Rangers fans, you will be very happy that it’s a two way contract.  Mark my words.

BTW, what the hell was Sather thinking!?  Did he not watch Arnie in Colorado!?

Have fun with that!  hahahahahahaha!

Posted by AvsRock from My timeshare in insanity... on 07/03/09 at 12:05 PM ET

Just so Rangers fans understand...you don’t build a team by signing every single big name player you can find/afford and slap him into a long term contract.  Sather is trying to “acquire depth”.  Meaning...because the Rangers have pissed away most of their prospects and draft picks on horrendous trades and bad decisions, Sather has to try and build depth using players that have developed elsewhere. 

While it’s not likely to work as there’s no gel between these players at all, it’s better than just signing big name egos because that doesn’t work for any team.  There has to be “buy in” to the organization and it’s system, which can only come with years of exposure (ie AHL).  This is what separates teams like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey from teams like New York, Tampa, and Los Angeles.  Every prospect that steps from the AHL to the NHL in Detroit plays the same way as veterans on the team; that will never happen to the Rangers if they continue to build from the top up and sign those players to obscenely large contracts.

5 years for Gaborik?  That’s almost 2.5 seasons worth of work for him.  I also think the Rangers are paying something like 7 million a year for michael rozsival...if that’s true, the real problem with the Rangers is the GM.  Though I knew that the minute they hired John Torterella (not his signing however) and picked up Avery...it was like Sather wanted to create a circus in his locker room.  That was reaffirmed when they signed Donald Brashear after he seriously injured one of their players...on purpose.  Then they ditch Orr (as I understand)...um...they do the same thing, score maybe 10 points a season...and there are plenty of them to go around (Laraque, Godard, Clutterbuck(?), etc.).  Maybe Sather needs to sign the one who didn’t try to kill Blair Betts.

Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 07/03/09 at 02:13 PM ET

Depth is one thing. Arnason is something else entirely.

Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 07/03/09 at 03:55 PM ET

Just so Rangers fans understand...you don’t build a team by signing every single big name player you can find/afford and slap him into a long term contract.  Sather is trying to “acquire depth”.  Meaning...because the Rangers have pissed away most of their prospects and draft picks on horrendous trades and bad decisions, Sather has to try and build depth using players that have developed elsewhere.

Pissed away most of their prospects and draft picks on horrendous trades? When has Sather ever given up good youth in a trade? The Rangers have one of the deepest farm systems in the NHL, despite losing a guy like Cherepanov. Anisimov, Grachev, Sanguinetti, Del Zotto, McDonagh, Kreider, Bourque, Kveton, Horak, all have impact potential in the NHL. I don’t recall Sather giving up youth or prospects in the Lindros trade, unless you consider Kim Johnsson youth… (he didn’t pan out that great for Philly) or in the Bure trade, or in the Kovalev trade, or the Jagr trade. Ozolinsh? All it took was Ville Nieminen. Sykora? Max Kondratiev and a 4th, and where is Kondratiev now? Sure, he traded Montoya away, but Montoya was never gonna make it in NY with Lundqvist here.

It’s real easy to talk about Sather pissing away youth and picks when you don’t have a single clue about the Rangers farm system.

While it’s not likely to work as there’s no gel between these players at all, it’s better than just signing big name egos because that doesn’t work for any team.  There has to be “buy in” to the organization and it’s system, which can only come with years of exposure (ie AHL).  This is what separates teams like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey from teams like New York, Tampa, and Los Angeles.  Every prospect that steps from the AHL to the NHL in Detroit plays the same way as veterans on the team; that will never happen to the Rangers if they continue to build from the top up and sign those players to obscenely large contracts.

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen right away because they just changed coaches. One had a “don’t give up any chances play defense and hope to score a goal” philosophy to a guy who wants the players to go out and get it, and stop playing scared of giving up goals. They have a young team, and they have another nucleus of prospects about to come up in the next 5 years that will change the face of the team.

Again, you have no clue about the Rangers.

5 years for Gaborik?  That’s almost 2.5 seasons worth of work for him.  I also think the Rangers are paying something like 7 million a year for michael rozsival...if that’s true, the real problem with the Rangers is the GM.  Though I knew that the minute they hired John Torterella (not his signing however) and picked up Avery...it was like Sather wanted to create a circus in his locker room.  That was reaffirmed when they signed Donald Brashear after he seriously injured one of their players...on purpose.  Then they ditch Orr (as I understand)...um...they do the same thing, score maybe 10 points a season...and there are plenty of them to go around (Laraque, Godard, Clutterbuck(?), etc.).  Maybe Sather needs to sign the one who didn’t try to kill Blair Betts.

5 years for Gaborik is a gamble, but it’s worth it, as opposed to giving up assets for a malcontent like Heatley who’s all butt-hurt because he’s not comfortable playing under Clouston. If you think Clouston is bad, Tortarella would rip him a new *#$%@&. As for Rozsival making 7 million, I don’t know where you’re getting your numbers from, he signed a 4 year 20 million dollar contract last summer. Tortarella wanted Brashear because Brashear was a guy that would bring just as much toughness and more skill than Orr. Orr is not a guy you can afford to have playing on your 3rd line. Brashear can. Is he the best solution? No, but I’d sure as hell rather have Brashear out there than Orr in terms of playing ability. Do I hate Brashear, god damn right I do, and it stems back from the 96 playoffs.

Posted by 92In82 on 07/03/09 at 04:44 PM ET