NY beat writers have more agendas than politicians.  Funny thing is, logic is like a balloon to their inflated stories.

Today, if you didn't know better, you'd think that Mike Richter has Glen Sather over the proverbial barrel now that Dominik Hasek has retired.

John Dellapina of the NY Daily News writes, "In parochial terms, Mike Richter's hand just got stronger while Glen Sather's got weaker."

Let's break this down, shall we?

There are four (4) teams in need of goaltenders:

Detroit, New York, Toronto, and perhaps Chicago.

There are four (4) goaltenders on the free agent market:

Curtis Joseph, Byron Dafoe, Mike Richter, and Ed Belfour.

But, that's not all, the established value for a well-paid, quality veteran goalie has been established with the recent Boston trade of a third-round pick for Steve Shields.

Other goaltenders available through such a deal:

Jeff Hackett, Sean Burke.

(By the way, I'm not mentioning Tom Barasso or Trevor Kidd)

The mathematics aren't working in Richter's favor, are they?

Well, it gets worse when you break down likely destinations.

Detroit is said to be leaning towards Ed Belfour, which makes sense given his relationship with Brett Hull and Cujo's inflated salary demands.

Toronto has offered Cujo $9 million per for three years - it's doubtful that anyone will top that, so the Leafs are his likely destination.

Which leaves Richter with the options of signing in Chicago or New York.

And Wirtz in Chicago has recently said that anyone that pays Tony Amonte $7.5 million doesn't understand what real money is. Think he's ready to pay Richter $6 million?

Could Philly sign Richter when they have Cechmanek? Or could L.A. sign him instead of Felix Potvin? Sure, but it's doubtful, especially since Mike's last three seasons ending in injury doesn't fill other teams with confidence.

Now look at what Sather has in front of him:

Byron Dafoe, Mike Richter, and potential trades for Jeff Hackett or Sean Burke.

Hey NY beat writers…spin that!

-Gabe

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