Sather's Sweet Redemption!

In Glen Sather's first two years as GM of the NY Rangers, I wanted his head on a platter a la John the Baptist.

This past weekend my beloved NY Rangers signed the two best available free agent centers in one fell swoop. In the past, Glen Sather's free agent signings have made me cringe. Coming from tight purse-strings in Edmonton, he spent like a drunken sailor during his first few years in New York which prompted me to actively drum for his dismissal. Then over the next few years, much to my joy and many other Ranger fans annoyance, he traded for draft picks and let the rebuilding process begin. He finally let the rookies play as he started jettisoning big fat unproductive contracts. Only then did the Rangers find some grit and passion for playing a 60 minute game.

After the last productive 2 years, with more impact rookies on the horizon (namely defensemen Marc Staal and Bobby Sanguinetti), Sather finally dusted off the checkbook and not only did he sign marquee names, he signed two proven character guys who know how to win. The Rangers have suddenly become a team that players around the NHL respect and want to play for. Look at Brendan Shanahan. He could have played anywhere but accepted less money to play for the Rangers. We were starting to see a transformation in perception within and outside the team.

Make no mistake, Drury and Gomez were sold on playing together on the Rangers long before Sather pulled out his checkbook. The only reason the Rangers got either of them was because they both wanted to join a franchise on it's way towards the Stanley Cup.

Now whether the Rangers win a Cup in the next few years is debatable. But, what cannot be debated is that this is a team that is going to give other teams fits for 60 minutes every night.
Playing the Rangers is going to be a very unpleasant prospect for the rest of the NHL. They now have the goal scoring that is on par with just about anyone. They have Vezina level goaltending in Lundqvist and potentially another goaltender in the minors (Montoya), who may be just as good and they have a solid defensive core with the best players being under 25 years of age. They are a puck control team who are going to wear out other teams on many nights.

I've been preaching for patience and now is the time to grab for the ring. Sather's coup de grace in free agency will have a huge impact. Not only with the Gomez and Drury addition, but he subtracted them from two of the best eastern conference teams. Also, these guys are leaders and character guys. They play best when the game is on the line and should adeptly deal with the pressures of playing in New York. These guys wanted badly to be here. That's not something you usually get in free agents.

I'm ecstatic that Sather declined to offer 35 year old Michael Nylander a 4 year 20M contract. If you're going to spend 5M a year for a 35-39 year old forward, why not spend an extra couple of million and get players at the top of their game and in their prime?

That feeling I had when the Rangers got Mark Messier...I have that same feeling today. Sather still has some work to do but he's on the right path.

The haze of Alzheimer's has finally lifted from Sather. He finally "gets it". Thank You Jesus!

Gooooooooooooo Rangers!!!