NHL: Brad Richards and How Drury Buyout Affects New York Rangers Offseason Plans

Larry Brooks of the New York Post, authored an article early Wednesday morning explaining that Chris Drury has been notified he will be bought out today and that he seeks to pursue joining other franchises.

The below is an email from Chris Drury to the New York Post as it appears in the article website

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"It was a great honor and privilege to be a New York Ranger for the past four years, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to fulfill that childhood dream,"... The Rangers are a first-class organization with great people in the hockey, public relations, team services and community relations departments.
I would also like to thank Ranger fans. They always inspired me to do the best I could in whatever role I was asked to play. Playing before them in the Garden was a thrill of a lifetime. I wish all the fans and the entire Ranger organization the best of luck in the future."

"

Brooks later writes that Buffalo may welcome their former captain home in what appears to be a match made in heaven. I would like Drury return to Buffalo because they could benefit from his veteran leadership.

This latest transaction will give the Rangers a little over $25 million in cap space to spend starting Friday.

It is public knowledge that the Rangers covet Brad Richards and his abilities.

The Rangers have not had a legitimate and established No. 1 center since the "Captain" Mark Messier hung up his skates.

The Rangers have wingers like Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky who are decent scorers and Marian Gaborik who is looking to have a bounce-back season. They are all capable of putting the puck in the net but adding a center like Richards could increase their production.

Richards has averaged a point total of 74 over the last six seasons and has also averaged 51 assists or more. The only asterisk associated with Brad Richards is that he played in only 56 games in the 2008/09 season.

Putting Brad Richards on the Rangers first line would immediately make them better and would add a first-rate passer to the fold.

Richards is a great assist man and his assists numbers attest to this. While he is no Henrik Sedin, Richards can still connect with a surging winger en route to a goal or two.

This year, the Rangers' power play was dreadful, to say the least. In an attempt to improve this, they acquired Bryan McCabe. However, this move didn't pan out like Glen Sather intended.

Enter Brad Richards. Richards can move the puck with speed and ease, and also is not too hesitant to take a shot if needed. Richards poses a dual threat as both an accurate shooter and passer.

Richards has been pitched and proclaimed as the proverbial savior of the New York Rangers and the one chosen to pick up where Jaromir Jagr left off when he ditched the Rangers for the KHL. Coincidentally, Jaromir Jagr may also announce his return to the NHL tomorrow.

It is already public knowledge that the Rangers will not finalize contracts with their RFA's until late August/September at the earliest.

This points to Glen Sather opening up his check book on Friday and attempting to sign Richards as soon as possible. Reports say Richards is seeking an eight-year deal at $8 million per season.

Glen Sather would be wise to step away if it compromises the Rangers' future endeavors but all signs point to an all-out onslaught by Sather.

The only other team in serious contention for Brad Richards is the Toronto Maple Leafs, but this new development has really further cemented the possibilites of Brad Richards coming to Broadway.

I sincerely hope Glen Sather knows what he is doing. Many fans don't want the youth core to be jeopardized for one player.

Right now the Rangers have a lot of money in cap room. What good would it be to use all of this money to buy Brad Richards?

For the interim, the Rangers should take their money and keep it in the bank and use it as they need it. The Rangers by all accounts are a few years away from Stanley Cup contention so adding Richards would not make the most sense.

Rome was not built in a day. However five years from now fans would be glad that they made the investment in players like Stepan, Kreider, Callahan, Thomas, etc., because it will most assuredly pay off huge dividends instead of signing Richards.

Tom Urtz is a Featured Columnist and is a member of the Bleacher Report's Official 2011 NHL Draft Coverage Team. For more NHL draft news, updates and alerts about prospects

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