There are three options that Glen Sather has at the Trade Deadline come Monday, February 28th. The first is to be a buyer. To send away prospects, picks and even a roster player or two in order to add to this team and make a playoff run for the Stanley Cup. The second option is to be a seller; to send away veteran UFAs and other interesting names in order to build for next year and the future. The third and final option which we saw as recently as last season is to stand pat, hold your ground, make a tiny tinker or two and let your team develop as a cohesive group. The Rangers currently sit in 7th place, their star player is out and the team is struggling to score goals and give a consistent effort. New York has one game against a tough Tampa Bay team before the deadline comes. So what should the Rangers do on Monday afternoon?
If the Rangers are buyers, one cannot expect them to pursue a talent like Brad Richards. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the offer is laughable at best. Brandon Dubinsky, Derek Stepan and Marc Staal in return for Brad Richards is far too high a price. Though Rangers fans sometimes (lets be honest, more often than not) overrate their players and prospects, Dubinsky is a good second line player while Marc Staal is a capable top pairing shutdown defender. Stepan has been outstanding for the Blueshirts this season, providing secondary scoring and meshing well with wingers Wojtek Wolski and Mats Zuccarello. The big part of that deal is Marc Staal, who the Rangers cannot afford to send off. He eats minutes on the back end, and would be nearly impossible to replace at the same terms he is signed for. Another rumor making the rounds is that Sather has contacted the Avalanche about center Paul Stastny and John-Michael Liles. This would allow Gaborik to have a center that is up to his level in terms of skill, while Liles gives Michael Del Zotto as much time as he needs to develop into a premier powerplay quarterback. That all being said, the cost to acquire such players would be quite high. Stastny is signed through the 2013-14 season making $6.6million per season, while Liles has a $4.2million cap hit and is signed through next year. This effectively rules out Richards, as the top line center spot is filled by the lesser (in my opinion) Stastny. This would also handcuff Sather if he wanted to make any other moves. I have to doubt that the Rangers would make a deal with Colorado, because a) Peter Stastny won't be happy and b) the asking price would be around the same for Richards. Sather has learned from past mistakes of sending away young talent for veterans. The dark days of the late 90s and early 2000s clearly defined how that philosophy played out.
The most unlikely of the three, selling at the deadline, doesn't ever appear to be an option with Glen Sather when the playoffs are even remotely within reach. That being said, he could remove a few spare parts that aren't integral to the lineup. There are veteran UFAs that could help other teams such as Ruslan Fedetenko, Steve Eminger and Vinny Prospal. Fedetenko plays a fourth line role and for some reason the team struggled without him in the lineup. It could be coincidence, but at least it makes you think. Eminger is a solid third-pairing defenseman that has finally shown a bit of snarl in his game. Before the season, most fans (including the one writing this article) thought Eminger had no value to this lineup as he was poor defensively and was repetitive in skill set with Gilroy and Del Zotto manning the point as well. What Eminger has shown us during this season is that he can play a physical game and be solid in his own zone. It seems as though Eminger's transformation takes on a similar evolution to Atlanta's Ron Hainsey. Known mostly as an offensive defenseman for his career, Hainsey has taken a defensive role with an Atlanta team that boasts Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian. Eminger's five points won't have many opposing coaches looking to shut him down, but his shift in style may be one for the better in his career. Prospal was a player that I wanted Sather to trade last year, as I was not sure that the team would make the playoffs and even then if we did, I doubted we would go far. Prospal had an amazing season in 2009-10, and could have fetched at least a 2nd round pick at the time. He has been plagued by off-season recovery this year, and has recently returned to play the last ten games, posting six points. His value would be that of say Cory Stillman in that he could fetch a tier II prospect and a low pick.
The thing about selling is that at this point in the development of Rangers prospects, we don't need to add many more. We have solid NCAA players that are turning pro next season in Hagelin and Kreider (all signs point to him turning pro), great CHL forwards such as Christian Thomas (46 goals in 56 games this year), Ethan Werek, Roman Horak and Ryan Bourque. We have a plethora of defensemen developing in the AHL and Juniors as well. The Rangers may not have a surefire goaltending prospect, but Henrik Lundqvist is in his prime and will continue his stellar play for quite some time. This really leads the Rangers off the path of selling, because their prospects are developing nicely and coupled with the players already at the NHL level will develop into a cohesive group that can challenge for playoff contention.
I honestly think that Sather should do the same thing as he did at last year's trade deadline: tinker. The Rangers made four trades last season at the deadline frenzy, though three were minor and the last got a headache of a contract off of our hands. Sather traded Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins for rental Olli Jokinen and grinder Brandon Prust. He also sent away Jordan Owens for Kris Newbury (who I believe should be next season's fourth line center), Miikka Wiikman for a late round draft pick and acquired Jody Shelley for a condition 2011 sixth rounder. This season, I have heard quips about trading Gaborik, Del Zotto, Dubinsky, Callahan and even Henrik Lundqvist to address the team's needs. These are absolutely ridiculous notions, as these are the players that this team is built around and will be built around for the next three to five seasons. Del Zotto and Gaborik are having rough seasons in their own right, but sending them away would be absolutely insane. Instead, why not make a minor move or two in order to address a deficiency in the team? Ladislav Smid has been rumored to be on the way out of Edmonton and would be a nice fit as a defensive compliment to Matt Gilroy's game. Smid's value would be two-fold, as he can play for the team and allow Michael Del Zotto to play in the AHL and continue to develop his game. Other's have suggested bottom-pairing defensemen as well, which is really the only need that the Rangers should fill on Monday. Going after Brad Richards or another first liner isn't tinkering, that's buying and buying has a high cost.
Why shouldn't the Rangers send off some promising prospects in return for a top-line talent? Well there are a few reasons. First of all is the fact that Brad Richards is a UFA at the end of the season and can be acquired without sending any of our core players the other way. Second is the fact that our core of secondary scoring and grinding is excellent. This team has a great second and third line. Even the fourth line can play a regular shift. Third is the fact that this is not the year for the Rangers to win. Ever since the lockout, the Rangers' organization has pleaded patience from a fan base that is always hungry to be successful and to win. The acquisition of draft picks and prospects is finally coming to fruition in the Big Apple. The only piece this team is missing is a top line player to compliment Gaborik, whether it be Brad Richards, Simon Gagne, Jussi Jokinen or even Alex Tanguay. The roster needs an influx of pure talent that will mesh with our star player. Once we have that, the Rangers will be a complete team that can contend for the cup. It makes no sense to trade any of our current stars or future stars in order to have moderate success now while pushing back a Stanley Cup victory for however many more years. If Sather makes a move at the deadline, don't expect it to massively shake up the roster.
No comments:
Post a Comment