New York Rangers
The sudden dismantling of the New York Rangers is infuriating in light of the fact that just a few weeks ago, the Rangers acquired Jaromir Jagr, their latest overpriced bust. Obviously, Rangers President and GM Glen Sather has no strategy, let alone a cohesive one.
If upon taking over the management reigns four years ago Sather would have sought to put together a mix of young and veteran talent, there would have been no need to trade Brian Leetch last night. Indeed, if he had bothered to acquire a decent goalie following Mike Richter's retirement, the Rangers might at least be a playoff contender and Leetch a key player.
Now that so much damage has been done, the moves make sense, even the departure of Leetch. After more than 16 years as a Ranger, it's hard to imagine Leetch no longer leading the Rangers' power plays. But while still a good player, Leetch is on the decline and is better suited for a team with a chance to win.
The Rangers will be worse in the short term without Leetch, but they're terrible anyway. I was at Leetch's last game as a Ranger on Tuesday night - all four games I've attended this season have been losses - and the energy and excitement are completely gone from Madison Square Garden. Hopefully a new coach - preferably Larry Robinson - and a few of the future draft choices accumulated by Sather will help restore the Rangers' past glory, but Sather's performance in New York does not inspire confidence in the organization's ability to recognize and develop talent, or to hire the right coaches.
posted on 3/04/2004
