There has been a lot of talk recently about the Rangers looking for some offensive help. Of course, you are probably aware that some of the rumors involve Petr Sykora of the Mighty Ducks (more on that later). Another story, however, has started to make its way around the internet. That story links the New York Rangers and Todd Bertuzzi of the Canucks.
TSN cites a blurb from the Rocky Mountain News that said the Canucks were considering moving Bert to NY. As Blueshirt Bulletin points out, however, that story may have been generated from a rather non-credible internet blogger. Additionally, the move does not make sense for a number of reasons.
Our very own Gabe enumerates some of those reasons in his latest Fact or Fiction article.
As Gabe points out, the most glaring reason this move should not (and probably would not) happen is because the guy whose neck Bertuzzi broke with that sucker punch is the brother of the Rangers' Dominic Moore. Putting those two in the same locker room could destroy all of the chemistry this team has built up so far this season.
Move Moore you say? Sounds easy, but what kind of message does that send to the rest of the organization? Work hard, bust your butt on the penalty kill, score some dramatic goals, and you might just be the kind of guy we trade for a high-priced "star", especially if he mauled your brother in recent years.
(By the way, the Canucks and Bertuzzi visit MSG on Tuesday. I am wondering if Dom will be out for revenge for the attack. I haven't been much in favor of fighting these days since the Rangers have been winning, but I can tell you this much: If I were Dom Moore and my brother had been injured like that, Bertuzzi might want to consider taking out an extra life insurance policy.)
Regarding his contract, Bertuzzi would instantly become the player that affects the Rangers' salary cap the most, even more than Jagr (Washington pays about half of Jaromir's salary and takes the resulting cap hit). Todd, while still putting up decent offensive numbers, has 21 less points than Jaromir right now, has less points than both Michael Nylander and Martin Straka, and has scored 4 fewer goals than Petr Prucha.
Not only does a move like this make no sense to me, but the RUMOR doesn't even make sense to me. Who do the Rangers have that Vancouver would want? Prucha? If Glen Sather even thinks about moving Petr he should step down as GM. Maybe Lord Sather is telling the Canucks that they owe us something because we got fleeced in that Jozef Balej and a pick for Fedor Fedorov trade. Seriously though, none of this makes sense.
Nonetheless, the Rangers need to bring in some offensive assistance, especially for the power play. As Spector points out in his Foxsports article, it seems as though the Mighty Ducks are close to moving Petr Sykora. He was scratched the other night, presumably in anticipation of a trade, and the Rangers have been rumored to be one of the leading contenders to land him.
Yes, Sykora is not performing all that well (4 goals, 7 assists in 23 games), but this one makes sense on a number of levels. For one, he makes just over $3 million for this year. That means he fits within the Rangers' cap without having to move one of the bigger salaries (though I think Sather would still like to rid himself of Tom Poti and his $2.3 million). Sykora is also in the final year of his contract, so it leaves room to simply clear his salary for next year's cap, or try to sign him for a little less than he makes now. Additionally, because he is only signed through this season, he may cost less, player-wise, than Bertuzzi.
He was successful in the Eastern Conference when he was with the Devils. He is still only 29 years old.
And of course, the biggest reason this might make sense is because he is Czech. While he is underperforming in Anaheim, he would be coming to a Ranger locker room filled with his countrymen. There is not a single Czech player other than Sykora on the current Ducks' roster. Petr would be the seventh Czech in the Rangers' lineup, and those six that are already here (Jagr, Straka, Rucinsky, Prucha, Malik, Rozsival) are ALL performing well.
Are there other moves Sather could make? Sure, but of the two big rumors going around, one makes sense and other doesn't. Make up your own mind.
NY Post: The man as responsible as anybody for the Rangers' turnaround, European scout Jan Gajdosik, was once the curator of a Slovakian castle. We can only guess the place had mirrors that frequently spoke to him.
NY Daily News: Coach Tom Renney and assistant Mike Pelino believe that more point shots will start the healing process for a power play that is 16 for 123 (13.0%) over the last 22 games. Jaromir Jagr believes that anybody who thinks that way ought to have his head examined.
Gotta agree with the Coach on this one.
NY Newsday: Opportunity knocks. Having proven to the NHL - and, perhaps more importantly, to themselves - that they can compete with the best teams in the league, the Rangers hope there is no letdown Saturday against the Blues and that they can wrap up this three-game road trip on a high note.
The Journal News: The pain in Steve Rucchin's lower back and groin has been tolerable since he was forced to take a week off around Thanksgiving. Still, the Rangers' veteran center is not able to play the way he would like.
Hmmm . . . is it possible that Rucchin, a fan favorite and former captain in Anaheim, could be the guy heading across country in exchange for Sykora? Perhaps Steve's recent aches and pains were the cause for the hesitation in making the move. Rucchin has four more points than Sykora, and makes almost a million dollars less. Both are signed only until the end of the year. Just a thought.
Anyway, I hope the Rangers don't overlook the St. Louis Blues tonight the way I have overlooked them in this update. This is a VERY important game for them, as they could move into first place in the NHL with a win. They cannot afford a let down right now. Their schedule just gets harder from here.
The puck drops at 8:00 pm EST. Enjoy the game.
HDH
eMail this entry!
|
Recent Articles
|
|
|