Souray Headed to New York? [Rumor]

Fans in both Edmonton and New York have been hearing the rumors for months now: Sheldon Souray will be heading east to the Rangers.

Whether you like it or not—and I don't—630 AM in Edmonton has rehashed the rumors again, saying that Souray leaving the Oilers is imminent, and a possible destination is to former Oiler coach and general manager Glen Sather and the Rangers.

Again, this is all rumor, and the odds of it happening are slim, for multiple reasons.

The first is Souray's salary. He is under contract for two more seasons at $5.4 million per. The Rangers, who still have to resign defensemen Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, have next to no available cap space to fill their needs at center, while looking to add secondary scoring past Marian Gaborik. 

The only way Sather can make a contract like Souray's work is to send back fellow overpaid defenseman Wade Redden back to Edmonton, a move that doesn't make sense for a team like Edmonton, who is rebuilding. Redden's contract calls for four more years at around $6 million per season. 

The second reason is the Rangers' abundance of defenseman. With Staal, Girardi and Redden, they also have All-Rookie Michael Del Zotto, and Michael Roszival, who is also making north of $5 million per season. New York is also stacked in the farm system, with top prospects Ryan McDonagh, Bobby Sangueinetti and Mike Sauer. 

Souray made more sense last season, as the Rangers needed an offensive-defenseman, but with the emergence and future of Del Zotto, New York could be more apt to look for a big, physical defenseman, something Souray not.

At the end of the day, the Oilers will have to take Redden and his albatros contract in return, and that is a trade many, if not all Ranger fans will accept with open arms. It won't be long, though, until Souray becomes the boo-boy of the blue seats at the Garden.