Ales Kotalik "Leaves" New York Rangers, Will be Traded

Larry Brooks of the New York Post is reporting that forward Ales Kotalik did not accompany the team to Colorado, where they will take on the Avalanche in about a half hour.

Rumor has it that GM Glen Sather informed the struggling winger that he will be traded in the near future, and as a result, Kotalik basically "left" the Blueshirts before even being shipped off to a new club.

If you recall, Blueshirt Banter had a story up about this several weeks ago, so credit must go to them.

This per Brooks :

""Kotalik, the 32-year-old winger who was signed to a three-year, $9M free agent contract this summer, accompanied the Blueshirts to Phoenix for the first game of their three-game western tour but did not accompany his teammates here for tonight's match against the Avalanche.

Kotalik, who registered 22 points (8-14) with a minus-18 rating in 45 games, was signed primarily for his big shot on the power play point."

"But after an encouraging start, Kotalik slumped with the remainder of the man advantage unit. His passive five-on-five nature did not go over well with Tortorella.

It is unknown whether GM Glen Sather has a tentative deal in place for Kotalik or whether this is simply the beginning of the process.""

We will see if Sather is able to trade Kotalik prior to the roster freeze that is in effect once the Olympics begin in two weeks. Until then, it is a waiting process, but I have a feeling this move may come sooner than we expect.

More after the game...

(Image courtesy of AP Photo)