There are startling developments at the moment:
1. The Rangers are at the top of the division
2. A star player (Bertuzzi) is available

There is no doubt that in a vacuum, obtaining
Bertuzzi is an enthralling option, but let's all
take a deep breath and get some perspective.

Team Chemistry

Some are minimizing the impact of bringing in
a player who broke Dominic Moore's brother's
neck. I disagree.

Moore would not truly accept Bert as a teammate,
and even if the team traded Dom, his friends
on the team would be shaken by it all.

I put it this way - if Matt Johnson had ended
Beuk's career and then joined the team with
Leetch, Messier and Graves, I doubt they would
welcome him with open arms.

Recent Performance

Tod Bertuzzi's last statistically dominant season
was three years ago, during the 02-03 season,
when he put up 97 pts and 144 PIM.

But in the following season he had 60 points in
69 games before the Moore incident, and this season
he has tallied only 25 pts in 29 games.

As a quick perspective, Prucha has more goals;
Straka has more points; Poti has a better +/-.

More, Bert's performance comes with a linemate in Markus
Naslund who is arguably one of the best offensive
players in the game.

So is Bertuzzi genuinely a dominant offensive player,
or is he simply a very good power forward? That
answer is crucial in the new salary cap era.

Bertuzzi Would Eliminate Other Options

Bertuzzi's salary this season is $5.3 million, which
is more than we are paying for Jagr, if you discount
the portion which Washington is paying.

His acquisition would preclude the team from making
runs at a remarkable list of star players who are on
the market or will be this summer that include:

Defenseman
Zdeno Chara
Wade Redden
Bryan McCabe
Rob Blake
Ed Jovanovski
Derek Morris

Forwards
Sergei Samsonov
Olli Jokinen
Doug Weight
Joe Sakic
Jason Arnott

And that doesn't include restricted free agents
like Martin Havlat, or players with team options who
might be set free like Keith Tkachuk. Wow.

Stay Smart

With the cap number of $39 million likely to come down
a bit in the offseason, the salaries will unlikely top
the $5 million mark.

With the team's success, stellar coaching, team morale
and large market opportunities, the Rangers may actually
be a place players seek out.

So it is possible that Sather could try and net two
free agents at a discount, much as Lacroix did with
Kariya and Selanne, if we keep payroll flexibility.

Conclusion? Bertuzzi is an enticing power forward, but
given the landscape, Sather should take a pass and
stay the course.

-Gabe

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