NEW YORK, NY – With the February 28th trade deadline fast approaching, it remains to be seen what moves, if any, Rangers’ GM Glen Sather will make. Sather reiterated just this past week to Steve Zipay, Arthur Staple and Larry Brooks that his team will not be held to ransom in the race for high-end defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe. Toronto’s Kaberle is the obvious target for numerous sides looking for a veteran blueliner that can run the power-play, though Brian Burke’s apparent asking price has done little to pique interest. First-round picks have been moved around during the past seven days for Mike Fisher (Ottawa to Nashville) and Kris Versteeg (Toronto to Philadelphia), a soft-handed approach that might suggest an unease about the depth and quality of next seasons Entry Draft. Of course, for the Rangers much seemingly depends on the availability of Dallas Stars’ center Brad Richards, an assumed target of Sather’s that fits all of the Blueshirts’ needs. Richards has 63 points in 56 games so far this season having posted 91 in 80 last year. He played under Rangers’ coach John Tortorella as part of the 2004 Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning team and should be the Blueshirts #1 target if he hits the market this summer. The 30-year old Richards will be an unrestricted free-agent in July and has indicated a reluctance to sign a new, long-term deal in Dallas until the teams ownership situation is resolved. Any serious interest in him would prevent the Rangers from targeting the likes of Kaberle beyond this season, making viable short-term deals to aid the power-play the more likely acquisition. Power-play struggles have been oft-documented for the Rangers. Michael Del Zotto’s sophomore season hasn’t entirely gone as planned and would perhaps be best served in the AHL for the remainder. The young blueliner displays a lack of confidence that has come with making mistakes in his own zone, something that was glossed over with fine offensive play last season. His breakout passes and back-door pinches have betrayed him this year leading to a magnified outlook at his defensive game. Just as important as any potential addition, though, should be the teams hesitancy to shift leadership away from the likes of Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal, two alternate captains that have continued to blossom under pressure this season. The Rangers’ 5-3 win over the Atlantic Division rival Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday afternoon snapped a suffocating six-game losing skid that had derailed the side since the All-Star break. Callahan scored twice as the Blueshirts’ faltering power-play finally came good for three goals against the severely depleted Penguins. A win is a win is a win, but things must be kept in context. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — out for the year — were again missing for the visitors, whilst injuries to Mark Letestu, Chris Kunitz, Mike Comrie, Erik Tangradi, Dustin Jeffrey and Arron Asham also kept them out. Matt Cooke continued to serve his four-game suspension for a hit on Columbus’ ex-Ranger Fedor Tyutin last week, whilst Eric Godard began a compulsory 10-game suspension for his part in Friday’s massacre on Long Island. To attribute the win solely to those absent would be just as big a mistake though. Marian Gaborik remains conspicuous by his absence since returning from a separated shoulder injury in December. His failure to hit an empty net in the final minute of Sunday’s win typified the Slovakian’s current form, Glen Sather going so far as to publicly state his willingness to listen to offers for last season’s 42-goal, 86-point winger. Of course, any belief that Rangers’ brass would actually trade Gaborik for anything less than a substantial overpayment is truly ill-informed. The Los Angeles Kings are rumoured to be long-time admirers, but any deal not involving young center Brayden Schenn should be a non-starter for the Rangers. Sather is doing his due-diligence in listening to offers for a tangible asset, there really should be very little surprise here. On the ice, Brandon Dubinsky and Vinny Prospal’s returns from long-term injury have boosted a stretched roster perhaps too reliant on a multitude of rookie skaters. Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh have all had fantastic first seasons in the NHL so far; Zuccarello in particular has shined despite a clear physical disadvantage, whilst McDonagh and Sauer have formed a reliable second-pairing on the Rangers blueline. Stepan continues to ease in to a top-six role in the NHL, posting 32 points through 58 games. Perhaps a bigger factor for the former Wisconsin Badger has been his maturity and leadership stance; the 20-year old rookie hasn’t missed a beat despite the team dropping in excess of 150 man-games through injury this season, seldom surprising given his captaincy of both the Badgers and the US national team to World Junior success last year. Prior to Sunday’s win over Pittsburgh, the Rangers had lost six consecutive one-goal games — Montreal’s empty-net tally in a 2-0 game notwithstanding. Henrik Lundqvist found himself scratched after a pair of disappointing performances against Pittsburgh and New Jersey, the latter of which saw Lundqvist pulled after giving up a 3-0 lead in 35 minutes to the Blueshirts’ cross-river rivals. Outside of a brief lead during a 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, the Rangers would find themselves constantly playing catch-up during their skid — posting a 200-minute stretch of hockey without a lead before duly losing one in dramatic fashion. Effort, though, was never in question. In fact, effort has never really been the issue with this team at all. They’re young and lack top-end talent — outside of an underperforming Gaborik — thus are getting by on hard-work and gritty determination. It’s that spirit that Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal — the current and future leaders of the team — embody. At some point the team does need to make a move for top-end talent to complement Gaborik, something Brad Richards would provide in spades. Whether it’s at the trade deadline or on July 1st is anyone’s guess, but it’d take a rich man to bet against Sather trying. Contact the author – alex.nunn@prohockeynews.com
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