Rangers gain and give a great deal

NEW YORK, NY – With an hour to go in the trade deadline Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather did some of the biggest dealing of the trade season.
For a conditional 2^nd round draft pick, Sather added 29 year old Nik

Andropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs to an offensively challenged Rangers lineup. The 6’ 6″ native of Kazakhstan had 21 goals and 46 points for the Leafs this season, and is easily now among the team leaders for the Blueshirts. “I wanted to get some scoring, some size, some grit, and some speed; and I think we’ve done that,” Sather said speaking of Andropov. “We’ll just see how the cards play out here in the future.” Sather also bolstered the blueline with the acquisition of Derek Morris from the Phoenix Coyotes who seemed intent on a fire sale of sorts. Though the Coyotes in whatever form they take next season will be younger with the addition of Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes, both talented forwards. The 24-year old Morris has 5 goals and 12 points on the season and is a negative 13 with 89 PIMs. The 6 foot, 221 pound Morris will fill a big void on the blueline for New York. “Morris is a smart player who has a history of playing on the power play, though I don’t think his numbers have been as good this year as they were in previous years,” said Sather. “We’ll work with him when he gets here. Morris is a good, solid defenseman who gives us a little more bite on the back end.” If all that were not enough for the Rangers, Sather signed Sean Avery off waivers from the Dallas Stars. Though the deal has been in the works for weeks since Avery was “assigned” to the Hartford Wolfpack (AHL), the announcement was welcome news to Rangers fans looking for a spark to motivate a lethargic, overpaid roster. What will Martin Brodeur’s opinion be of Avery’s return? Whatever it is, you can bet it will be fun finding out. Contact the author at lm.davis@prohockeynews.com