inconceivable that if Ryan Strome bolts over the summer, Copp could step in and center Panarin and Kakko next season. For now, though, Gallant will probably have him center the third line where his face-off prowess - 54 percent - will come in handy. To get Copp, Drury had to give up Morgan Barron, a fifth round pick in 2023 and two conditional second round picks, one of which becomes a first rounder if the Rangers make it to the Eastern Conference finals.

Considering the pressure Drury was under at the start of the season to get this team into the playoffs, I'd say he got quite a haul. Indeed, the only bone I have to pick here is potentially losing a first round pick for a player who may not even be with the team next year. If Drury can't re-sign Strome, he's going to need that pick to include in a package to secure his replacement. Then again, if the Rangers make it all the way to the conference finals, maybe it was worth it.

Not one of these players are what you would call elite. With Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Adam Fox, the Rangers have their fair share of elite players; what they don't have are enough depth players. The fact is the third and fourth lines have been embarrassments all season long. Face it, on any other playoff-caliber team Julien Gauthier and Greg McKegg would be in the AHL, and Dryden Hunt would be a healthy scratch. That all three were getting substantial minutes was simply not tenable anymore, and credit Drury for realizing that.

While the prospect of seeing J.T. Miller and Patrick Kane in a Rangers uniform was enticing, acquiring both would've meant gutting the organization's pipeline of talent and draft capital. And given that both players would be UFAs after the '23 season, you'd ostensibly be admitting to your fan base that the window for winning a Stanley Cup is this year and next.

No general manager in his right mind would ever be that reckless. Well, almost no general manager. In the "glory days" when Glen Sather was running the show, he was famous for signing high-priced free agents that turned out to be busts. Remember Wade Redden? Thankfully, Drury takes more after his predecessor Jeff Gorton than Sather.

Bottom line, Drury addressed every need the Rangers had going into the trade deadline. As a result, this team is much deeper and tougher to play against than it was a week ago. When Kakko and Rooney return, they will have one of the most balanced lineups in the NHL, similar to the kind of lineup Gallant had when he was head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Will they win the Cup? I still think the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning are the teams to beat in the East. And the Pittsburgh Penguins definitely got better with the acquisition of Rickard Rakell. But this much I can tell you: I wouldn't want to be the team that has to beat Igor Shesterkin four times in a best of seven series.

Claude Giroux to Rangers Makes Sense

Normally, I am not a huge believer in making mid-season blockbuster deals. Almost invariably they don't pan out. The lone exceptions are a) when a team is close to winning it all and needs that extra boost to put it over the top, or b) when a team is on a downward trajectory and is looking to clean house.

The Rangers have gone through both. In 1994, then GM Neil Smith traded away young talent to acquire the final pieces for what he believed would be the franchise's best chance of capturing its first Stanley Cup championship since 1940. In 2018, then GM Jeff Gorton came to the conclusion that the team he and Glen Sather had assembled had run its course and it was time to tear it down and start over.

Both men, as it turns out, were right in their assessments. Smith's moves got him his Cup later that Spring, though it came at a steep price; and Gorton's rebuild, though he is not around to enjoy it, has produced a team that is turning heads and making some rather loud noise.

That 1994 Rangers team will always be treasured by its fans. As for this year's team, the jury is still out. There are times when they play like Cup contenders; then there are times when their flaws are exposed by better, more competent teams. 

The loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday night could be explained away as simply a team that was exhausted after playing the night before and not getting back to New York until early in the morning. And to be honest, they looked sluggish from the opening draw. When you play like that against the second best offense in the league with a rookie goaltender in net, you're going to get lit up. And that's exactly what happened; the Avalanche scored five goals in the second period on their way to a 7-3 thrashing.

But I would be remiss if I didn't point out that this team, as exciting and fun as it's been to watch, has a few holes in it that need filling. And if Chris Drury is half the GM I think he is, he will be working the phones between now and the trade deadline in March looking to address them.

First off, let's put the kibosh on the Patrick Kane talk. Yes, he's an upgrade over anything the Rangers currently have on right wing, but the cost of acquiring him would be prohibitive. For starters, you'd be looking at giving up Kaapo Kakko, Nils Lundkvist, and a high-round draft pick for a 33 year-old forward with a $10.5 million cap hit who is a UFA after 2023. Even if the Blackhawks were willing to eat half of Kane's contract through next season - and that's a big if - the Rangers would still be on the hook for the remaining $5.25 million.

And that means any hope Drury has of re-signing Ryan Strome is all but gone. You didn't seriously think Strome's agent would be dumb enough to let his client sign a team-friendly deal to keep him on Broadway AFTER that team moved heaven and earth to land a player who's five years older and making twice the money, did you?

So, if the Rangers do indeed acquire Kane, it's with the understanding that the window to win a Cup is this year, and this year only. Anyone who thinks this is the correct move for a franchise coming out of a four-year rebuild has taken one too many pucks to the head. At least when Smith sold off his team's future, he already had a division title and a President's trophy under his belt. All Drury has at the moment is a team that has gotten off to a surprisingly good start.

But if it's not Kane, then who? That depends on which position Drury thinks needs more fortifying. The defense looks set. After a rough start, Patrik Nemeth seems to be settling in as Lundkvist's partner on the third pairing. So that leaves right wing and center in most need of attention.

Since Sammy Blais went down with a torn ACL, the Rangers have been scrambling to find a replacement for him. Let's face it: Julien Gauthier is not it. He has the speed and he has the size, he just can't finish. I swear if he had an empty net to shoot at he'd hit the cross bar. His one and only goal of the season came as a result of a turnover he caused against the Montreal Canadiens. Between him and Dryden Hunt, at least Hunt knows what to do with the puck when he gets it on his stick.

With that in mind, I am on record as saying the logical move to make here is to acquire Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights. Unlike Kane, Smith is a UFA after this season, so he'd be a rental. No apple cart to upset, no cap hell to deal with after the season. And the cost should be considerably lower, say a mid-round draft pick and a prospect not named Braden Schneider or Will Cuylle. And best of all, he was on the team that went to the finals under Gerard Gallant in 2018 so he's familiar with his system. With 10 tallies already on the season, he'd be the second-leading goal scorer on this team. Gallant can slot him on the first, second or third lines.

Why would the Golden Knights give up a player like Smith? Because they're $10 million over the cap once Jack Eichel comes back from LTIR. Smith's contract is worth $5 million, so they'd have to shed an additional $5 mill to get compliant. That's Kelly McCrimmon's problem. With cap space to spare, all Drury has to concern himself with is getting the best possible player to help his team. 

But if Drury really wants to roll the dice and land the biggest fish in the pond that could actually help his team get to the finals, he should probably turn his attention south towards the city of brotherly love. It's no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers are not a good team. The moves Chuck Fletcher made during the offseason not only failed to address the biggest areas of concern the team has, they depleted the valuable draft capital he is going to need to rebuild.  

When Fletcher finally does decide to start his selloff - I figure by mid-January - the first to go will likely be Claude Giroux. At 33, and in the last year of a $8.275 million AAV contract, Giroux checks all the boxes. He can play center or wing, he can shoot, he can pass and he's a leader in the locker room. In 967 games - all with the Flyers - he has amassed 282 goals and 597 assists for 879 points. And best of all, his winning face-off percentage is an outstanding 62 percent this season. The last two years, it was 59 and 59.6 percent respectively. No one on this Rangers' team even comes close.

Just picture Giroux centering a third line with Alexis Lafreniere on the left and Julien Gauthier on the right. Imagine the nightmare having three scoring lines would create for opposing coaches. Every line would have a bonafide playmaker on it. And if you're wondering what this means for Filip Chytil, the answer is pretty obvious. This is now his fourth year in the NHL and far from progressing, he appears to be regressing. With the goal and assist he picked up against the Avalanche, Chytil now has 6 points on the season. To put that in perspective, Barclay Goodrow, the player Drury brought in for grit purposes, has 10. Like it or not, it's time to admit the painful truth: Chytil, like Lias Andersson, was a bust. When your fourth line is generating more scoring chances than your third line, that's a problem. 

But there are two obstacles standing in the way of the Rangers being able to get their hands on Giroux. The first concerns the center's no-move clause. Giroux has been emphatic: he wants to stay in Philly and he's not willing to waive his NMC. Fletcher would have to convince him that a trade is the best thing for him since it's unlikely the team would re-sign him during the offseason. And if his agent is good at basic math, he's probably already informed his client that the Flyers don't have enough cap space next year to retain him anyway.

So let's assume that Giroux has a change of heart and agrees to waive his NMC. What haul would Fletcher demand for his services? He already gave up a first and a second round pick to Buffalo in exchange for Rasmus Ristolainen, a defenseman who makes Nemeth look like Brian Leetch. I figure Fletcher probably wants to turn the tables on an opposing GM to recoup his losses. Under no circumstances should Drury part with his own number one for a rental. A fair trade would be Chytil and one of the Rangers' two second round picks. Drury should be firm and tell Fletcher to take it or leave it. If Fletcher still wants another body, Drury can throw in Tim Gettinger. The perennial Hartford product has 6 goals and 11 points for the Wolf Pack and at 6'6" and 218 lbs, would make an ideal Flyer.

How would trading for Giroux affect the negotiations between Drury and Strome's agent? Not nearly as much as trading for Kane would. If anything, by moving Chytil's $2.3 million contract, it frees up the cap space needed to re-sign Strome to an extension that would keep him paired with Artemi Panarin for the next four years. After this season, Goodrow could then move up and center the third line. He's already centering the fourth line so what's the big deal? With Lafrienere on the left and a healthy and re-signed Blais on the right, the Rangers would have a solid, if unspectacular, third line. And if they opt to move on from Blais, they have Cuylle waiting in the wings. The more I see of this kid, and this year's first rounder Brennan Othmann, the more impressed I become with this organization.

The bottom line is this: Giroux to the Rangers makes sense. In fact, either a Giroux or Smith rental would improve this team considerably without mortgaging its future, which is looking brighter and brighter by the day. And, dare I say it, transform it into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Yes, I dare.

What the Panarin Signing Means For the Rangers

Now this is what I call an off season. Since hiring John Davidson to be their President of Hockey Operations, the Rangers have been on quite a roll.

First they acquired defenseman Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes for a second round pick. Next they fleeced the Winnipeg Jets out of defenseman Jacob Trouba for what amounted to Neal Pionk and the same first round pick they received for Kevin Hayes at last year's trading deadline. Then with their own number one pick they drafted Kaapo Kakko, the player everyone agrees is going to be a star in this league.

For most organizations, that would be a pretty good haul. But Davidson and company weren't done. On the first day of free agency, they signed Artemi Panarin - arguably the best player on the board - to a 7 year $81.5 million dollar contract. The cap hit comes out to $11.6 million per year, meaning the Rangers will have to do some pruning in order to sign their other players and still remain under the salary cap. As of this moment they have just over $8 million in cap space and they still need to sign their RFAs: Trouba, Brendan Lemieux, Pavel Buchnevich and Tony Deangelo. Assuming Trouba gets $7 million - he was making $5.5 last season - Buchnevich gets $3 million and Lemieux and Deangelo each get a million, that puts the Rangers $4 million over the cap. With the deadline for buyouts expiring this past Sunday, trades are the only option available to G.M. Jeff Gorton.

So who goes? The smart money's on Chris Kreider who, at $4.6 million against the cap, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season and, apart from Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, is the team's most marketable player. He could easily fetch a first round pick. But ask yourself this question: Does this team really need another first round pick or bodies that can help them win? I submit the latter. With that in mind, I think Gorton should do everything possible to keep Kreider. Players who can score between 25 and 30 goals a season don't grow on trees. In fact, the Rangers just ponied up $81 million to get their hands on one.

Yes, I know Kreider can be an enigma. He had 20 goals halfway through last season and just 8 the rest of the way, but part of that slump was due to the fact that Mats Zuccarello, his line mate, had been dealt at the trade deadline. I'd hate to give up on him only to see him become a star elsewhere. Will he demand a huge pay raise? Of course, but keep in mind, the Rangers are currently carrying $3.6 million in dead cap space courtesy of the Dan Girardi buyout two years ago. Next year, that number goes down to $1.1 million. That's a net gain of $2.5 million, all of which can go to Kreider.

If I were management, I'd try to get what I can for Vladislav Namestnikov, who at $4 million against the cap, has been a bust since he came here as part of the Ryan McDonagh deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even if all they get is a second or third round pick, it's worth it. I'd much rather move an underperforming player than one who could play an integral part in a resurgent team looking to make its first post season appearance in three years.

But apart from the cap concerns, Panarin is the most significant acquisition this team has made in quite some time. He isn't just a scorer, he's a complete player who makes others around him better. He was clearly the best player for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season and he led the team in playoff scoring with 11 points in 10 games. He's Rick Nash, if Nash had been a clutch player. Don't be surprised if head coach David Quinn doesn't have Zibanejad centering a line with Panarin on the left and Kakko on the right.

And now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Does Panarin get the Rangers into the playoffs? That depends on whether the "kids" develop the way everybody hopes they do. Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson - both centers - will be entering their second NHL season and one of them has to blossom in order for this team to have a legitimate second line. Brett Howden and Ryan Strome will likely center the third and fourth lines. If Kreider stays, his presence will greatly enhance the team's chances of a post-season spot.

One thing's for certain: this year's Rangers will be a lot more entertaining to watch than last year's, and the following year will be even better. As this core grows up and begins to establish itself, we could be looking at a truly solid team for years to come. Once Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal are gone in two years, this will be one of the youngest teams in the league.

The group of players that Glen Sather assembled over a decade ago came close a couple of times to drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup. Maybe with Davidson at the helm this time around, lady luck might shine her light on this organization and bless it with a championship or two.

1994 is getting to be a long time ago.

Rangers Finally Call It A Night

Give Jeff Gorton this much: when the Rangers' GM made the announcement on February 8 that the team was going to be sellers at the trade deadline, he wasn't joking. Sellers? The last time we saw a selloff like this, Charlie Finley was the owner of the Oakland A's.

Consider the moves Gorton made over the last week: Defenseman Nick Holden to the Bruins for defenseman Rob O'Gara and a 2018 third-round pick; forward Michael Grabner to the Devils for a 2018 second-round pick and defensive prospect Yegor Rykov; forward Rick Nash to the Bruins for a 2018 first-round pick, forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, defenseman Ryan Lindgren and a 2019 seventh-round pick; and last but not least, defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Lightning for a 2018 first-round pick, forward Vladislav Namestnikov, prospects Brett Howden and Libor Hajek, as well as a conditional 2019 pick that could be a number one if Tampa wins the Stanley Cup this year.

Throw in the waiving of defenseman Brendan Smith the day after Gorton's decree and the buyout of defenseman Dan Girardi and the trading of center Derek Stepan and goalie Anti Raanta over the summer for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and a 2017 first-round pick and you have an almost one-third turnover in personnel in less than a year. If you happen to own a 2016-17 yearbook, put it someplace special. It'll be worth something one day.

Let's get a couple of things straight here. First, Gorton didn't dismantle the '79 Canadiens. This core, while talented, never delivered on its promise. Two trips to the conference finals and one cup final appearance in six years is nice, but it's hardly what I would call a run. Compare what the Blackhawks did during a similar stretch: three Stanley Cups and a conference final loss to the Kings. Now that's a run.

Secondly, while this "fire sale" might seem extreme, quite frankly it's two years overdue. Since their unceremonious exit in the conference finals in 2015 against the Lightning, the Rangers have endured two consecutive seasons in which they underachieved: a first-round humiliation at the hands of the Penguins in 2016 and a second-round upset to the Senators last year. Any reasonably objective observer of this team would've concluded that its window had closed. To allow the decline to go any further would've been gross negligence.

Given that the Rangers telegraphed their intentions - never a good idea - I'm surprised at the haul Gorton got back for his players. Holden, Grabner and Nash were due to be unrestricted free agents over the summer. Rentals rarely fetch such high returns. As for McDonagh and Miller, well let's just say that the former hasn't come close to his near Norris trophy play since 2015, and was, even at the age of 28, showing signs of wear and tear. And so far as Miller is concerned, he was a bit of an enigma: there were games where he played like the best forward on the team, and others where he wound up in what John Davidson used to refer to as Chateau Bow Wow (the dog house).

Now comes the hard part. Tearing down a team is easy; all you need is a phone. Putting one together is where it gets interesting. Gorton has a shitload of draft picks at his disposal this Spring: three number ones, two number twos and two number threes. What he does with them will determine whether this rebuild is successful or ends up being his Waterloo. He also has at least two NHL caliber forwards in Spooner and Namestnikov, as well as some interesting, if untested, prospects. Spooner contributed two assists in a loss to the Red Wings in his first game as a Ranger and Namestnikov was having a career year playing alongside Stephen Stamkos.

The first objective for Gorton will be to draft a number one center to replace the departed Stepan. It's clear that Mika Zibanejad, though competent, was never going to fill that void. And while Kevin Hayes has talent, that talent is better suited on the wing. Gorton doesn't need to get a Mark Messier or Sidney Crosby, but he'd better not wind up with another Pavel Brendl. At the rate the blue shirts are plummeting in the standings, their own number one pick could well turn out to be THE number one. So the pressure will be on him not to screw up.

Next up for Gorton will be to add some size to this team. It was no secret that the Rangers lacked the physical presence to go toe to toe with the bigger teams in the league. All throughout the 2015 playoffs their opponents – first the Caps, then the Lightning – bottled up the middle on them, forcing them to the perimeter. That, more than anything else, was the reason they didn’t make it back to the finals. Apart from Chris Kreider, there isn’t a single forward on this team that can drive to the net with authority. Gorton must address this weakness.

Last but not least comes the coach. The brain trust will have to decide over the summer whether Alain Vigneault should be retained behind the bench. If he stays, he will have to agree to some changes. There’s little argument that the key to winning in the NHL is a strong transition game. Getting the puck up ice as quickly as possible has now become standard operating procedure. But speed is but one component of a successful team. Dumping the puck into the corner and grinding it out is another. And while Vigneault can’t be faulted for his team’s lack of size, he can be faulted for not adjusting his philosophy of coaching, especially during the playoffs where the Rangers’ transition game was often stymied by bigger and brawnier opponents. Also, Vigneault’s style of coaching tends to favor older, more established teams that have a veteran presence. Apart from Henrik Lundqvist, Mats Zuccarello and Marc Staal, there isn’t a single player on this team who comes close to 30 and who has more than six years in the league.

If Gorton and Glen Sather feel Vigneault is not the right man for this rebuild, they have a suitable replacement already behind the bench. Lindy Ruff has done a good job with the young crop of defensemen he has inherited and with a couple of exceptions – the blowout to the Bruins that precipitated the selloff being one of them – the overall play in their end has been credible. Plus, he’s a former blue shirt and the franchise has a history of staying in the family whenever possible. He’s been to the finals twice; once as an assistant coach with Florida in 1996, the other as head coach of Buffalo in ’99. If he has one flaw, it’s that he tends to be a little too outspoken with respect to the media, a trait John Tortorella exhibited on numerous occasions. The league has fined him twice for remarks he made towards officials.

I'm actually encouraged by what's happened here. This is a franchise that historically has had a hard time letting go. It takes a lot of courage to admit defeat, but it's an important step in any recovery process.

21 And Counting

In the end, the team that was built with one goal in mind - to win the Stanley Cup - not only failed in its mission, it didn't even manage to get back to the finals. The Presidents' Trophy Rangers were blanked on their home ice for the second game in a row. The team that hadn't lost a game 7 in its building since, well, forever, was thoroughly drubbed by a Tampa Bay Lightning team that only three days earlier had been lit up for seven goals. Like that great T.S. Eliot poem, they didn't go out with a bang but with a whimper.

Consider this: the Rangers scored more goals in the 3rd period of game 6 in Tampa (five) than they scored in all four games at the Garden combined (four). They were so inept in their building they made the Lightning players look like Bob Gainey clones. For those of you too young to remember, Bob Gainey was arguably the greatest defensive forward to ever play the game. He was to hockey what Bill Russell was to basketball.

So how did this Jekyll / Hyde of a series turn out to be the nightmare of all nightmares for the Rangers? Well, first off, it wasn't just this series. The Blueshirts had been flirting with disaster ever since the playoffs began. Let's not forget that they were 1:41 away from going down in five to the Capitals. Face it, if Braden Holtby doesn't whiff on Chris Kreider's shot, they never make it into overtime and instead of talking about their disappointing exit in the conference finals, we're talking about the great upset in the second round. And even the five games it took them to dispatch the Penguins - easily the weakest team in the playoffs - were all close games. The last two wins, both in overtime, could easily have gone the other way.

Funny, for a team that racked up a franchise-record 53 wins, they never once dominated in any of their postseason contests. Even in the three games where they managed to get their offense going - game 6 against the Caps and games 4 and 6 against the Lightning - they were badly outplayed for huge stretches by their opponent. In each game, their world-class goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, either held onto to a lead his team seemed determined to hand back or gave his team the chance it needed to regain its footing and surge ahead. To say he was the team's best player would be an understatement.

Even last night, Lundqvist did his best to give his team a chance to win. He stood on his head for two periods, making save after save. He robbed Tyler Johnson point blank just outside his crease. The save was eerily similar to the one he made on Steven Stamkos in game 6. However in that game, seconds after the King made his heroic stop, his team responded by scoring a goal. Last night, there was no heroics by the men in blue. This time, there was no last-minute goal to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Even their world-class goalie looked mortal in that all-decisive 3rd period.

So now that this season is over, what do the Rangers do next? To be sure, Glen Sather has some decisions to make. While the core of this team is certainly good, it was obvious from the opening drop of the puck, it had some glaring weaknesses. I addressed some of them when the playoff began. To be sure, those roosters came home to crow in the conference finals.

For starters, I'm fairly certain Marty St. Louis has played his last game as a Ranger, perhaps even the NHL. He looked every second of his 39 years in this tournament. Expect Sather to utilize his $5 million salary elsewhere. The Rangers have some cap issues, thanks to the trade for Keith Yandle, and even with the league expected to increase its salary cap by $4 million, Sather will have to use all his skills to tweak this team so it can go the distance in the postseason.

Here's what I would do if I were the G.M. I would definitely sign Derek Stepan, but I would not offer Carl Hagelin a contract. If he files for arbitration and he wins, I would trade him. He did absolutely nothing after the Pittsburgh series. If anything, the style with which he plays is the reason the Rangers are playing golf right now instead of getting ready to play for the Cup. Instead of a flashy skater, I'd try to pry away a punishing winger who can park his ass in front of the opposing goalie's net and score a few goals. The Ranges don't have a single forward outside of Kreider who is capable of doing this. In fact, so inept were they, Alain Vigneault was forced to use defenseman Dan Boyle up front on the power play several times in this series.

Then I'd address the face-off issue that plagued this team throughout most of the season. It was nothing short of an embarrassment that their number one face-off man happened to be their number four center. Every other team in the final four all had centers with impressive face off stats. I would make every effort to get a center who can win a face off AND score. I like Dominick Moore, but if he is your go-to guy to win a face-off in a crucial spot in a game, you're screwed.  Either way, you're not going very far in the playoffs. Period!

Think about it. A first line consisting of Derrick Brassard, centering Rick Nash on the left and a healthy Mats Zucharello on the right, followed by a line of, say, Antoine Vermette centering Derek Stepan on the right and Chris Kreider on the left. The Blackhawks have even more cap issues than the Rangers, so it is unlikely they will be able to resign Vermette in the off season. If Sather is creative, he can have a formidable 1-2 punch upfront. Stephan moving to wing makes perfect sense. The way he positions himself in the offensive zone, he looks more like a winger than a center anyway. If Sather can't address the center issue via free agency, maybe Kevin Hayes could be part of a package to land one.

That would leave J.T. Miller centering Jesper Faust and James Shepard on the third line, with Dominic Moore centering a yet to be determined fourth line. A little too lean for your tastes? Consider that the Lightning got all but two of their goals in this series from their top two lines. Depth only means something if your top gunners come through. In this series, the Lightning's top gunners ran rings around the Rangers top gunners. It wasn't even close. Take away the five point night Brassard had in game 6 and it was a joke.

And then there's the coach. Alain Vigneault was the polar opposite of his predecessor. He treated his players like men with respect and dignity, unlike John Tortorella, who acted like a dickhead most of the time and drove his players like a drill sergeant. When he was fired, you could hear the entire Rangers' locker room exhale.

But Vigneault has two glaring weaknesses that unfortunately came back to bite this team. The first is he is stubborn to a fault. Not once in this year's playoff, or last year's for that matter, did he make any adjustments to his system.  It was clear that every team that played them knew what to expect. The Capitals pounded and pounded the Rangers and kept them primarily to the perimeter of the ice, limiting their scoring chances. The Lightning applied the same strategy, but unlike the Caps, had the talent to make it work. The result was that the Rangers, after winning the first game 2-1, never won another close game in the series. Credit their coach, John Cooper, for having the smarts to switch gears and convince his team to change their style from offense first to defense first. He definitely outcoached Vigneault in this series.

The second weakness is almost as bad. For all his professional demeanor, Vigneault is simply too loyal to his players. They rarely, if ever, were benched for their failures. Yes, they might miss a shift or two for a blown assignment, but they could always count on their coach having their back.  When it was painfully apparent that St. Louis had nothing in the gas tank, Vigneault still put him out on the power play. Compare and contrast him to Joel Quenneville, the Chicago Blackhawks coach, who pulled his goaltender when he gave up questionable goals in the Nashville series and even benched the player his GM traded a number one draft pick to obtain. In Quenneville's world, it's pretty simple: play well and get ice time, struggle and you ride the bench.

Sather must get his coach to be more amenable and less tolerant. If it was fair to criticize Tortorella for his shortcomings, then it's only fitting to hold Vigneault accountable for his. Systems and loyalty are all fine and dandy, but when that system isn't working or your players aren't measuring up, changes must be made. Throughout this whole season there were two constants: the Rangers were as predictable as dirt and, for the most part, they had carte blanche. If this isn't corrected, expect another disappointing postseason next year.

The good news is that, with a little tweaking, the Rangers have the horses to compete for the Stanley Cup next year; the bad news is that their window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Lundqvist is 33. Billy Smith, the great Islander goaltender, won the last of his four Cups when he was 33. The sands of time are running out on the King. He has maybe two or three years left in his prime. If the Rangers don't win the Cup by then, this team, which as played more playoff games than any other team over the last four years, will have to start over and rebuild.

And for the millions of Rangers' fans who have waited patiently since 1994 for another championship, it won't just be 21 years and counting; it might well be a decade or more.

Ironic, isn't it? When Sam Rosen said that '94 championship would last a lifetime, who knew he was being prophetic?

Are the Rangers For Real?

They're the hottest team in the NHL. They've won 12 of 13 for the first time since the 1972-73 campaign. But the operative question around New York is this. Are the Rangers for real? Can the team that shocked everybody last season, including their head coach, by going to the Stanley Cup Finals, get back the championship round?

Conventional wisdom says no. Teams that lose in the final round seldom get back there the next season. But, over the last month, the Blue shirts have made a compelling case for being the exception to the rule. They haven't just won, they've beaten a lot of good teams. On this current west-coast road trip, they beat the Anaheim Ducks and the defending Cup champion L.A. Kings on back to back nights.

But while die-hard Rangers fans have reason to believe, I wouldn't reserve my final-round playoff tickets just yet. Why? Because a careful look at the roster reveals a potential roadblock to a long and sustained playoff run.

Last year, if you'll recall, head coach Alain Vigneault was able to rotate four solid lines. That gave him an advantage over opposing coaches who may have had more upfront talent, but couldn't keep up with the Rangers' depth. Eventually they wore down both the Penguins and Canadiens. It wasn't until the finals that they met their match in the Kings.

This year, most of the scoring has come from the top two lines with a rejuvenated Rick Nash carrying most of the load. Derick Brassard, last year's third line pivot, is centering the number two line. Brad Richards, last year's number two center, had his contract bought out and is now playing in Chicago. This year's number three center, Dominic Moore, was last year's number four center. Gone from last year are Benoit Pouliot and Brian Boyle who were vital cogs during last year's run. It is doubtful the team would've advanced as far as it did without both players. Role players like Lee Stempniak and J.T. Miller have some big skates to fill. If they're up to the challenge, the Rangers will go far - maybe even all the way. If they're not, an early exit is in the offing.

With that in mind, GM Glen Sather has a big decision ahead of him. Does he make a deal at the trading deadline and risk upsetting the team chemistry? If so, for whom? He has roughly $3 million in cap room to play with, more than enough to rent a scoring forward for three months. If the Devils decide to dump Jaromir Jagr, I'd grab him. Jagr still has speed and is a proven clutch player. He could play on either the number 2 or number 3 lines as well as the power play. He's also a solid citizen in the locker room, something Vigneault demands of his players.

And the best thing about it is that the cost of obtaining Jagr wouldn't be that much: a low-round draft pick probably and Sather has no commitment to Jagr beyond this season. Indeed, with both Marty St. Louis and Jagr's contracts expiring at the end of the year, Sather could potentially have $9 million in cap money to go shopping for some new blood if the team doesn't win the Cup. That should allow him to lock up both Mats Zuccarello and Carl Hagelin to long-term contracts. With a developing Chris Kreider and phenom Anthony Duclair on the horizon, the Rangers could have one of the youngest and fastest teams in the league for years to come.

Bottom line: the Rangers are a solid playoff team. How far they go this postseason will depend on how big their role players play and whether their GM is willing to role the dice the way he did last year when he traded Ryan Callahan for St. Louis. That move helped propel them to the finals.

Only time will tell if lightning can strike twice.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

A year ago, I took Rangers' G.M. Glen Sather to task. The Rangers had just been been rudely bounced by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the playoffs and Sather "relieved" John Tortorella of his coaching duties. While no one was shedding any tears over Torts' exit, Sather, I felt, had to share in the blame for the team's dismal performance.

Since being hired by the Rangers, Sather has had a rather strange and often bewildering tenure. He hired former Islander center Brian Trottier as coach, then fired him 54 games into the season. Sather hired Tom Renney, who led the team to four consecutive playoff appearances. But when Renney couldn't get passed the second round of the playoffs, he was replaced by Tortorella. In 2012, Tortorella coached the Blueshirts to the conference finals, only to lose to the New Jersey Devils. It was generally acknowledged by many that it was Tortorella's style of coaching, combined with his shortening of the bench, that contributed to the team's failure to advance to the finals. They simply ran out of gas.

While Sather was responsible for drafting players like Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal, he's also been responsible for some of the worst free-agent signings in the club's history, like Eric Lindros, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. Yes, he signed Marion Gaborik, but when the winger wound up in Tortorella's doghouse, Sather traded him away. And while he did get Derick Brassard in return, Gaborik leads all players in goals in this year's playoffs with 11. The nightmare that was the 2012-13 season was as much Sather's fault as it was Tortorella's.

But if it was fair to hold Sather accountable for the wheels falling off last season, it is now equally fair to give him credit for the team's resurgence this season.

Of all the moves Sather has made, perhaps none were more critical then the signing of Alain Vigneault as head coach. It goes without saying that Vigneault was the polar opposite of Tortorella. While Tortorella ran his players ragged, played favorites and often chewed them out in public, Vigneault has treated them like adults, gotten valuable contributions from his role players and has earned the respect of the entire team. His calm and collected persona was the perfect tonic for a team that, for over four years, lived under a reign of terror.

By rotating four lines throughout the playoffs, Vigneault has managed to keep his team fresh. Thursday night's conference-final finale was a text-book case of how to coach a team. The Rangers speed and relentless forechecking pinned a Canadiens team that looked exhausted in their zone most of the night. The only goal of the game was fittingly scored by the fourth line. Under Tortorella, they would never have seen the ice so late in the game.

But Sather didn't stop with just hiring the perfect head coach. His controversial decision not to buy out Brad Richards' contract could have blown up in his face. Had Richards not rebounded this season and decided to retire afterwards, the Rangers would've been stuck with almost $6 million of the remaining $17 million Richards is owed against their cap. That would've been a huge pill to swallow. But Sather rolled the dice and, so far, has been rewarded. Richards has been one of the team's strongest leaders and steadiest players.

The story gets better. Sather's most difficult decision was to trade his captain, Ryan Callahan, who was demanding more money than the team was willing to pay him, to Tampa for winger Marty St. Louis. Throughout the balance of the regular season, the trade looked very much like a bust for the Rangers. But in the playoffs, St. Louis has been a valuable cog in this improbable run. The tragic passing of his mother acted as a springboard for a team that was trailing three games to one against the Penguins and looked dead in the water. Since then, the team has won seven of nine games and is now four wins away from its first Stanley Cup in twenty years.

But perhaps Sather's most clever move as G.M. occurred five years ago when he stole defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Montreal Canadiens for Scott Gomez. McDonagh has not only been the Rangers' best blue liner this season, he's tied with Derek Stepan and St. Louis for the team lead in points this postseason with 13. Talk about redemption.

If the Rangers go on to win the Stanley Cup this year, Sather will have had a lot to do with it. He made all the correct moves when it counted. It will also mark the sixth time he has been the architect of a championship team; the other five coming with the Edmonton Oilers. He deserves much of the credit for climbing out of the hole he was partly to blame for digging.

He will also have the last laugh.