Sather bets on Jagr for playoffs.

By now you know that Jim Dolan has made it clear that he will not be firing Glen Sather this season. This may upset many of the Ranger faithful who have been calling for his head. New York has always demanded winning, or that's what they say. I believe that New York has demanded effort, enthusiasm and aggressiveness....not winning exclusively. Mr. Sather has not had the Rangers in a playoffs game since he's been here. And more than once, fans walk away from a game wondering why it seemed the team was not prepared.....or didn't seem to try. That's unacceptable and THAT'S why the fans want some kind of action, change....beheading. Well it's not going to happen.....at least not today.

Of course there are many examples of this kind of "support" statement being followed by a firing a few days later....so all hope is not lost for those who just want Glen gone. But it seems to me that Jim Dolan really needs and wants Sather, not just for his GM and coaching duties, but for the up coming CBA talks. While listening to WFAN here in NY, one of the hosts mentioned this point and I agree. Sather does know the league and will provide good council during these talks.....a point not lost on the Dolan clan. Replacing Glen could help short term but the comparison to the Knicks situation is flawed. The Knicks GM and coach were not "hall of fame" guys and were replaced by people with great name value and credentials. Who fits that description that can replace Glen Sather ?

Now before you get all upset with me....I'm not letting Glen off the hook here. Results are important here in New York and Sather's won - loss record speaks for itself. A reasonable case could be made for his ouster. But firing him because you are mad at the current team record means someone else has to come in and do better.....exactly who do you have in mind ? Keenan ? maybe as a coach....but as a GM ? No thanks. Scotty Bowman ? He's retired and I can't see why he'd want to trade a nice, fun life for the headaches of being the Rangers GM and coach. You may list others.....but really, in the long term....is there someone out there who you KNOW will do better ?

Assume that Slats is here for now.....what is his next move ? He'll need to address the goaltending and the injuries on D. His trades have been good ones despite the fact that not all of his acquisitions have performed at their highest level (see Kovalev). I do expect a deal or two to address the goaltending and defense but as usual, I have no clue as to who Sather has his sights on or who will get moved. Sather has held onto the youth and moved expendable parts in nearly every trade he pulled off so far. Let's hope that trend continues.

Jaromir Jagr is a Ranger. Sure, I expected this to happen some time ago as did most of you. I agree that these kind of moves (acquiring older, super star players at high salaries) are typical NYR moves.....they seldom work and allow the rest of the hockey world to laugh at us. Even though that's true, I'm still going to enjoy watching the guy play for us. Jagr was once the best player in the league. I then watched him transform into a guy who would take huge parts of a game off....then apply a little burst, score a few and walk away a winner. The last several seasons he has not really played hard and the results are a matter of record. So why do I expect that his time here will be different ? I don't know. I do know that I want to see more of Jagr and Lindros playing together.

Well folks, here in late January I'm not convinced we are making the playoffs....yet I haven't thrown in the towel either. It's been hard to stay positive with the way the team has performed at times. But in this little corner of the web......I say, LET'S GO RANGERS......and hope that somehow.....some way, we get to the playoffs.

I also hope for peace in the middle east and an end to world hunger or perhaps a date with the Olsen Twins. You gotta aim high, right ?

----}- Bird

Recent Articles Road Trip Pics

Web Hockeybird.com