What To Do?

Hey Glen Sather - wanna let us know what you're planning?

The ever-exciting Free Agency period is just around the corner. What's going to get done? Who goes where, for how much, and for how long? Who comes and who goes? All important questions that will keep the hockey community on edge for several days.

If you remember back to last year, the Rangers pulled off one of the biggest deals of the offseason - signing centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez within hours of each other. 2 of the top 3 available center, both on the Rangers. Just wow. I remember I found out at the beach. I was sitting in the beach house, read the article, and proceeded to jump around like an idiot for several minutes.

Of course, the deals didn't work out quite as well as expected. Both players performed well on Broadway, but we all know they're capable of a bit more (especially out of Drury).

But first, a quick draft recap. The Entry Draft took place last Friday - and it was quite the event. The NHL made it as big as they ever had, and I think it captured many hockey fans' attentions. For the Rangers, they used their 1st round pick (20th overall) in a very deep draft to select OHL defenseman Michael Del Zotto - an incredibly gifted defenseman with a knack for offense. If he can improve his defensive game, he may be the next Niklas Lidstrom. Here's a rundown of their picks:

No. 20, Michael Del Zotto, D, Oshawa (OHL) - Incredible on-ice vision, makes great passes, could be one of the best in the league

No. 51, Derek Stepan, C, Shattuck-St. Mary’s (USHS) - Gifted skater and puck-handler, great skills and dazzling abilities

No. 75, Evgeny Grachev, C, Yaroslval (Russia) – True power forward, gritty and hard nosed; possesses great raw talent

No. 90, Tomas Kundratek, D, Trinec (Czech Republic) – Solid skater, good defensive abilities

No. 111, Dale Weise, RW, Swift Current (WHL) – Big, bruising forward with good hands

No. 141, Chris Doyle, C, PEI (QMJHL) – Another big forward, showed solid development and improvement

No. 171, Mitch Gaulton, D, Erie (OHL) – Could be the steal of the draft; nagged by injuries, but one of the most purely talented defenders in the draft

And that brings us to this offseason - what does Sather do now? He's got some major questions to address, including impending team free agents, as well as gaping holes in the lineup. It's not an easy situation to be in, and there's no easy way out of it.

The following is a list of Unrestricted Free Agents:
ufa: Sean Avery, Andrew Hutchinson, Jaromir Jagr, Darius Kasparaitis, Marek Malik, Paul Mara, Michal Rozsival, Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka, Jason Strudwick, Stephen Valiquette

Some names jump out at you right away: Avery, Jagr, Rozsival, Shanahan, Straka. Essentially, you're looking at the Rangers' first power-play unit right there. The rest of the guys are all key players, but not as pressing to re-sign (except Kasparaitis, he was essentially loaned to a club in Europe, just like in Soccer).

Most reports indicate that Avery will not be re-signed. I'm conflicted with this decision. Avery is undoubtedly a huge part of the club. The Rangers play tougher when he's around, and they win much more often. But his asking price is $1.25 million more than what the Rangers are offering. I honestly don't think he's worth $4 million a year. Not when Chris Kelly just re-signed in Ottawa for just a bit over $2 million a year, and not when Avery's own agent compares him to Chris Kelly. If the Rangers can get Avery to come down on his asking price, there would be no hesitation on my part to re-sign the guy. Love him or hate him, he's tough to play against, and he's got hockey skill beyond trash talking. He can skate, he can score, he creates open ice...and he gets under the opponents' skin. A great package, but right now, a little too much money.

Next up: Jagr, Shanahan, and Straka. The three veteran forwards on the team, but also the three who are aging the most. No doubt each of them is a great hockey player, but you wonder how the skill has diminished. For Shanahan, I think the Rangers will wait and see what they get after the initial flurry of deals. If they have the room, then I think they'll bring him back; if not, I'm led to believe he'll retire. Who knows how effective he'll be if he does come back - he was hampered by injuries through most of last season, and his production showed it. But Shanny is a truly great leader, and one of the classiest guys in the game. I'd love to see him back, just at the right price. Straka is another great player, and I believe he's nearing the end of his career. When it comes down to it, I don't think we'll see Straka in Broadway Blue in 2008-2009. His production was down this past season, and I'm certain the Rangers are questioning how effective he can be. Again, like Shanny, I'd love to see him back - but at the right price.

Now the biggest of the big: Jaromir Jagr. This guy has been THE guy on Broadway since the lockout. His scoring ability has essentially carried the Rangers to three playoff berths. This past season, however, his scoring was down, and he looked unmotivated on the ice. He didn't have the same chemistry with Drury or Gomez that he did with Nylander. That changed when he got paired with Brandon Dubinsky - Jagr rediscovered his magic, brought the Rangers to a playoff berth, then was the best Ranger on the ice during the playoffs. It's obvious the guy can still play. And all reports out of Broadway suggest that Jagr wants to return to New York. I really hope this is the case. I feel Jagr has been so important to this team, letting him walk could be devastating. Hopefully he's willing to take a bit of a paycut to come back, but that's always a tough call with superstars. If he returns, I expect it to be a 1 year deal smothered with incentives for a possible 2nd year.

For the defenseman, Roszival must be re-signed. I don't think there should be a question. The guy's got loads of talent, and I feel he'll show it this upcoming year. He had a down season in 07-08, but I attribute that to some personal distractions, as well as injuries. Malik, on the other hand, can certainly be let go. He found his way into the doghouse this past year and never got out. The Rangers can do better. Mara was a productive defender, and he seemed to fit well with the Rangers. It wouldn't hurt to have another veteran back.

And Valiquette must be re-signed. He served admirably as Henrik Lundqvist's backup, and the Rangers need someone capable on the bench. Who knows what could happen? It's hockey, and freak things occur. Valiquette is the kind of guy you can call upon at any minute, and he'll step up and win games.

Looking to the Free Agent pool, the Rangers have some options. On offense, they have wingers Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Markus Naslund, Pavol Demitra, Miroslav Satan, Michael Ryder, and Brian Rolston. There's plenty of depth underneath that as well. On defense, guys like Brian Campbell, Wade Redden, John-Michael Liles, Brooks Orpik, and Mark Streit are available, again with depth underneath.

So what will Sather do? We all know from past experiences that he has a flair for the dramatic and flashy - so don't count out getting Hossa and Campbell while letting some of the incumbent players walk. With Sather, it's always a possibility. But I feel this would be a short-sighted and ultimately damning move. I think a healthy, rejuvenated Jagr combined with a Ryan Malone could be more effective overall than a Hossa. I feel that a motivated Roszival combined with a Liles, Orpik, or Streit would also be more effective than Campbell. The Rangers need to pick their pieces wisely here, there are many combinations - but only so many will work with the Rangers remaining salary cap.

There have also been talks linking Maple Leaf's star Mats Sundin to the Rangers. I honestly hope this is a sick joke being played by some bored NY Sports' writer. Why would the Rangers pursue Sundin? Hasn't Sather learned his lesson? With a team that boasts Drury, Gomez, Dubinsky, and Blair Betts, why would you need Sundin - a 36 year old center who has obviously lost some of his touch...? I have the utmost respect for Mats Sundin - it's hard not to, the guy is a future Hall of Famer - but I don't think he has a place on Broadway. Sather is better off spending him money elsewhere.

So back to the all-important question: what are the Rangers to do? Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm not sure anyone really knows - including Glen Sather. He's got a lot to think about, and a lot sitting on his plate. The expectations are higher than ever on Broadway now - 2007/2008 was a disappointment, the Rangers were a Stanley Cup favorite. Sather needs to find a way to keep the core of the past teams together, because that's the group that has experienced the most success. But there are some holes that obviously need to be filled. The Draft helps - the Rangers picked up some great guys, and their farm system is loaded with talent. I expect several of those guys to crack the Rangers' roster this season.

Overall, the Rangers immediate future is not so certain - but the next few years look very bright. With guys like Dubinsky, Lundqvist, Girardi, Staal, Gomez, Drury, plus all the players in the minors (Del Zotto, Sanguinetti, Cherepanov, Anisimov, Byers, Dupont, Jessiman, Korpikoski...), the Rangers have a solid core to build off of. If they can add the few little pieces, there's no doubt that they could compete this season for a Stanley Cup. I have no questions in my mind, however, that the Rangers will be back into the Finals within the next few years - they're just too stacked with talent, the future is too bright.

So for now, I'll leave you to contemplate the pros and cons of re-signing Jaromir Jagr, pursuing Mats Sundin, and Vinny Lecavalier's 9 year $77 million deal.