Fact or Fiction: Is Barnaby Next to be Traded?
Don't buy a Matthew Barnaby jersey ... at least not a Ranger
one. The signs are pointing to his trade, likely to Ottawa.
Forget sources ... look at this logically:
First Line Ice Time
Barnaby has been getting consistent ice time with Holik and
Lindros of late. And history has shown that players that
Sather pairs with his stars are usually trade bait.
Rem Murray got the nod earlier this season with Lindros and
Bure, and kept that role despite poor stats, until he
was dealt to Nashville.
Rucinsky had that role at the end of last season, and
Sather (rightly) felt his production was the result of
his star linemates and declined to sign him.
Prior to that, Mike York shared the ice with Lindros, after
which he was sent to Edmonton for Poti and Murray.
Recent Call-Ups
It can't be coincidence that Dwyer and Tibbetts were called
up around the same time Barnaby was bumped to the first line.
If Sather and Trots thought McCarthy could fill a higher line
role, he would've been given the opportunity. But since he's
not a replacement, Dwyer and Tibbetts have been given a
legitimate opportunity to prove themselves capable.
Where There's Smoke...
Sather rarely pulls of a spontaneous deal. So one can only
chuckle at the negotiations between John Muckler and Slats.
Both likely want to make a deal, but don't want to be
seen as 'outsmarted' by the other.
The widely reported foundation of Barnaby for Arvedson has
likely been expanded, as the delay indicates. In fact, given
the Rangers dismal record, getting an upcoming ufa makes
little sense without other players involved.
You guess is as good as mine regarding the potential other
players. The usual suspects of Bonk and Rachunek
seem to make sense.
Nedved and Dvorak did well under Muckler during his tenure
in New York, so they could be in the mix.
But I'll leave that speculation to the boards. What does
appear to be fact is that Barnaby's days in NY are
numbered.
-Gabe
Posted by Gabe at January 01, 2003 02:50 PMeMail this entry!
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