New York Rangers Add by Subtracting, Subtract by Adding

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Ok, Bleacher Report hockey community, I'm here. I have yet to write a hockey article, but I needed to after the first day of free agency. 

I'll get started by saying that I've followed the Rangers since the 1992-93 season (just in time) and have been through the highs and lows of the past 16 seasons. We've seen players come and go since their improbable run to the '94 Stanley Cup Championship. 

Now, already 15 years later, one may begin to grow a little weary of the Blueshirts and their teasing. 

The Scott Gomez and Chris Drury acquisitions in 2007 are what they are—they were never the "go-to guy" in New Jersey and Buffalo, respectively. 

Gomez was a playmaker, who scored a career-high 33 goals in the 2005-06 (his previous high was 19 in his rookie season). Gomez stayed on par, in terms of career averages, in his two seasons with New York (70 points in '07-'08 and 58 in '08-'09).

Drury, on the other hand, is a role player, who only scored 30 or more goals twice in his 10-year career. Scoring 25 goals in the 2007-08 season and 22 season last season was to be expected.

So, why are Ranger fans frustrated with these two players?

Simple—they want results, and they want them now. That’s how it is on Broadway. Obviously, Gomez and Drury are not perennial All-Stars, and they never had the goal-scoring ability to lead a team's offense. 

However, as proven playoff veterans, they are looked upon in a way similar to Mark Messier in his early years with the Rangers. As a result of depending on these two players to carry New York to the Promised Land, they now see No. 19 (Gomez) up in the northern lights with Montreal.

The best move of the early offseason so far may be the subtraction of Gomez's contract. It’s unfortunate for him to come across as the scapegoat, but the real victim is Glen Sather. 

The new NHL and its salary cap stipulations have seen Sather overspend on players that obviously don’t deserve it (Gomez, Drury, Redden, and Rozsival). 

Now, Sather has to keep the team competitive while staying under the cap. With Gomez being shipped off to Montreal this week, it opened up cap space for Sather to use.

Enter Marian Gaborik and his new 5-year, $37.5 million contract. Compare that to Wade Redden (three goals in '08-'09) and the 6-year, $39 million contract he received last year, and Gaborik looks like a steal. 

I've always been a fan of Gaborik and what he can bring to the table (notice the keyword, "can"). With two groin injuries and hip surgery (January 2009), one may be skeptical. I, for one, am wary of this signing; however, I expect big things from Gaborik when he is healthy. 

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