New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks Rumors Swirl Again

Rangers GM Glen Sather is looking to make a move in way of a trade.

Sather is not looking to—nor will he—waive any of the players on his roster, as it will not look well around the NHL, considering three of those players were signed either as UFAs or RFAs this offseason. One may shake their head over the offseason signing of Pat Rissmiller, but I can assure you that his job is safe with the Rangers and he is not going anywhere.

That leaves the jobs of Prucha, Sjostrom, and Fritsche in question.  The thought of carrying 15 NHL-caliber forwards and 6 D-man is not sensible, and the Rangers front office is aware of this.

The Rangers are not ready to make a move if it means simply giving away players. If this was the case, they would just be cutting salary for little to no reason. Their interest in Sundin has faded away, and I still do not buy that they have interest in Shanahan despite reports to the contrary.

Let me make it clear ,folks—Tom Renney does not want Shanahan back, even if the GM may think differently. 

This leads me to believe that if a deal is worked out, the Rangers will be looking to move two extra forwards in a deal. The most likely candidates will be Dan Fritsche and Petr Prucha.

Sjostrom and Prucha are similar players, and I do not think teams will be willing to take both, nor will the Rangers want to part with both.  If the Rangers make a deal involving these two players, they would be looking to receive a North American-style player in return who can net in the area of 20 to 30 goals. This, my friends, will be a winger for Brandon Dubinsky, because the Rangers front office feels Nigel Dawes lacks the size to play on that line.

So who do the Rangers eye covetously?  None other than Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler. The Rangers are also willing to part with a pick, Anisimov, or Sanguenetti if it means getting the deal done. This could then possibly yield another prospect or pick coming back from Vancouver as well.

Let me add that Anisimov and Sanguenetti have not impressed to the level that they were touted to be. Can we smell another Al Montoya?

(Speaking of Al Montoya, that deal was the worst trade ever made by Sather. Did Sather get a fair return?  Yes.  Did Sather wait too long, when he could have gotten a greater return a year earlier?  Of course.  If the Rangers part with Anisimov or Sanguenetti, be happy—because in two years when they amount to nothing, you will be wonder why we kept them.)

Let's see what happens—but look for sometime before Thursday to be the magical day. I do not guarantee anything, but there was truth behind those Vancouver rumors back in August—they just had zip to do with Scott Gomez. 

Seeing the deal Vancouver made yesterday with Tampa, Gillis is not done make moves to tinker with his roster up in the great Northwest.

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