Glen Sather and the Rangers Still Have Work To Do

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

One day prior to the NHL Free Agent frenzy, New York Rangers General Manager Glen Sather gave Rangers fans a breath of fresh air by unloading Scott Gomez and his enormous contract.

In return, the Rangers obtained Chris Higgins, a reliable player who has the potential to be a second line player, along with top defensive prospects Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko. 

Mr. Sather then opened up his free agency spending by signing enforcer Donald Brashear to a two-year deal worth $1.4 million a year. Brashear, 37, seems to be the replacement for ex-enforcer Colton Orr, who signed a four-year deal with Toronto.

In addition, as always, Mr. Sather made a big splash on day one by acquiring the services of Slovakian sniper Marian Gaborik. 

Gaborik, who spent seven years with the Minnesota Wild, will earn $7.5 million for the next five years. While the Rangers needed a goal scorer and a player to replace the production of Scott Gomez, the price for Gaborik may have been too steep.

Gaborik has a history of back and groin issues, which sidelined him for about 65 games last season. However, the upside is that in 2007-2008 Gaborik notched 42 goals and 41 assists for 83 points. This production is desperately needed on Broadway. 

Time will tell how Gaborik and his contract will work out. Will this be another Gomez situation two years from now, or will Gaborik stay healthy and flourish in New York?

While many Rangers fans may be excited with the acquisition of Gaborik, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done by Sather.

Freddie Sjostrom left Broadway for Calgary, while Blair Betts will probably end up following Tom Renney to Edmonton. If Betts does leave Broadway, the Rangers just lost their top penalty killing unit, which was ranked No. 1 last season. 

Restricted free agents Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, and Nikolai Zherdev all await contracts, while the Rangers have free agents in Nik Antropov, Paul Mara, and Derrek Morris that also need to be addressed.

It is likely that the restricted free agents will be retained, while Paul Mara, Derek Morris, and Nik Antropov leave New York.

Then the question becomes, are the young defensemen in Hartford ready to step up to the NHL level? Who replaces the point production Nik Antropov leaves behind? Will a center be signed to play with Gaborik? Who will replace Markus Naslund's point production now that he has opted for retirement? 

These many questions need to be answered by Sather this offseason.

Look for my Rangers' offseason grade chart in August.

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